SPARK Business Academy Camps - Summer Camps - McDonogh School

SPARK Business Academy Camps

My First Lemonade Stand (Ages 6-9)

Ages: Boys and Girls 6 to 9
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: June 23 to June 27 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

Let's sell lemonade! Young campers become "lemonade entrepreneurs" and learn how to make yummy lemonade and earn money selling it! From designing marketing flyers to estimating profits to experimenting with recipes, campers have fun all week while developing business savvy.

Personal Finance (Ages 9-13)

Ages: Boys and Girls 9 to 13
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: June 23 to June 27 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

Learn how to manage your money in this program promoting essential life skills! Set your financial goals, develop a budget from scratch, shop for a credit card, and calculate the monthly cost of your dream car. Students also learn about mortgages, FICO scores, taxes, and the dangers of piling up debt. Through simulations and hands-on activities, participants gain confidence to explore financial decisions they will have to make in the future.

Art Innovators (Ages 6-9)

Ages: Boys and Girls 6 to 9
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: June 30 to July 3 (Week of July 4th) - $385
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

This hands-on program is a great way to introduce future artists to art and innovation! Campers draw self-portraits, mold sculptures, and create captivating collages—cultivating essential creativity and risk-taking skills. As campers explore the world of art, from da Vinci to Kahlo, they’ll show their creativity and grow their confidence by sharing their work with others! Art Innovators empowers the next generation to envision, create, and inspire through the transformative power of art!

Budding Entrepreneurs (Ages 9-13)

Ages: Boys and Girls 9 to 13
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: June 30 to July 3 (Week of July 4th) - $385
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

Join other intrepid campers and develop a business plan for your own business idea. You will learn to take risks and persevere while making business-like decisions about strategy, marketing, and finance (optional activities include building a website and designing business cards). Campers build confidence "learning by doing" throughout the week and make their pitch presentations on the last day!

My First Passport (Ages 6-9)

Ages: Boys and Girls 6 to 9
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: July 7 to July 11 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

This fun program helps campers develop a global mindset and build international awareness early in life! Explore cultural differences across countries, geography games, famous landmarks, world currencies, current global events, the role of international institutions like the UN, and more. Campers role-play as diplomats and come up with solutions to key global problems like hunger, poverty, and pollution.

Bulls & Bears (Ages 9-13)

Ages: Boys and Girls 9 to 13
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: July 7 to July 11 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

Learn investing fundamentals and how you can start investing at a young age! Build your own $100,000 stock portfolio and trade stocks like Apple, Nike, or Amazon with a cool investing simulation tool. This hands-on experience empowers campers with the tools and mindset to face future investment decisions with confidence and buy low, sell high! A solid foundation for successful future investors!

My First Piggy Bank (Ages 6-9)

Ages: Boys and Girls 6 to 9
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: July 14 to July 18 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

Earn, save, spend, donate! Let's learn about money! This innovative program provides a solid foundation on financial literacy for kids in a fun setting. Games and hands-on activities help campers internalize key concepts (like money, budgeting, and saving) in an engaging and supportive environment fostering teamwork. Campers use their arts and crafts skills to make their own piggy banks!

Sports Management (Ages 9-13)

Ages: Boys and Girls 9 to 13
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: July 14 to July 18 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

For the sports lover, future team General Manager, sports team owner or ESPN analyst, this unique program helps campers view the world of sports from a business perspective. Campers participate in fun mock drafts for various sports and analyze different sports topics, including player contracts, college sports, NIL, endorsements, the Nike vs. Under Armour competition, sports agents, the Super Bowl, e-sports, and more!

My First Craft Fair (Ages 6-9)

Ages: Boys and Girls 6 to 9
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: July 21 to July 25 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

Let's get crafty! Young entrepreneurs will create handmade items to "sell" to other "vendors" at their very own craft fair! In this program, campers will learn about craft fairs and the ingenuity and creativity of the small business entrepreneur. They will produce goods and learn to create appealing advertising and displays. Other related topics will be discussed such as counting currency, budgeting, profit margins, buying and selling, and assessing the quality of goods. 

Young Debaters (Ages 9-13)

Ages: Boys and Girls 9 to 13
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: July 21 to July 25 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

Campers learn the art of persuasion and help select debate topics they find interesting. In a public forum debate format, campers work in groups and practice their debating skills in a supportive environment, including developing arguments, issuing rebuttals, providing examples, rebuilding their case, and summarizing points of view. Campers learn to think on their feet and enhance their public speaking skills, gaining self-confidence in the process.

Little Inventors (Ages 6-9)

Ages: Boys and Girls 6 to 9
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: July 28 to August 1 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee: $40 per camper

Are you ready to innovate? Get your creative juices flowing in this project-based program, where you will identify the need for an invention, think on your feet, and create structures and solutions. Campers also learn about famous inventors and internalize how recent innovations improve our lives.

My First Food Truck (Ages 9-13)

Ages: Boys and Girls 9 to 13
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Dates and Tuition: July 28 to August 1 - $485
*Optional Weekly Transportation Fee : $40 per camper

Campers select a food theme, choose an ideal location, identify target customers, design appealing menus, and form a comprehensive business plan covering strategy, marketing, operations, and finance, including capital-raising needs. Activities include drafting mission statements, setting prices, estimating expenses, and learning key financial metrics. This program offers a tasty way to develop business savvy!

Note: no food is handled at camp.

McDonogh Summer Camps