🧪 Science & STEAM Programs

Boise, ID

City of Boise's parks and recreation department, operating one of Idaho's largest municipal recreation catalogs. Programs include Summer Playcamps (10 parks, ages entering 1st–6th grade), youth camps in art / cooking / outdoor / recreation / science / theater / Zoo Boise themes, golf and tennis lessons, league play, swim programs, and drop-in facility access at Fort Boise Community Center, Idaho IceWorld, and city pools. Registration via Boise Parks & Rec app or webtrac portal.

Meridian, ID

City of Meridian's parks and recreation department, offering youth camps (Camp Mer-IDA-Moo for ages 6–11 at Discovery and Siena Elementary; Outdoor Adventure Camp for ages 9–14), recreation classes, youth sports leagues, and reservation services for Settlers Park and 30+ other city parks. Registration via REC1 portal.

Nampa, ID

City of Nampa's parks and recreation department, anchored by the 140,000 sq ft Harward Recreation Center. The Rec Center has five indoor pools (including a 53-foot waterslide and 88-degree recreation pool), an indoor track, and offers year-round American Red Cross swim lessons, WINGS Gymnastics, homeschool PE and swimming, Kids in Action summer day camp, Shooting Stars Youth Basketball League, baseball/softball/t-ball leagues, traveling playground programs, and preschool classes for ages 3–4.

Boise, ID

Boise's municipal library system with five branches in Boise: Main Library (715 S. Capitol Blvd., downtown), Library! at Bown Crossing (2153 E. Riverwalk Dr.), Library! at Cole & Ustick (7557 W. Ustick Rd.), Library! at Collister (4724 W. State St.), and Library! at Hillcrest (5246 W. Overland Rd.). Offers Baby Stories and Play (recurring Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri), summer reading program, kids and teen programming, summer and winter program guides. All locations have parking, public computers, WiFi, and meeting rooms.

Meridian, ID

Independent library district serving Meridian and surrounding areas. Six branch locations: Orchard Park (1268 W. Orchard Park Dr.), Pinnacle (1375 E. Phenomenal St.), unBound (722 E. 2nd St.), Tiny Library (5159 S. Hillsdale Ave., mall branch), History Center (33 E. Broadway Ave., self-guided tours), and Cherry Lane (1326 W. Cherry Ln.: closed for renovation, reopening Winter 2026/2027). Offers story times, summer reading, kids and teen programming. Digital services available 24/7.

Boise, ID

Boise's hands-on science and STEM museum. Permanent exhibits and rotating educational programming for all ages, plus week-long summer camps (ages 5–13) covering topics like dinosaurs (Mesozoic Camp), empathy + science (Camp Impact), STEM + sports partnerships with Skyhawks (basketball, soccer), Minecraft engineering, and a Wizarding Camp partnership with Idaho Botanical Garden. Also runs spring break camps, winter camps, and field trips. Several 2026 summer camps already sold out.

Eagle, ID

Single-branch independent library in downtown Eagle. Dedicated children's room with toys and staff supervision. 'Family Place Space' offers colorful displays, interactive toys, organized children's books. Programs: toddler story hours, hands-on STEM workshops for teens, books before bedtime, teen time lounge. Lending library includes cake pans, sewing machines, robotics kits, and scrapbooking supplies.

Boise, ID

Independent library district covering unincorporated Ada County and parts of Boise / Star. Four physical branches: Hidden Springs (5868 W Hidden Springs Dr, Boise), Lake Hazel (10489 W Lake Hazel Rd, Boise), Star (10706 W State St #100, Star), Victory (10664 W Victory Rd, Boise), plus the Connect Branch mobile bookmobile. Story times, summer reading, kids/teen programming, STEM, music, book clubs at every branch.

Kuna, ID

Independent library district serving Kuna. Programs: Preschool (yoga storytime, toddler STEM, blocks/play), Homeschool program (Fridays 9:30 AM, arts/crafts/STEM/guests), StoryWalk on east loop of greenbelt along Swan Falls Road (boards 1-18). Summer reading, teen programs, book clubs.

Emmett, ID

Independent recreation district serving Emmett (Gem County). Mission: enrich quality of life through community programs. Programs include STEM Club, Page Turners book club (kids), TOPS adult fitness, First Thursday Senior Day. Event center available for rentals. Programming for all ages from young children through adults.

Eagle, ID

City of Eagle's parks and rec department: introductory-to-intermediate youth sports camps for ages 2-13, Eagle Adventure Camp (M-F 9am-4pm) for school-age youth, and youth leagues in soccer, basketball, baseball, and lacrosse.

Meridian, ID

Hands-on children's museum focused on purposeful play for ages 2-8 and their families. Daily educational programs, immersive planetarium shows, STEM activities, monthly family events, and seasonal camps. Birthday parties available.

Boise, ID

Public aquarium in west Boise with education-focused mission: 'Education. Inspiration. Conservation.' Hands-on exhibits including the Shark & Ray Lab, stingray touch pool, and interactive marine biology demonstrations. Offers structured preschool programs ($47/class), school field-trip workshops, and virtual classroom teleconferences with on-staff biologists. Operating since 2010 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Garden City, ID

Hands-on STEAM education center for ages 4-14 using LEGO bricks, K'Nex, and technology. Curriculum spans robotics, coding, animation technology, and design challenges. Programs include after-school classes, summer camps, birthday parties, field trips, custom events, workshops, and assemblies. Also operates a competition-robotics team. The Garden City 'Discovery Center' is the fixed program location; community programs also run at schools and community centers via partnerships.

Garden City, ID

Garden City's public library: proudly 'not a quiet library' with active children's programming year-round. Programs include Toddler Tales storytime, Puppet Theater, Bilingual Storytime (English/Spanish), rock painting workshops, chess club, and an annual spring caterpillar-to-butterfly raising with release in the Garden City Pollinator Garden. Distinct from Boise Public Library (#362) and Ada Community Library (#400, Garden City branch).

Boise, ID

City of Boise environmental education facility in the Foothills serving over 10,000 students + community members annually. Year-round nature-based programming for ages 2 through adult: Outdoor Preschool (3.5-5, year-round), Nature Programs (ages 2-4 with adult), Little Explorers (ages 6-9), school field trips, family programs, summer camps. Quarter-mile Story Trail (free + drop-in) with nature-themed story platforms. Located within native sagebrush steppe ecosystem with hands-on exhibits.

Boise, ID

Entirely outdoor, nature-immersion school for children ages 1 month–8 years. Programs include Forest Preschool (half-day, ages 3–5), Nature Babies and Nature Explorers (caregiver-and-me classes for younger children), and Pathfinders homeschool enrichment. Boise programs meet at multiple outdoor sites: 1200 Heron St, 3206 W Pleasanton Ave (Esther Simplot Park), 930 Veterans Memorial Pkwy, and 1001 S Americana Blvd.

Boise, ID

STEM learning center in Boise founded by educator Jenny Hoban, offering hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math classes, reading and math tutoring, after-school programs, and summer camps for kids. Located behind Sage International School.

Middleton, ID

Middleton's public library, offering children's storytime three times a week (Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday at 10:30 am), a nine-week Summer Reading Program each June–August, plus books, programs, study space, and family activities for all ages. Has also hosted community family-wellness sessions including martial arts and arts & crafts.

Garden City, ID

Garden City 501(c)(3) that refurbishes donated electronics and devices and uses the proceeds to fund low-cost STEM classes, kits, and workshops for kids: hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math projects, with a focus on underserved and underprivileged Idaho youth.

Boise, ID

Nature-based outdoor education program offering forest preschool/early learning, drop-off homeschool nature enrichment, and full-day Forest Fridays for kids ages 4–13. Programs meet at parks across Boise, Garden City, Eagle, and Nampa (school year runs September–May). Place-based learning, community engagement, and nature immersion; billed monthly with no contracts.

Boise, ID

Boise children's enrichment studio offering weekly 12-week classes for ages 5–12: Art, Science/STEM, Gardening, and a flagship 'Create & Discover' class blending art, science, design and movement. Parent-and-kid classes are noted as coming soon, and the studio runs summer day camps (June–August). Classes are held at two partner venues in Boise, Lotus Tree Therapy Hub (3181 S Bown Way) and The Sensory Playce (1471 S Vinnell Way, business #740), rather than a single proprietary facility. Sessions are once weekly, $300 per 12-week session; fall 2026 session runs Aug 17–Nov 6.

Star, ID

The Star branch of the Ada Community Library district, and the only public library located in the city of Star. Runs the district's full weekly youth programming slate (Baby Rhyme Time, Toddler Stories & Art, Preschool Art, STEAM, read-to-a-therapy-dog sessions, homeschool meetups, and kids' coding) alongside its circulating collection and study space. Open Monday through Saturday.

Boise, ID

Free, Gold LEED-certified environmental education centre run by the City of Boise at its water renewal campus, with an interactive exhibit hall about the Boise River watershed and climate science plus an outdoor River Campus that runs a simulated river feature roughly mid-March through mid-October. Admission to both the exhibit hall and the river campus is free. Programming includes an environmental story time for ages 2–5, quarterly homeschool programs (ages 5–12), free drop-in activity days during school breaks, all-ages Summer WaterShed Wednesdays on the River Campus, quarterly family events including an Earth Day Celebration and a Water Festival, and free K-12 field trips for groups of 15 or more.