Think like a Badger. Badger Precollege offers in-person and online programs in humanities, music, business, psychology, government, STEM, college prep and more — all designed to help students in grades 1–12 find their passion, meet new friends and explore their future.
Use the search filters to find the class, program or workshop that matches your interests.
If you are looking for information about sports camps, field trips and other youth programs offered by our UW–Madison partners — including Badger Sports Camps, Wisconsin 4-H, the Language Institute and others — view campus programs.
Summer Arts Clinic offers you the opportunity to: Learn from experienced educators and arts professionals from UW–Madison and around the country.
Develop new artistic skills and explore existing ones.
Meet and collaborate with a community of peers with multiple and diverse artistic voices and interests.
Explore education and career opportunities in the arts.
Develop and express your unique, creative style. Learn to tell your story in a variety of ways through the arts.
Students will prepare themselves to be college-ready through a variety of interactive online workshops and in-person experiential learning. They will better understand the holistic approach to university admissions in the U.S. and the jargon that accompanies the admissions and educational process. They will identify their weaknesses in study and time management skills essential for college success and develop a plan to improve these habits.
Adventures in Coding will spark your curiosity about the connections between math, computer coding and programming. If you geek out about video games, computers, equations or even different mathematical languages, join us for this coding adventure!
A Walk Through History will transport students to a living history museum! Students will choose a historical figure, research them and write a speech as if they were that person. During family visiting day, students will dress up and stay in character, give their speeches and answer questions.
Artful Architecture combines elements like drawing and mathematics to help students visualize and create their own dream buildings. Through hands-on and engaging activities, this class will go through the entire planning and designing process: site plan, floor plan, section and elevation. If you like looking at tall skyscrapers or cool-looking buildings in your neighborhood, this class is for you!
In this course we will explore the wonderful world of magical creatures through literature, writing, and the arts! We will read about fantastic beasts, write our own stories and poems, improv and perform pieces about these magical creatures, and create art using our limitless imaginations.
Are you interested in finding out more about how forensic science helps us solve mysteries? Intro to Forensic Science is an interdisciplinary class that builds upon the skills explored in our Secret Agents class. We introduce forensic science techniques used in the field.
Do you love the hustle and bustle of a big city? Maybe you dream of skyscrapers, light rails, sprawling parks, and impressive museums? If so then join us in a quest to become a visionary urban planner shaping the future of civilization! We will learn about all the decisions that go into making a city, especially the important design elements that make it liveable. We’ll consider the needs of citizens and search for innovative solutions to meet them. We’ll examine cities from around the world, as well as the urban space right here in Madison, to think critically about what it takes to make a city successful. By the end of the course, you’ll put your knowledge to work designing a city of your own! This course is designed as a challenging enrichment opportunity for students completing grades 2-3.
Inside Out/Upside Down will introduce students to the world of psychology using the movie Inside Out as a base for exploring emotions, actions, and memories. Students will be learning about the foundations of psychology through role play, hands-on activities and class discussions.
This class will spark your curiosity about the objects in the world around you. Did you know that everything is basically made of the same three ingredients? Participate in hands-on experiments, make observations and learn how to communicate your findings like a scientist.
We introduce students to the major systems of the body through interactive and engaging activities. They will not only learn how the inner body looks, but also how it works. We explore the muscular, skeletal, nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune systems through models and experiments.
Prepare to be amazed, astonished, and maybe even a little grossed out in Gross Biology! Here you’ll go on a mind-boggling quest to uncover the squirmy, slimy, creepy, crawly, and downright bizarre features of the natural world. You’ll be intrigued by parasites, mucus, bacteria, and more! Put on a brave face, and maybe some gloves, as you complete hands-on experiments to uncover the purpose of some of nature’s oddities. By the end of class, you’ll challenge your perceptions of what it really means to be gross. This course is designed as a challenging enrichment opportunity for students completing grades 3-4.
The Green Team: Introduction to Environmental Science offers a multi-disciplinary approach to learning about environmental issues by increasing knowledge and building critical-thinking skills that will help our students make informed and responsible decisions in an age-appropriate format.
During Exploring Engineering, each class will focus on a different discipline of engineering, with stations and hands-on projects to foster exploration and discovery.
In this laboratory-intensive course, you will learn how DNA and proteins are analyzed to improve food products, diagnose a disease or identify a suspect. Gain valuable laboratory skills such as micropipetting, gel electrophoresis, bacterial transformation, DNA extraction and protein analysis.
Join us for a week of adventure through the tales of Ancient Greece and Rome! In this introductory course you will learn about key figures and features in Classical mythology and analyze its widespread influence on the modern art, literature, and culture. If you're a fan of the Percy Jackson series, or fantasy stories in general, this course is for you!
Explore how the brain works and how it influences thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Focus on cognition and learning, linking brain structure and function to daily life. Learn how neuropsychologists help diagnose and treat disorders that impact brain function.
Learn about object-oriented programming, and how to write and execute code using the Java programming language, via the Greenfoot programming environment. Students will learn programming fundamentals while participating in authentic coding activities that place an emphasis on problem-solving and creativity. Explore coding by examining a set of interesting scenarios, solving coding problems and competing in a fun coding challenge. Then begin to design your own game or simulation!
In this course, we'll explore the process of how an actor can effectively portray a character. Through scene work exercises we'll dive into the motivation of a character and consider the best tactics an actor can use to communicate that to an audience. We'll unleash your creativity through improv exercises as you set your character loose, creating a story on the fly!
Spend each day discovering one of the many art areas on the UW–Madison campus, like theatre, visual art, dance, music or creative writing. Part of our day will be spent delving into the creation of pieces, and the other part of the day will include visits to campus arts hubs.
