Da Vinci Academy

06/04/2026

Summer camp fun begins! Campers' favorites so far have been the Lego Spike Essentials coding, filming movies using a greenscreen, creating wands and re-enacting Harry Potter-style wizard duels, building a hydraulic paper airplane launcher, and spontaneous math and creative writing challenges. We can't wait to see what these creative and curious kiddos get up to over the next several weeks!

05/23/2026

End of year picnic!

05/23/2026

Such a gorgeous day for our end of year picnic! So grateful for our generous sponsor Publix who made the end of year extra fun with sweet treats for our celebration!

05/13/2026

As the weather becomes gorgeous, our young learners have really enjoyed our time outside. We take three recesses each day, to allow ample time for healthy fun, play-based learning, and imaginative play - from inventing the game of “Baby Ball” to creating restaurants serving mud pies and other nature-based treats, the children always surprise us with their creativity and joy.

05/05/2026

One of the greatest things about Da Vinci is watching the kiddos find their tribe. I had such a blast transporting this delightful little trio to Dry Rocks this weekend. They chatted happily about A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter in the drive to Richmond, and spent the entire drive back asking for riddles and brain teasers.

04/24/2026

So excited about our growing robotics program! our younger learners, or those new to coding and robotics, work on LEGO Spike Essentials, while our older/more experienced learners are using VEX Go.

04/21/2026

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗗𝗮 𝗩𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽
Is your high schooler looking for meaningful volunteer hours this summer? Da Vinci Academy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit serving diverse learners, including gifted learners and those with multiple exceptionalities, is seeking enthusiastic teens to help with our hands-on summer camp for grades K-6!
𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲:
🎨 𝘾𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 (45 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨/𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠) - Plan and lead engaging activity stations in STEAM areas like marine science, coding, robotics, art, and more.
🤝 𝘾𝙖𝙢𝙥 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨 (35 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨/𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠) - Assist with camp activities, supervise students, and support cluster leaders. Great for students who enjoy working with kids and want flexible volunteer experience.

𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀:
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣: Summer 2026 (specific weeks listed on the sign-up form)
𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM for the week(s) you sign up for
𝙁𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: Volunteer to lead a STEM station or serve as a camp helper for as few as 1 week or as many as 6 weeks
𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: Da Vinci Academy, Williamsburg

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀?
✓ Gain valuable experience working with elementary-aged children, including neurodivergent and twice-exceptional learners
✓ Build leadership and teaching skills
✓ Earn substantial volunteer hours (and a letter of recommendation, upon request) for college applications, honor societies, or graduation requirements
✓ Work alongside experienced educators in a supportive, mission-driven environment
✓ Make a real difference in kids' lives through hands-on, joyful learning
Perfect for students interested in: STEM fields, the arts, education, or anyone who loves working with kids!
Interested students (or parents!) can sign up here: https://forms.gle/nSfEvx66tDne7xFD9

04/16/2026

04/16/2026

At the Da Vinci Academy, we love STEM-based learning! Our engineering design challenge is a big hit with our kiddos - today was Day 1 of the boat challenge. Our learners chose a "passenger" today (a mini figure that they had to safely transport across the pool) and created their first prototype, then had the chance to test their prototype and get feedback from their peers and suggestions for the redesign. Several points of design failure for this first challenge included boats that toppled over, couldn't sail all the way across the pool, or became waterlogged, and the students now have the chance to revise and re-test their designs. It was amazing to watch these kiddos cheer each other on, make helpful suggestions, and get creative with their very diverse designs!

04/15/2026

Our awesome little learners are coming to the end of their ocean study and had the opportunity today to diagram the parts of a fish and then do a fish dissection. The dissection was an optional activity, so not all of the kiddos chose to participate, but those who did had an absolute blast!