Short answer: Burnaby has an advantage no other city in the region has: SFU’s Science AL!VE runs STEM camps on the Burnaby campus, for grades 1–8 in summer, plus Pro-D day camps and weekend events — and bursaries are available, which makes it the most affordable serious STEM program in the Lower Mainland. Alongside it, Code Ninjas Burnaby South is open on Rumble Street (but only three days a week), and there are two Steamoji maker academies, at Metrotown and Burnaby Heights. Most programs start at age 6. Burnaby Public Library runs free technology programs.
If you are comparing Burnaby with the rest of Metro Vancouver, the thing to understand is that the university outreach programs change the maths entirely. A week at a private academy and a week at a university-run camp are not priced the same, and one of them has a bursary programme. This guide covers what is open in Burnaby, what each is like, and where the genuinely cheap options are.
SFU Science AL!VE — the Burnaby advantage
Science AL!VE is Simon Fraser University’s STEM outreach programme for K–12 youth, running hands-on camps, workshops and school programs in Burnaby and Surrey. Being run out of a university science faculty rather than a franchise changes the character of it: instructors are typically undergraduates in science and engineering, and the content leans toward genuine scientific method rather than a product curriculum.
What they run:
- Summer Academy — the main offering, for grades 1 to 8, with separate grade groupings at the Burnaby and Surrey locations.
- Elementary school programs — weekend events and Pro-D day camps, which are the hardest days of the year to cover and the ones almost nobody plans for.
- High school programs — Invent the Future, A Byte of Tech and Hour++ of Code for older students.
- Community partnership programs — targeted initiatives for Indigenous youth, Black youth, and girls and young women in STEM.
- Online learning — STEAM On, the STEM Speaker Series and What the Hack.
Bursaries are available, and this is the part worth acting on. If cost is what has kept your child out of STEM programs, this is the first place to ask rather than the last. Contact sciencealive@sfu.ca or 778-782-5912.
One practical note: the Summer Academy sells out, and Pro-D day camps sell out faster because they are single days with limited capacity. Get on the newsletter and book the moment registration opens.
Code Ninjas Burnaby South
5262 Rumble Street, Burnaby, on (236) 997-2633 — open. Check the hours before you plan around it, because they are narrower than most: Wednesday 3:30–7:30pm, Friday 3:30–6:30pm and Saturday 10:00am–2:00pm only, closed Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
Ages 5 to 14, through JR (5–7) and CREATE (8–14), where children build video games and progress through belts at their own pace during drop-in hours. They also run after-school programs, break camps at summer, winter and spring, clubs for 8–14, birthday parties and Parent’s Night Out.
The three-day schedule matters more than it looks. A drop-in belt model works because a keen child can come often; with three opening windows a week, and Saturday being the busy one, that self-paced advantage shrinks. Ask how many students are typically in on a Saturday before committing.
Separately, a second Code Ninjas Burnaby location is listed as coming soon and is taking waitlist signups only — if you find that page, check for the waitlist banner before planning around it.
Steamoji — two Burnaby locations
Burnaby is the only city in the region with two Steamoji maker academies: Metrotown at 6125 Sussex Avenue, Unit 112, on (604) 518-0399, and a second at Burnaby Heights.
Ages 6 to 14, working through a structured 400-hour curriculum covering coding, robotics, engineering, 3D printing and digital arts. This is the most physical of the options — fabrication and building rather than screen work — and the longest commitment. They offer a free session, which is how to find out whether the format suits your child before paying for a term.
Having two locations is a practical benefit rather than a marketing one: if the Metrotown schedule does not fit, Burnaby Heights may, and you are not driving out of the city either way.
Which one suits which child
| If your child… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Likes real science, not products | SFU Science AL!VE | University-run, scientific method, grades 1–8 |
| Needs cost to not be the barrier | SFU Science AL!VE | Bursaries available |
| Is obsessed with games and self-directed | Code Ninjas Burnaby South | Belt progression, they build games |
| Wants to build physical things | Steamoji Metrotown or Burnaby Heights | Fabrication and physical computing |
| Needs a Pro-D day covered | SFU Science AL!VE Pro-D camps | Almost nobody else programmes those days |
| Is in high school | SFU A Byte of Tech / Invent the Future | Genuine pre-university content |
What it costs
| Format | Typical cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| University summer camp week | Mid-range for the region | SFU Science AL!VE; bursaries available |
| Pro-D day camp | Single-day rate | Sells out fastest |
| Full-week private break camp | up to about $400 | Typically 9am–3pm |
| One-day workshop | from $55 | Regional providers; cheapest test of interest |
| Membership-style academy | Monthly | Code Ninjas and Steamoji |
| Burnaby Public Library programs | Free | Technology and maker sessions |
The two questions that decide value more than the sticker price: does your child keep the kit, and is progress paced by the child or the calendar. Steamoji sends hardware home; drop-in belt models do not, but let a keen child move faster than a weekly class allows.
Free and low-cost in Burnaby
- Burnaby Public Library — free technology, maker and coding programs for children across its branches, plus free computer access. The cheapest possible test of genuine interest.
- SFU Science AL!VE bursaries — ask before ruling the camps out on price.
- School robotics clubs and FIRST LEGO League — many Burnaby School District schools run teams, free or nearly so, with the same competition structure paid programs charge for.
- ADST class at school — every BC student already does Applied Design, Skills and Technologies. Ask the teacher what they are covering before paying for a duplicate.
- Steamoji free session — a full class at no cost.
- Scratch and micro:bit at home — free, and close to what many paid beginner classes teach.
Camps versus weekly classes
A full-week camp is usually the better first purchase. Five consecutive days builds enough momentum to finish something substantial, and you learn in one week whether your child is engaged rather than over six weeks of Tuesdays. Weekly programs are better afterwards, for sustained progress — skills need spacing to stick.
Our main robotics and coding guide goes deeper on what a class involves at each age, the screen-time question and how ADST works.
Questions to ask before you enrol
- What is the instructor-to-student ratio? Robotics goes wrong constantly by design; a child who waits fifteen minutes for help stops trying.
- What are the actual opening hours, and how busy is the session you would attend?
- Does my child keep the kit?
- What will they have built by the end? A specific answer is a good sign.
- Is there a bursary, free trial or single-day option first?
- How much of a session is hands-on with hardware rather than at a laptop?
Frequently asked questions
Where can kids do STEM camps at SFU in Burnaby?
Science AL!VE is SFU’s STEM outreach programme, running hands-on camps, workshops and school programs in Burnaby and Surrey. Its Summer Academy covers grades 1 to 8, and it also runs Pro-D day camps, weekend events and high school programs. Bursaries are available. Contact sciencealive@sfu.ca or 778-782-5912.
Is there a Code Ninjas in Burnaby?
Yes. Code Ninjas Burnaby South is open at 5262 Rumble Street on (236) 997-2633, but only Wednesday 3:30–7:30pm, Friday 3:30–6:30pm and Saturday 10:00am–2:00pm. A second Burnaby location is listed as coming soon and is taking waitlist signups only.
How much do kids coding classes cost in Burnaby?
From about $55 for a one-day workshop up to roughly $400 for a full-week private camp. Code Ninjas and Steamoji run monthly enrolment. SFU Science AL!VE camps sit in the middle of the regional range and offer bursaries, and Burnaby Public Library programs are free.
What age can kids start robotics in Burnaby?
Steamoji starts at 6 and Code Ninjas at 5 through its JR stream. SFU Science AL!VE’s Summer Academy takes children from grade 1. Ages 8 to 10 is the core age for building and programming a real robot.
Are there free coding or robotics programs in Burnaby?
Yes. Burnaby Public Library runs free technology and maker sessions, many Burnaby schools run robotics clubs and FIRST LEGO League teams, and Steamoji offers a free introductory session. SFU Science AL!VE offers bursaries for its camps.
What is the difference between Science AL!VE and a coding franchise?
Science AL!VE is university outreach run out of SFU’s science faculty, usually taught by science and engineering undergraduates, covering broad STEM through scientific method. A franchise like Code Ninjas teaches a fixed proprietary curriculum, in this case game-building, with belt progression. Both are legitimate; they are answering different questions.
Who covers Pro-D days in Burnaby?
SFU Science AL!VE runs Pro-D day camps, which is unusual — most providers programme school breaks but not single non-instructional days. They are limited-capacity single days, so they sell out quickly.
Related guides
- Robotics, Coding & STEM Classes for Kids in Surrey & the Fraser Valley
- Robotics & Coding Classes for Kids in Langley, BC
- Robotics & Coding Classes for Kids in Vancouver, BC
- Daycare in Burnaby, BC: Costs, Waitlists & Subsidies
- Kids Camps: Spring Break, Summer & Winter Break
- Christmas & Winter Break with Kids in Metro Vancouver
Last updated: September 2026. Addresses, hours, ages and prices are the providers’ own published 2026 information and change — confirm before enrolling.
