JMU4KIDS SCIENCE CAMP
*The event has already taken place on this date: Fri, 08/16/2019
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
This popular offering of 6 weekly themed sessions will give campers an opportunity to explore, investigate and discover all facets within the world of science.
Each week will focus on a specific theme:
*Week 1 July 8-12: Hydroponics and gardening
Join us as we explore micro-habitats within our garden ecosystem. This hands-on approach to plants will let us play with different planting mediums. Using companion plants, helpful insects and natural soil helpers, we will talk about how to enrich our soil. Creating compost, campers will help by taking care of our classroom pets. Students will work with soil to set up outdoor gardens and create their own gardens to take home for container or ground planting. Our Thursday field trip will take us to the Hudson River to meet Fran Martino from Hudson River Haggies. Using a seine net, we will catch and release our sample of the Hudson River. Later, we will create our own hydroponic planters and discuss how ecosystems are interdependent.
*Week 2 July 15-19: Architecture and Town Planning
Calling all creative thinkers to design and build structures to withstand our changing climate. Campers will build a scale model while looking at the designs of historical architecture. Group challenges will involve learning about support structures and how we can work together to add and strengthen our buildings. We will also look at what buildings require to thrive and how ecology has influenced building design. This week’s field trip will be announced in July.
*Week 3 July 22-26: Blast-Off
This week is for our astronaut enthusiasts! Exploring our Solar System, we will focus on stars and the physics of flight. Campers will choose a planet to visit, and what they would need to successfully survive. Team challenges will help them learn more about our solar system. On Wednesday, our “in house” field trip travels to us to explore the night sky through Chris Grubb’s Star Lab. Using science, art, and math, this week will encourage any student to continue studying the world in our upper atmosphere!
*Week 4 July 29- August 2: The Chemistry of Cooking
Calling all cooks! Science is used in everyday cooking. This week will include a daily cooking challenge. This “eggstra” special week will help campers develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of nutrition and how proteins, sugars, salts, and acids interact within food to improve taste and preservation. Our Thursday field trip will take us to the Hudson River to meet Fran Martino from Hudson River Haggies. This hands-on experience allows our campers to experience fishing with a seine net. We can accommodate students with gluten allergies.
*Week 5 August 5-9: Vertebrae and Movement
With a focus on comparative human anatomy, our young scientists will compare the bone structure of humans to rabbits. Hands on experience with drawing and creating enlarged models will help us all understand the similarities and differences with our furry friends. This is the week that chicks are expected to hatch. This week’s field trip will be announced in July.
*Week 6 August 12-16: Can You Dig It?
Calling all archeologists! Excavate and use preservation tactics including searching using grids. Campers will record and share their findings. Throughout the week, campers will be able to learn and test their knowledge about history! Group challenges to answer daily questions will allow campers to compete for bragging rights. This is the week that our chicks are expected to finish hatching. This week’s field trip will be announced in July.
As a bonus, Science Camp Incubates chicken eggs with additional weekly activities based on the stages of incubation. A weekly letter will go home explaining field trips and important information.
Each afternoon the campers will work on Project Based Learning (PBL) activities, and swimming will be available.
Besides the talented full time staff, campers will learn from weekly guest presenters such as: George Steele, noted area naturalist, and Fran Martino, Hudson River expert.
Our goal is to create an atmosphere of learning in a fun, hands on style. Not only will we excite the future scientists but also inspire those kids, who had not yet experienced the joy of science, to want to learn more.
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.