This page contains the material submitted to the local paper - The Davis Enterprise - for Explorit Science Center's news column published in that paper on Fridays.

Article for: The Davis Enterprise
Date: March 28, 2003
Author: Jessica Ruskin
Contact: Tom Wickersham

MORE CLASSES THAN EVER AT EXPLORIT THIS SUMMER

Have you ever designed a bungee jump for an egg? Have you made an edible model of the Earth or invented a container to keep ice cold? These are just some of the fun challenges that children will tackle this summer at Explorit Science Center.

Explorit's Summer Science Classes will run from June 16 through August 22. Designed for children entering kindergarten through fifth grade in the fall, Explorit's summer classes involve children in week-long investigations of a variety of science topics. 

In order to meet the growing demand for fun, educational summer activities, Explorit is offering more classes than ever before. Thanks to a collaboration with the Davis Joint Unified School District, Explorit will use classroom space at Birch Lane Elementary School to expand its summer offerings.

All classes involve children in the doing of science through experiments, take-home projects, games, and hands-on investigations. Children entering grades one through five will have the option of taking morning classes that run Monday through Friday from 9a.m. to 12:30p.m. or full-day classes that start at 9a.m. and run up until 5:30p.m. Pre-school-aged children entering kindergarten in the fall can enroll in classes that meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9a.m. to 11a.m.

In "Kitchen Chemistry" children will explore acids, bases, and colloids by making their own litmus paper out of berries, mixing their own invisible ink, and making ice cream and butter to eat. Children in the engineering classes will build bridges, towers, bungee jumps, gliders and an air-powered car while learning about principles of engineering.

The extra space at Birch Lane will allow Explorit to offer multiple sections of the same class. In previous summers, all of Explorit's classes were limited to 18 students. This summer, the Davis Joint Unified School District has made it possible for Explorit to accommodate not just 18 but 36 or 54 or even 72 children during one week. This means that Explorit can almost guarantee that all children who register for classes by April 21 will be able to get into all of their first choice classes.

Support for Explorit's Summer Science Classes has also been provided in part by PG&E. Their sponsorship will not only help Explorit expand its class offerings, but will allow Explorit to enrich its classes with several new features. Four of Explorit's classes will include family evening events. 

Children enrolled in the space and astronomy class will be able to invite their friends and family to an evening of star gazing. With the help of Explorit's astronomy club and real telescopes, children will be able to locate some of constellations and stars they will learn about during the week. Children studying animals in the "Animals Around Us" and "Creeping and Crawling" classes will take an evening nature hike designed for the whole family to look for signs of animal nightlife.

Explorit will also offer a week of science classes for girls only. Research suggests that girls who enjoy science often lose interest as they enter middle school. Some reasons for this decline in interest are that science classes are dominated by boys which makes it difficult for girls to feel comfortable participating. In addition, girls are not exposed to science to the same degree that boys are. Explorit has seen evidence of this in its summer classes. Classes often have 15 to 16 boys and only three or four girls. 

Explorit is also aware that a recent University of Michigan study found that exposing girls to hands-on science activities helped foster girls' interest in science. Explorit's "Girls Get into Science" classes will allow girls to experience a variety of science disciplines in a cooperative, interactive environment, sharing their ideas and discoveries with other girls.

Thanks to a grant from the Venture Club of Davis and the benefactors of Explorit Science Center, Explorit will also offer more class scholarships than ever before.

Explorit's Summer Science Class brochure will be available to the public on Tuesday, April 1. The class schedule will be distributed through the Davis Enterprise on April 1 and will also be available on Explorit's web site at www.explorit.org. Class registration will be conducted by random drawing. All registration forms are due at Explorit by 4:30p.m. on Monday, April 21. Families will be notified of enrollment status by May 2. Brochures and scholarship applications can also be attained by calling Explorit at (530) 756-0191.

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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 5th Street in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Written in Stone: The Story of Sand, Soil and Rocks," which continues through Apr. 5. Public hours are Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.explorit.org or call Explorit at (530) 756-0191.