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Explorit Science Center Weekly Column
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.
Date: July 31, 2009
A Day in the Life of a Summer Camp Volunteer Between 8:00 and 8:15am every hot, summer weekday, science- and kid-loving teens arrive at Explorit to help Summer Science Camps awe campers with the coolness of everyday science. Aside from making camps run smoothly, volunteers also practice leadership and hands-on science fun. During a day at camp, these 'Science Teaching Assistants' greet campers and help parents check in and check out their children, maintain clean classrooms, prepare and distribute snacks, assist educators with experiments and activities, and work alongside campers to keep them excited about science and involved in camp adventures. What's the best part? Dante Mazza, age 12, reflects: “My favorite part of volunteering is getting to see all of the wonderful, creative ideas that the kids have. It's amazing what they can accomplish when they use their imagination.” From the perspective of an educator, it's great to hear that volunteers enjoy their time at Explorit, because they are essential to the success of Camp. A typical day for volunteers begins in Explorit's office, where they sign into a volunteer log and put on their nametags. From there, volunteers go to the classroom to which they are assigned for that week. Usually, there is one educator and two volunteers per classroom. To help educators prepare for the day, volunteers may find themselves writing the day's schedule on a white board, filling up a kiddie pool for boat races, or gathering nuts and leaves from Mace Park for fossil-making. When parents drop off their campers at 8:30am, volunteers make sure each child gets welcomed, signed in, and receives their nametag. For the next hour-and-a-half, volunteers work alongside educators. They hand out materials, question campers in order to get them problem-solving, clarify instructions, assist educators with demonstrations, try out activities themselves, and clean up materials during transitions. Summer Science Camp activities are both indoors and outdoors-and they can be messy! Volunteers can expect to occasionally get covered in dirt from digging for worms, water from launching bottle rockets, and glue from creating craft projects. Just before campers take their mid-morning break, volunteers sneak off to the kitchen to prepare snacks. While campers eat, volunteers and educators sit down and eat something themselves. Park time is next; volunteers lead campers to the playground for a few minutes of tag, swings, and other energy-using pursuits. Until 12:30pm, volunteers wipe down tables, vacuum classrooms, and prep for the next morning. After receiving a big “thank you” from educators, volunteers drop off their nametags in the office and sign out in the volunteer log. Time to head home and enjoy the summer afternoon! Some of Explorit's campers also stay for afternoon camp, called Extended Day. There's a second shift of volunteers for that, from about 12:30 until 5:30pm. Its easy for volunteers to enjoy being enthusiastic role models for campers, because campers who look up to volunteers become eager to share stories or projects with their favorite volunteers. That's very rewarding! On Fridays, volunteers are additionally rewarded with pizza and soda, yet surprisingly, it's not pizza that keeps volunteers coming back. Dante was a junior volunteer last summer who returned this year. He says “I came back to volunteer at Explorit because I have always loved science and this is a great way to lend my time and talents while learning and having fun.” And who doesn't want to learn and have fun? |