SUMMER CAMPS

What on earth is borborygmy? After this summer, don't be surprised if you hear children explaining that it's the growling sound made by a hungry stomach!

Explorit's Summer Science Camps take place June 16 through August 22 and offer ten weeks of stimulating science fun for children entering preschool through 5 th grade. The minimum age for preschool campers is four.

Get ready for a "walk on the wild side," "ooey gooey body science" and "mysteries and magic" during this year's Camps.

The Camps have been very popular with kids and adults like that the camps "sneak in science" while keeping kids engaged during lazy summer months. "I like that my child is excited to go, excited about what he did and is kept interested and busy the entire time," said a parent about last summer's camps.

Remarked another "My daughter was kept engaged physically and mentally throughout and was enthusiastic about returning. As parent, I liked the use of literature in the camps - she could explain technical concepts after only one day!!"

This summer, campers will experience a variety of hands-on science activities such as meeting and learning about Explorit's resident animals - a ball python snake, a blue-tongued skink, giant hissing cockroaches and more.   From inner-earth to outer space, children will learn about earthquakes, volcanoes and eclipses in camps with a nature theme.

Summer Camp volunteer Kelsey Boulanger enjoys seeing the campers' reactions when they discover something new. "The look on their faces makes the whole week worth it and their obvious, bubbling excitement is infectious."

Young inventors and junior engineers will get a thrill at the construction-themed camps while building skyscrapers and pyramids, designing and testing bridge models and catapults and building rubber band powered cars.

Junior science investigators will solve mysteries "CSI-style" through age-appropriate experiments and activities about forensics that involve fingerprints, chemistry, microscopes and X-Rays.

Health topics will bring several of the bodies amazing features to life as kids assemble a skeleton model, see and feel the difference between a healthy lung and smoker's lung, touch a real sheep heart and learn about the gross-but-cool process of digestion.

"The more messy and slimy an activity is, the more the kids love it - and the more fun it is to watch and help out!" Kelsey recalls.

Campers of all ages can get a jolt of energy studying electricity, magnetism and circuits while learning about alternative energy, solar cookers, ethanol and conservation during the energy topic camps.

"Children usually associate learning with school so Explorit's Summer Camps are great because they show kids that learning doesn't have to be a sit-in-your-chair kind of thing: at Explorit, they get to explore the outdoors and learn interesting facts about our world," said Kelsey.

To "amp-up" the fun, Explorit will host a free Summer Science Nights program at the Mace Park Branch for ten Thursday evenings during the summer. All are invited to take a peek into what campers have been working on and to try out some fun activities.

More information and registration forms are available at www.explorit.org . The first registration deadline is April 14.

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Interested in being a volunteer science assistant during Camps this year? Please contact Kristin Sizemore at Explorit at 530-756-0191.