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Date: March 31, 2006
Author: Tom Wickersham

SUMMER CLASS REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHING

The course catalog for Explorit Science Center's summer classes is now out. Designed for children entering preschool through fifth grade in the fall, Explorit's summer classes involve children in week-long investigations of a variety of science topics.

Explorit's Summer Science Classes will run from June 19 through August 25.

Like in previous summers, Explorit's first round of registration is being conducted through a random drawing process. The deadline to submit registration forms for the random drawing is 4:30 p.m. April 12.

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 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or add the extended day program that runs until 5:00 p.m.

Children at least 4 years old and entering preschool or kindergarten in the fall can enroll in classes that meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

In order to meet the demand for fun, educational summer activities, Explorit is again partnering with the Davis Joint Unified School District to hold additional sections of classes at Birch Lane Elementary School.

The extra space at Birch Lane allows Explorit to offer multiple sections of the same class. This means that families who register children by April 12 have a very good chance of getting first or second choices, as Explorit will add sections as needed to meet the demand for any given topic.

Some of the topics offered this year include "The Art of Science" and "Act Naturally" for children entering preschool or kindergarten.

For children entering grades 1-2, some class options include "Take Apart Science" and "Global Trek." "Ologist Week" and "Earth Elements" are just two of the topics offered for children entering grades 3-5.

In addition to the hands-on learning offered as part of the classes, each child will receive a colorful Explorit T-shirt.

Additionally, each Thursday evening during summer classes, Explorit will host a free program centered around that week's class theme. Parents, siblings and friends will be invited to Explorit to take a peek into what summer class students have been working on and to try out some fun activities.

Explorit's Summer Science Classes class catalog is available at Explorit or on line at www.explorit.org. Details about scholarship opportunities are also available on line.

If you can't make the April 12 random drawing registration deadline, don't worry. The next round of registration for any remaining spaces begins May 1. This is an open registration process.

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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. in East Davis. The current exhibition "What an Animal! Fins and Feathers and Other Creature Features" runs through June 11. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. 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.