By Sara Thompson
Special to the Enterprise
With the success of our fall after-school camps, Explorit offered another nine weeks of after-school spring camps for the elementary students in our community. Our outdoor camps were able to offer our campers hands-on science as well as some much-needed social interactions with peers, all with the same safety protocols we’ve had in place since last summer. Campers are physically distanced, mask wearing is required and enforced, and activities designed for individuals instead of groups work.
Campers who attended our Need for Seeds camp learned about different types of trees and the important role pollinators play in providing food for our tables. They also dissected sprouted seeds and saw their features, as well as sprouting their own bean seeds to plant and take home.
Earth Explorations taught our campers about the different forces that shape our earth. They learned about tests to identify different minerals and their shapes. They also experimented with ice while learning about glaciers and made miniature canyons and alluvial fans with water and sugar.
After spring break our campers learned about the systems of the human body. Our campers put together a skeleton and completed life size human organ puzzles. They learned about their different senses and used them to identify a mystery object in a cup. Our campers also got to observe the dissection of the heart, lungs, and trachea of a sheep.
Crazy Chemistry turned our campers into mad scientists as they created several different varieties of slime. They also experimented with pH indicators by changing the color of cabbage water and made two different types of invisible ink. Campers also had fun making colorful foam with the crowd-pleasing elephant toothpaste experiment.
Our always popular Everyday Engineering camp had our campers building something every day including arches and bridges on the first day and building circuits and Alka-Seltzer rockets on the last. All campers successfully built marble roller coasters and buildings that survived our earthquake shake table.
Explorit wants to thank all the campers who attended our spring after-school camps. We enjoyed hosting and providing these camps and hope that all of you had fun and learned something new. We also want to thank our team of dedicated volunteers who helped us with setting up, teaching, and cleaning up each day. Our camps would not have been nearly as fun or successful without their dedication and hard work.
Explorit's coming events:
• Explorit’s Summer Science Camp is back for 2021! Beginning in June and running through to the beginning of August, our camps are filled with fun, hands-on science activities. Summer camp runs from 8:00-11:15am Monday-Friday. Fee for summer camp is $175 for Members/$200 for Non-Members. Available camps are designed for grades K-3, 1-4, and 4-6. Visit https://www.explorit.org/camps for more information and registration.
• Due to COVID-19 restrictions and the health and safety of our staff and visitors, our gallery will remain closed. We are planning on opening a new exhibit with cleaning and safety protocols in place for fall of 2021.
• Like many small businesses the closures have had a significant impact on our income and sustainability. Now is a great time to donate and help Explorit continue to educate and inspire the scientists of tomorrow: https://www.explorit.org/donate.
• Continue to support Explorit during this uncertain time by becoming a member. An Exploit Membership not only support us but grants the recipient with free visits to Explorit’s regular public hours, discounts on events, summer and after-school camps, and workshops, and gives you ASTC benefits to visit other museums throughout the world. For more information visit https://www.explorit.org/membership or call Explorit at 530-756-0191.