Hands-On Science Camp Makes Summer Fun at the California Science Center

LOS ANGELES, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Science Center's Hands-on Science Camp offers a class for every age and stage to inspire young imaginations, stimulate thinking and showcase science as a fun, everyday part of your life. Camp begins June 16 and continues through August 15, 2014.  

With 165 classes, there are 30 unique week-long courses to choose from, including popular parent-and-child classes that give families a chance to investigate science together. Campers can choose space-themed courses such as "Planet Patrol" (Pre-K), "Space: The Incredible Frontier" (Kindergarten), "3, 2, 1 Blastoff" (1^st/2^nd grade), "Mission to Deep Space" (3^rd/4^th grade), "Living in Space" (5^th/6^th grade), and "Working in Space" (7^th/8^th grade) to learn more about our universe and space travel. Students will also visit the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display Pavilion.

"Our classes combine fun, classroom activities with unique experiences, such as a visit to the Space Shuttle Endeavour exhibit or guest appearance by one of our aerospace or ecosystems curators," says Ron Rohovit, Deputy Director of Education, who is responsible for the Science Center's education programs.

Little Learner programs are parent-child classes for the pre-K age group that focus on a scientific theme with exciting hands-on activities and crafts. For example, in "Bugs and Botany," young campers get up close and personal with a variety of "critters," from ladybugs to hissing cockroaches, to learn about the miniature ecosystem of bugs and plants. Kindergarten classes such as "Eco-Explorers" invite students to get "down and dirty" with the plants, soil, people, animals, water and weather of our environment and includes a visit to the Ecosystems gallery.

There is a full slate of half-day and full-day sessions for students in pre-kindergarten through 8^th grades. Highlights include "Survival Science," which teaches the practical skills needed to survive in a cold, barren forest or tropical, deserted desert; "All Cooked Up!," which blends a little bit of chemistry and a dash of science to create a fun culinary class; and "aMAZEing Robots," where campers design and build a robot that can navigate through a maze using its own senses.

Hands-On Science Camp takes place in the Wallis Annenberg Building for Science Learning and Innovation. The facility offers state-of-the-art themed classrooms and the 32,000 square-foot Big Lab, with its large-scale experiment platforms. Many courses take advantage of the Big Lab's unique features with hands-on investigations involving air flow, buoyancy, gravity, ecology and more. 

Courses vary in price with half- and full-day session rates. California Science Center Foundation members receive a discount rate.  An extended day program is available for kindergarten – 8^th graders. Call the Hands-On Science Camp Hotline at (213) 744-7444 for a free brochure, or visit www.californiasciencecenter.org/camp for a complete list of course offerings and registration form.

Special Programs
In addition to Hands-On Science Camp, special programs are also offered, including Home School Days and Just for Scouts. Visit our website for descriptions and dates.

About the California Science Center
The California Science Center's mission is as follows: "We aspire to stimulate curiosity and inspire science learning in everyone by creating fun, memorable experiences, because we value science as an indispensable tool for understanding our world, accessibility and inclusiveness, and enriching people's lives."

The California Science Center and IMAX Theater are located in historic Exposition Park just west of the Harbor (110) Freeway at 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission to Science Center exhibits is free. For recorded information, including IMAX show times, call 323.SCIENCE (323.724-3623). Parking is available in the guest lot at Figueroa and 39th / Exposition Park Drive at $10 per car, $25 for buses or oversized vehicles. Both the Science Center and IMAX Theater are wheelchair accessible. For further information, please visit our website at www.californiasciencecenter.org.

Media Contact:
Paula Wagner | (213) 744-2144
[email protected]

Video - http://youtu.be/TUWAh70SI4w

SOURCE California Science Center