2010 Discovery Camps
Discovery is part of summer at Whitaker Center.
Children can sharpen their science skills, explore a favorite topic or investigate new interests — and most importantly — have fun while they learn! With professionally structured programs, Whitaker Center has the perfect program for your child.
View Camps by Age/Grade
Ages 3 & 4 | Ages 4-6 | Grades 1 & 2 | Grades 3 & 4 | Grades 5 & 6
Ages 3 & 4 with One Adult
Based on age as of May 31, 2010.
Time: 10am – 11:30am
Water Wonders
Dates (choose one): Friday, June 18 or Tuesday, July 20
Cost: $15 non-members/ $13.50 members
Click here to register
Water, water everywhere, water all around, let’s come to camp and see where water can be found! Find out why some things float and others don’t. Create water art, your own bathtub paints, and make a water toy to take home. Don’t miss a splish-splashing good time!
Storybook Science
Dates (choose one): Friday, July 16 or Wednesday, August 4
Cost: $15 non-members/ $13.50 members
Click here to register
Join us in the fun as we bring a variety of children’s literature to life using science in everyday experiences. Child-adult pairs will work together in hands-on experiments related to the books themes, art and more.
Ages 4-6
Based on age as of May 31, 2010.
Time: 9:30am – Noon
Butterfly Bonanza
Dates (choose one): Tuesday, June 15, Tuesday, July 13 or Friday, August 6
Cost: $25 non-members/ $22.50 members
Click here to register
What makes butterflies so special? Become a butterfly for the day and explore the world through their eyes. Continue insect investigations at home by constructing a house for your own butterfly caterpillars .
Digging Up Dinos
Dates (choose one): Wednesday, June 16 or Thursday, July 15
Cost: $25 non-members/ $22.50 members
Click here to register
Take a trip back in time to learn about the mighty giants of prehistoric times – the dinosaurs! Try your hand at digging up dinos, creating fossils, and learning how these incredible creatures lived.
Down by the Sea
Dates (choose one): Thursday, June 17, Wednesday, July 14, or Thursday, August 5
Cost: $25 non-members/ $22.50 members
Click here to register
Grab your sand bucket and join us at Whitaker Beach for a day of investigating water, sand, and the animals that live near and in the ocean. Explore animals with shells, walk like a crab, “snorkel” with the fish, and create your own make-and-take sand castles.
Grades 1 & 2
Based on last grade completed as of camp date.
Time: 9:30am – Noon
Bubble Bonanza
Dates (choose one): Tuesday, July 6 or Tuesday, August 3
Cost: $25 non-members/ $22.50 members
Click here to register
We’re having a bubble blowing bash! Get ready to explore the science of soap bubbles. Learn how to blow great bubbles with fun materials, create bubble art, and even surround yourself in a bubble dome.
Blood, Boogers and Burps: My Body’s Barricades
Dates (choose one): Wednesday, July 7 or Tuesday, July 27
Cost: $25 non-members/ $22.50 members
Click here to register
Gross yourself out! Explore your body’s nauseating secret of snot, blood, plaque, and spit, while learning what disgusting things our bodies do to protect us. Make your own fake blood and snot to fool your friends.
Geology Rocks
Dates (choose one): Thursday, July 1 or Friday, July 30
Cost: $25 non-members/ $22.50 members
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Discover why rocks “rock,” during a down and dirty investigation of the world beneath your feet. Become a “rock-hound” as we sniff out the similarities and differences of your favorite stones and create your own sandstone formation.
I Will Survive!
Dates (choose one set): Tuesday and Wednesday, June 29-30 or Wednesday and Thursday, July 28-29
Cost: $50 non-members/ $45 members
Click here to register
Which insect can hear with its legs? Which reptile can look in opposite directions at the same time? Investigate the animal world to find out who can survive and thrive in our world’s various climates, terrains and ecosystems.
Grades 3 & 4
Based on last grade completed as of camp date.
Time: 9am – 3pm
Note: Please pack a brown bag lunch for participants on each of the camp dates.
Beginning Robots
Dates: Thursday and Friday, June 24-25
Cost: $175 non-members/ $150 members (includes cost of robot that participants keep)
Click here to register
From searching for earthquake survivors to vacuuming the living room rug, robots are becoming a larger part of our world. Discover the secrets of these incredible machines, while building your own robot. No prior experience with robots or electronics is required; all necessary parts and tools will be provided.
Bead All About It
Date: Friday, July 2
Cost: $75 non-members/ $67.50 members
Click here to register
Beading can help exercise the part of your brain that finds creative solutions to problems. Discover beautiful and bizarre beads from the past and present. Design works of art using seed beads, learn color-changing science with UV pony beads, create your own beaded “pet,” and more. Wow your friends with beautiful, bountiful, beaded creations.
Sweet and Sticky Science
Dates: Thursday and Friday, July 8-9
Cost: $100 non-members/ $90 members
Click here to register
Find out what makes our favorite treats so delicious by using the scientific method. Enjoy taste tests as we make our own candy, design a new soda flavor, and even make liquid nitrogen ice cream. Parents, do not fear, lessons on nutrition are included and no sugar overload will be induced - we promise!
SCS: Science Crime Solvers
Dates: Wednesday-Friday, July 21-23
Cost: $150 non-members/ $135 members
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Join an elite group known as “The Science Crime Solvers.” After being trained in basic forensic science techniques, such as fingerprinting and blood typing using simulated blood, put your skills to the test in analyzing a museum crime scene. Uncover “whodunit” and see if you have what it takes to put the criminals behind bars.
Grades 5 & 6
Based on last grade completed as of camp date.
Time: 9am – 3pm
Note: Please pack a brown bag lunch for participants on each of the camp dates.
Robots Go Ape
Dates: Wednesday, June 30
Cost: $100 non-members/ $90 members (includes cost of robot that participants keep)
Click here to register
Start “monkeying” around with tools and become “king” of the technology jungle. Learn how to build your own Jungle Robot (sometimes an orangutan, sometimes a gorilla), and discover the secrets that make robots work. Prior experience with robots or electronics is helpful, but not required; all necessary parts and tools will be provided.
Laserpalooza
Dates: Tuesday and Wednesday, June 22-23
Cost: $150 non-members/ $135 members
Click here to register
Light up your world and illuminate your mind, as we dive into to world of lasers, lights and optics. Create a mirror maze, and solve a life-sized laser challenge. Explore how light is used for communication, in laser light shows, medicine, and much more.
To the Planets and Beyond!
Dates: Tuesday and Wednesday, August 10-11
Cost: $150 non-members/ $135 members (includes cost of rocket that participants keep)
Click here to register
Reach for the stars! Explore space and its infinite possibilities. Build and launch your own rocket. Search for the stars in STARLAB – our portable planetarium – then make your own star-finder and telescope to continue your adventure at home. A rocket launch is tentatively scheduled for the final day. Parents will be responsible for transporting their child to the nearby launch site and are invited to stay and watch. Fee includes the cost of the rocket; all necessary parts and tools will be provided.
Titanic - The Unfinished Journey
Dates: Thursday and Friday, June 24-25
Cost: $150 non-members/ $135 members (includes admission to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition)
Click here to register
Pack your bags as Whitaker Center takes you on a transatlantic journey you’ll never forget. Uncover what went wrong on Titanic’s journey, beginning in England in April 1912, and explore the concepts of buoyancy, displacement, and a watertight bulkhead. Plus you’ll explore artifact preservation techniques, listen to survivor testimonials and visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition during this incredible journey.
