Adding a science focus to a school day camp can cultivate curiosity and excitement in young learners. Programs that involve science can help inquisitive young minds develop a fascination with the natural world, technology, and even engineering.
Read on to learn more about the benefits of science inspired school day camps and what they look like.
Why Choose A Science Inspired School Day Camp?
Though school day camps aren’t exactly career-training in STEM, science can help kids learn applicable skills that will help them excel in all areas. They can learn problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity, which can spark a life-long interest in science.
The Universal Scientific Method
Teaching kids the scientific method is important from a young age because the scientific method is used not only in the lab, but in life. Even young kids can understand the importance of recording results and manipulating only one variable at a time in order to test its individual effect. Learning this skill early on can help them in the future when they have to use the scientific method in a classroom setting.
Science-Inspired Curriculum
Through simple experiments, children can explore different areas of science, from learning about the weather to understanding density. The following are some fun projects you might find in a school day camp. Beyond these ideas, there are lots of other fun and educational science experiments for kids.
Oil And Water
This activity showcases what happens when you combine two liquids whose molecules have different bonds. Explain that the little particles called molecules make up each liquid. The way the molecules are bound in oil and water makes it hard for the two liquids to combine. This cool effect is sure to wow kids every time.
You’ll need:
- A clear glass, jar, or water bottle
- Vegetable oil
- Water
- Food coloring
- Several small paper cups
- Pipettes
Steps:
- Fill up a glass about halfway full of vegetable oil.
- Put water in a few of the paper cups and add food coloring. Mix until the color has evenly dispersed in the water.
- Show the kids how to use the pipettes and have them squirt drops of the colored water into the glass with oil. See how the water and oil separate into two different layers.
- Modifications: you can replace the vegetable oil with baby oil, which is clear. Just make sure kids don’t consume the baby oil.
Rain In A Jar
This simple project is an interesting visual representation of rain. It’s a fun activity to do at a school day camp that kids are sure to enjoy. Warning: they might want to play with the shaving cream!
You’ll need:
- Water
- Clear jar
- Shaving cream (preferably a non-gel type)
- Food coloring
- Extra paper cups
- Pipettes
Steps:
- Fill the jar about three-quarters full with water. Cool water works best so the shaving cream doesn’t dissolve as fast.
- Squirt shaving cream so it forms a large “cloud” on top of the water’s surface.
- Fill one of the paper cups with water and add a drop or two of food coloring. You can do this with multiple cups.
- Tell kids they can use the pipettes to squirt the dyed water on top of the shaving cream cloud. The colors should leak through the cloud and run into the water as “rain.” You can repeat this by changing up the size of the shaving cream cloud.
Baking Soda And Vinegar Balloon
The classic combination of baking and soda and vinegar produces interesting results each time. Unlike a baking soda and vinegar volcano, this project is pretty much mess-free. You can repeat this experiment by adding more baking soda each time.
You’ll need:
- A balloon
- A funnel
- Baking soda
- A clear plastic water bottle
- Vinegar
Steps:
- Using the funnel, add two teaspoons of baking soda to the un-inflated balloon.
- Fill the water bottle halfway up with vinegar.
- Stretch the end of the balloon over the mouth of the water bottle, but don’t dump in the baking soda yet.
- Once the balloon is securely attached to the bottle, lift up the balloon so the baking soda falls into the vinegar in the bottle. The balloon should fill up with gas!
Finding A Fun And Educational School Day Camp
If you are looking for a preschool or school day camp for your young one, look no further than the Parkland Children’s Academy. We offer a friendly, family-oriented environment for your child to learn and grow. Give us a call today at (954) 688-5877.