The Citizen Science Lab’s hands-on camps make summer fun and educational
Summer camp programming poses a choice for parents and kids: Do we pick a camp that’s fun and active? Or should we look for something enriching that stimulates the mind? The Citizen Science Lab has discovered how to get around this choice, by offering summer science camps that are smart and fun. Their range of camp options include exciting topics, yet every camp is also a hands-on, kinetic experience, with activities inside a real lab and outdoors. It’s the solution for a perfect summer.
“From talking to kids and parents, we’ve learned that when they hear the words ‘science camp’ or ‘engineering camp,’ they think of boring lectures and passive learning in a stuffy classroom,” says Dr. Andre Samuel, PhD, President and CEO of The Citizen Science Lab. “We’re here to change that whole perception. Our camps cover interesting, true science and engineering concepts, but they’re also full of kinetic learning, hands-on activities. Our young scientists learn inside the lab and outside as well — like when the Drone Camp goes outside to fly the drones, or when the SeaPerch Camp goes to a pool to pilot their subaqueous robots.”
The camp topics are diverse, so there’s something to interest everybody. Topics include DNA, ancestry DNA, sea perch, zoology, drones, outer space, and microbiology. Each individual camp offering is thoughtfully developed for a different designated age range, so students are learning concepts and methods appropriate to their level, under the guidance of professional scientists and educators. Camps are available for students from 4th grade all the way up through 12th grade.
These summer science camps are held at The Citizen Science Lab’s two locations: in the Energy Innovation Center in the heart of Pittsburgh, and at a brand new facility in the South Hills, in Bethel Park. Both locations also offer pre- and post-care, to make it convenient for parents or guardians to drop students off and pick them up on the way to and from work.
Both facilities are stocked with real, modern laboratory equipment and lab resources. The labs also are home to resident “pets,” who include reptiles, friendly insects, and a saltwater aquarium of fish and sea creatures. Each lab location helps fulfill the mission of The Citizen Science Lab, to expose everybody to the excitement of laboratory experimentation, and to inspire kids of all ages and backgrounds to develop interest in STEM and STEAM careers and ideas.
Registration for the 2019 summer camps is already open and the labs are filling up quickly. Learn more about these summer camp options, and register your young scientist today.
