Science has always represented an important balance to the many art related activities offered at Explorations Camp. From “fan-favourite” activities like Forensic Science, to the exciting experiments our Junior Campers love doing; our Activity Leaders continue to create great content for campers of all ages.
We believe that science is a portal to a life filled with curiosity and exploration. With this in mind, we are excited to announce a new line-up of science related activities for the summer of 2017. Our aim is not to lecture campers with scientific facts, but rather to create spaces where children are empowered to pose their own questions, to follow their own paths and to make their own discoveries. These camper-driven activities will allow children to embrace fascinating challenges while seeing the world from a whole new perspective.
From designing hot air balloons to examining the impact of the human footprint on the environment; these new offerings will encourage our campers to take chances, to get messy and to test new hypotheses. Although the activities are classified as part of the intermediate program, they are further split by grades in order to allow our Activity Leader to create more age-specific projects and experiments for each of the groups.
These new options will complement some of our most popular activities such as Video Game Programming, Build a Computer from Scratch and Forensic Science. For more information, please visit our activity catalog and our registration page.
New Activities for 2017
Explosive Science! (Grades 4 to 6)
BOOM! Come learn about the “explosive” side of science as we dive deeper into the world of chemistry and physics. We’re going to get messy as we try a ton of different experiments to learn why certain matter reacts the way it does. We will also look into different forms of energy and how they can be harnessed to make our lives easier.
Each new day will come with a new experiment or challenge, and a new discovery to further explain the world around us.
Microelectronics and Arduino (Grade 7 to 9)
Come learn about the world of electricity and electronics using Arduino technology and breadboards. During the first week of the session, campers will learn the fundamental principles of electricity, circuits and programming. Working with partners, they will overcome certain challenges while exploring the vast capabilities of Arduino prototyping boards including their simple programming language. Once the campers have acquired the fundamental skills necessary to proceed, they will propose, design, program and create their own electronics.
Earth, our only home (Grade 7 to 9)
In this advanced science activity, we will take a close look at the delicate balance as represented by our planet and the role we need to assume in order to protect Earth. From geology to biology, campers will be encouraged to draw connections between the living and the non-living as we examine how animals and plants have evolved to survive and thrive in unique conditions and relationships. We will take a critical look at the impact of human activity on climate and natural habitats, while learning about the efforts that are being made to achieve a better balance.
Campers will participate in off-campus field trips, meet with experts and interact directly with nature while further developing inquisitive minds, in-tune with our planet’s needs.
Challenges in Design (Grade 4 to 9)
Put your brain to work in this exciting activity during which campers will be challenged to design and build solutions to all types of problems. Campers will be introduced to a variety of tools and materials that will be used for building cool and imaginative things.
In the first week, they will be invited to create hot air balloons, bridges and miniature roller coasters, using a range of different materials. During the second week, they will use their newly acquired skills to build arcade-style games. Finally, with time-permitting, they will have the opportunity to create their own project and challenge themselves to design and build it. These fantastic projects will be on display at the session-ending Open House.
