BATAVIA, Illinois – Summertime is a bright season of adventure and discovery for children, and now is the perfect time to add Science Adventures to your children’s schedule of discoveries for June, July and August at the Lederman Science Center at Fermilab, a U.S. Department of Energy lab.
Parents find adventures for Kindergarteners through seventh graders, with sessions lasting from a couple of hours to a full five-day week. Adventures are led by teachers from surrounding communities, members of Fermilab’s Education Office, and other professionals. Find a class that matches your child’s gifts and interests. A sampling, from June through July:
- Leonardo da Vinci, Grades K-4. Taste the life and times of a great artist, scientist and thinker. Design and build a catapult or flying machine…compose a picture using mathematical proportions…time travel to Italy in the 1400’s. (June 26-30, 12 PM to 2:00 PM, $95 per person)
- Good Vibrations, Grades K-3. Bang! Boom! Swish! Sound is all around us. Investigate the nature of sound. Create your own sound wave. Design musical instruments to make beautiful music. (July 15, 10:30 AM-11: 30 AM, $25 per person)
- Unlocking Science and Math Problems, Grades 2-5. Enjoy daily science experiments, games, puzzles and magic “tricks.” Young scientists investigate the Bernoulli effect, patterns in math and science, the magnetic force and so much more! This class is an exciting hands-on program for young scientists. (June 26-30, 9 AM to 11:00 AM, $95 per person)
- Lego Engineering Juniors, Grades 4-6. By popular demand, the Lego program is being expanded to younger grades, with a junior program on architectural engineering. We will build skyscrapers and check to see if they would withstand high winds and earthquakes. If time permits, we will also attempt a small mechanical engineering project. We encourage original designs. (June 24, 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM, $20 per person)
- Camp Invention, Grades 2-6. Crash-land on an alien planet in “Problem Solving on Planet ZAK,” build and test a new skateboard design with crash test dummies in “Spills and Chills,” design prototypes of roller coasters and other rides in “Imagination Point Ride Physics,” create a new problem-solving invention with recycled household items in “I Can Invent.”
To see the complete schedule and enroll in Science Adventures, go to the Fermilab Education Office’s home page on the Web (http://www-ed.fnal.gov). Then click on “Science Adventures.” Click on each adventure listing for a full description, times and fees, along with a registration form. For Camp Invention, you must register at http:www.campinvention.org, or call 330-849-8528.
This summer, the Education Office also offers “Hands-On Science for School Volunteers, Grades K-5.” Parent-Teacher Association volunteers can qualify to borrow a set of hands-on activities after attending this workshop! Free delivery, pickup and loan of a set of five exhibits that demonstrate the concepts of momentum and acceleration. Send a minimum of two representatives from your PTA for training (June 23, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM, $10 per person). Sign up at the “Science Adventures” home page.
Fermilab is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory, operated under contract by Universities Research Association, Inc.