FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE:

Media Alert!  Our Fleet Educators are available for interviews, in-studios and demos of all the activities kids can do in Winter Camp! We even have our ThoughtSTEM experts at the ready to guide your viewers through the computer programming process we will be using: Scratch, a program that allows students to build fun 2D games, animations and arts! Challenge your kid audiences to learn to build their own games!     See bottom of page for details**.—Contact Susan NOW!

San Diego, CA—December 12, 2013—Imagine the scene at your home: the toys are played with and old news, the electronics claim the kids’ undivided (and immobilized) attention, and you need a way to get your kids away from the screens? Get ready for several different kinds of science fun: Registration is now open for Fleet Winter Camps! Our most popular offerings are already being filled in a flash (in a science experiment way, of course!). The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s weekly, half-day winter camps will run from December 23 to January 3 this year. They are fun, educational and hands-on, and they incorporate time in the Fleet’s exhibit galleries. To register, please contact our Client Services Department at 619-238-1233, ext. 806. The cost is $45 perday for members, $50 per day for nonmembers.

DECEMBER 23 & 27—Rock & Roll Winter Camp

Crank your winter vacation up! Investigate sound waves, create your own instrument and explore 60+ different and unique guitars in the newly opened exhibition, GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked the World. School’s out for winter break, and there’s no better place than at the Fleet for fun days dedicated to hands-on science explorations for Grades 1–2 and 3–4. Sign up for one or both days.

Monday, December 23: "Instrument Extravaganza"—Tune into sound science by exploring vibrations and sound waves! Make “roaring cups,” kazoos and other totally cool instruments out of everyday objects.

Friday, December 27: "Guitar Guru”—Learn the science behind building guitars. Explore techniques that make guitars look and sound different. Use these tips and tricks to make your very own cardboard guitar!

DECEMBER 30–JANUARY 3—Awesome Engineers Winter Camp

School’s out for winter break, and the Fleet has fun camps for Grades 1–2 and 3–4. Grab your hard hat and join us for full-day camps devoted to the science of engineering and construction.  Engineer tall towers, wide bridges and super-strong pyramids! Tinker with simple machines to make your own crazy contraption. Let your creativity go wild! Sign up for one day, multiple days or all five days!

Monday, December 30: "Mega Structures"— Use the KEVA planks in our “Block Busters” exhibition to design the tallest tower or build the longest bridge. Return to the classroom to build castles, boats and super-strong pyramids out of unexpected materials.

Tuesday, December 31: "Invention Day”—Don’t miss the pre-New Year’s count down at noon—campers will invent their own noise makers and flashing devices to bring in the New Year!  After the party, campers will invent a solution to the egg drop challenge!

Wednesday, January 1: "Motion Commotion”—Discover how to build wind-powered boats, balloon-powered cars, chemical-powered rockets and much more. No electricity required!

Thursday, January 2: "Tinkering Day”— Have you ever wondered how a toaster toasts or what a computer looks like on the inside? Get ready to disassemble and tinker with household objects in this hands-on class.  Tools provided—just bring your imagination!

Friday, January 3: "High Flying Creations”—Take your imagination to new heights by engineering planes, gliders and rockets.  Make object soar high the sky and learn the art of floating objects using wind tunnels.

DECEMBER 30–JANUARY 3—Computer Programming Winter Camps

Students in grades 4–6 are invited to join us for two week-long, half-day camps devoted to computer programming, in partnership with ThoughtSTEM!  During ThoughtSTEM computing camps, students are always working on exciting programs. From the first day, students will be guided through the building process with help of a UCSD Computer Science PhD candidate. Each day, students will be given challenges to work through that also give them the ability to be creative and come up with changes to the programs to make them more personal. Sign up for morning, afternoon or both!  Members $300/week, nonmembers $325/week.

December 30–January 3: “Make Brick Breaker in Scratch”—Discover Scratch, a program that allows students to build fun 2D games, animations and arts, starting from the first day! Scratch uses drag-and-drop blocks that allow students to learn about programming concepts such as lopping and conditionals without having to worry about syntax errors. Learn the basics of programming to build a full Brick Breaker Game! 9 AM–noon,

December 30–January 3: “Make Mario in Scratch”—Learn the basics of programming that will help you build a very basic first scene of Mario using the programming language called Scratch! 1 PM–4PM.

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is located at 1875 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101. Gallery Admission, including access to all eight exhibit galleries, is $13.00 for adults; $11.00 for children  and $12.00 for seniors. The Fleet is open 365 days a year; Monday–Thursday 10AM–5PM, first Wednesday of each month 10AM–8PM and Friday–Sunday10AM–6PM; Holiday Hours, Thursday, December 26–Sunday, January 5 are 10AM–7PM daily.  For more information, call (619) 238-1233 or visit our website at www.rhfleet.org.

**Winter Camps at the Fleet will get your kids ready to rock and roll, become engineers and even do a little computer coding—here are some interview segment suggestions:

For Rock and Roll camp we will be experimenting with sounds and vibrations, plus hands-on activities like making instruments with unusual & recyclable materials. (Roaring cups, cardboard guitars)

Awesome Engineers Camp shows how kids can create and build all sorts of things. We will be having Keva plank competitions, tinkering with household electronics, and designing objects that can fly and much more. (Visual: kids building with Keva Block in the background, building and flying different contraptions)

For our half-day camps dedicated to computer programming, morning campers will learn how to code on a Brick Breaker game and the afternoon class will create a basic scene from Mario! (Sarah Esper from ThoughtSTEM will be on-site to talk about the program)

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Celebrate the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s 40th Anniversary Year!

Forty years ago, a spark ignited our imaginations!  March 9, 2013 kicked off a year-long celebration of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and its 40 years of success in bringing hands-on science to our San Diego community. Forty years ago, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center opened its doors and brought interactive exhibits and the world’s first IMAX® Dome Theater to San Diego. Today, the Fleet inspires minds and connects individuals to science and technology through more than 100 “do touch” exhibits for all ages and amazing IMAX films and planetarium shows in the recently renovated Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. Enjoy our year-long celebration, featuring a blockbuster exhibition, incredible events and dynamic educational experiences.