San Diego, CA—This holiday season, the Fleet Science Center offers options to help keep kids active and learning during the winter break.

The Fleet's full-day Science Winter Camps begin on Monday, December 18, and are held each weekday through Friday, December 29 (except Friday, December 22, and Monday, December 25). Camps are offered for grades 1-3 and grades 4-6. Both camps take place at the Fleet Science Center and feature fun, educational, hands-on activities. Campers can participate in just one day or sign up for multiple days.

Camps for grades 1 through 3 focus on innovation. Kids can learn about flight as they create different airplane designs, delve into optics by creating videos and explore the maker movement through tinkering and creating. Camps for grades 4 through 6 are offered at the Fleet in partnership with ThoughtSTEM. Kids can learn Minecraft modding with Star Wars-themed blocks, create and code a lightsaber and even build and code a Death Star or a droid.

Science Winter Camps extend the Fleet's mission of bringing science education to curious minds of all ages in ways that are fun, engaging and accessible.

Camps run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attendees can sign up for a single day or enroll for multiple days of fun! Winter Camps for grades 1-3, are $55 per day for members; $60 per day for nonmembers. Camps for grades 4-6 are $65 per day for members; $70 per day for nonmembers.

A full list of Science Winter Camp activities is included below. More information can also be found on the Fleet website at:

http://www.fleetscience.org/events/winter-camps

Advance registration is required. Register online or by calling (619) 238-1233 x806.

 

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Full Camp Descriptions:

Fleet Science Winter Camps, Grades 1-3

December 18: Expect the Unexpected. All science is methodical and predictable, right? Not in this program! Be wowed by science phenomena and see how easily your senses can be tricked. December 19: Try, Try, Try Again. Learn what it takes to be a scientist by testing, tweaking and retesting. Complete a variety of experiments, like a viscosity investigation and a shiny penny challenge, to see if you have what it takes! December 20: Lights, Camera, Action! Learn about optics and filming techniques. Create a mini-video and a stop-motion video with friends. December 21: Collaborate or Compete. Use teamwork to complete blind builds and collaborate with your group to develop a helmet crash test. December 26: So You Think You Can Fly. The ingenuity of flight is remarkable. Join us as we learn the basics of flight, and look to nature and other inspiration to pioneer your own flying devices. December 27: Chain Reaction. Use natural forces and your own imagination to make a marble roller coaster, KEVA blocks contraption and a fun Rube Goldberg device! December 28: Toys in Motion. Open-ended challenges encourage curious minds! Make mechanical toys, like automata, and learn basic programming skills to make a Pico Cricket robot. December 29: Maker Mania. Join the Maker movement! Craft, tinker and create your own incredible devices. It all starts with an idea.

ThoughtSTEM Winter Camps, Grades 4-6

December 18-Minecraft Modding: Star Wars Blocks. Design and code your own Star Wars themed blocks in Minecraft. Use the blocks to craft your own landscape and structures. December 19-Minecraft Modding: Star Wars Items. Learn how to make new items "use the force" with code! Create custom Star Wars items like lightsabers and blasters. December 20-Minecraft Modding: Star Wars Force Powers. Recreate classic Star Wars force powers or make up your own that you can try out on your friends-or enemies. December 21-Minecraft Modding: Star Wars Droids (also open to grades 7 and 8). Learn how to design and code your own Star Wars droids. Beginning and advanced students welcome. Advanced students will learn how to create droids in a more advanced programming language called Lua. December 26- Build and Code: Your Own Lightsaber. Become a Jedi engineer by designing your own lightsaber. Learn how to code a microcontroller to emit light and sound depending on your Jedi moves. December 27- Build and Code: Your Own Death Star. Create your very own tiny death star. What planets will your tiny death star destroy? You decide! December 28-Build and Code: Your Own Droid (also open to grades 7 and 8). Create your own loveable R2-D2. Program your droid to follow your every command! Beginning and advanced students welcome. Advanced students will be learning how to create droids in typed JavaScript. December 29-Build and Code: Your Own Laser Tag Blaster. Explore electronics and coding! Learn how to code your very own laser tag blaster to play laser tag with your friends. Will you be part of the Rebellion or the Empire?

 

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The Fleet is available to showcase demonstrations of Science Winter Camp activities for media previews either at the Fleet or in your studio. Fleet educators and demonstrators can relate the science ideas behind each demonstration, and we can even bring the kids.

To schedule, please contact Fleet Science Center Communications Manager Karla Nafarrate at (619) 685-5743 or knafarrate@rhfleet.org.