San Diego--This summer the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center turns curious kids into happy campers with science-themed summer camps! The Fleet's science summer camps provide exciting experiments, intriguing investigations and fantastic fun for kids from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade.

Weekly full- and half-day science camps begin Monday, June 13, and continue through Friday, August 19. The camps feature different science themes, are divided up by grade level and include fun, educational, hands-on activities. All camps take place at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

"Our Summer Science Camps offer something for all ages," said Valerie MacPhee, Education Manager at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. "Each week is a different topic and it creates an environment where kids can learn something new about science all summer long."

Examples of science camp curriculum include the Young Tinkerers camp, where kids in grades 3-4 will disassemble and tinker with household objects such as toasters and computers to see how they work. In eCamp, also for grades 3-4, campers will spend their week working with computers, iPads and apps to hone their technology skills and build a PicoCricket robot.

Girls in grades 5-8 can enjoy Women Scientists in Action. Each day they'll explore a new field of science, interact with local women scientists, participate in incredible hands-on experiments and investigate their own future careers in science. There is also Robotics Garage for grades 7-8, in which kids will work in teams using LEGO Mindstorms to construct and program robots to perform complex tasks. The camp will also feature exciting programming challenges throughout the week.

For grades 1-2 there is Ahoy! Arggg! Pirate Camp where campers will discover how to design a catapult, create a compass, build a boat and other important pirate skills.

Also available for grades 4-7, the Fleet partners with ThoughtSTEM to host the Modding Minecraft Computer Programming Camps. Each day, future programmers learn how to create custom blocks or items, create and control Mobs and make their own Minecraft Mini Games. Campers can test out their creations in the Minecraft Simulator and even run them in their Minecraft games at home!

These are just a few of the many camp options available to kids at the Fleet throughout the summer.  

Summer Science Camps extend the Fleet's mission of bringing science education to students of all ages in ways that are fun, engaging and accessible. Through participating in summer camps, students' minds stay active and learning during the school break through activities that are enlightening and enjoyable.

Half-day camps are offered each week, with morning or afternoon options. Morning camps run from 9 a.m. to noon and afternoon camps are 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Prices for the week-long camps are $150 for nonmembers and $135 for Fleet members. The Fleet can also coordinate midday trade-offs to other half-day summer camps in Balboa Park. Staff members escort children from one camp to another during a supervised lunch hour.

The Fleet also offers full-day Science Camps on selected weeks to accommodate the serious science enthusiasts. Camps run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weekly rates are $265 for nonmembers and $235 for Fleet members.

Last, the Modding Minecraft half-day Computer Programming Camps run select weeks from June 20 to August 12. Weekly rates are $325 for nonmembers and $300 for Fleet members.

More information and a full list of Summer Science Camp activities can be found on the Fleet website here:

http://www.rhfleet.org/events/summer-camps

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

To schedule a media preview of Fleet Summer Science Camps, please contact Reuben H. Fleet Science Center Public Relations Manager Nathan Young at 619-685-5743 or nyoung@rhfleet.org.