2009 Summer Academy Topics


	2009 Summer Academy Topics

Summer 2009 Topics:

Programs for kids entering Grades 1 - 6

Junior Scientist programs - Kindergarten

Links to schedules by county

Crazy ChemWorks (New!)

This action-packed camp explores the chemistry of everyday life! With spectacular hands-on activities and stunning demonstrations, kids will both learn and apply the concepts, tools and techniques of real chemists! Campers will start by learning real lab techniques and safety procedures, and then use these throughout the week to mix crazy concoctions and chemical combo’s. They will experiment with super-sticky-stuff, explore glow-in-the-dark technology, mix potions, make slime, and grow crystals! Each camper will take home a full set of Mad Science lab gear that includes a graduated cylinder, a beaker, a flask, an experiment tube, pH paper, a thermo-color cup, a blacklight writer, and more!

Appropriate for students entering grades 2 - 6

Nature Academy

Explore the natural world and the adaptations that allow birds and beasts to thrive. A new and different fun take-home project each day. Make plaster casts of animal tracks. Tie-dye t-shirts with vegetable dyes. Build a bird feeder and mix your own seed blend to attract specific bird species. Make recycled paper and test for acid rain. Construct a bug house for observing insects. Study the feeding habits of owls and dissect the remains of their lunch. Learn about geology by growing your own crystal garden and breaking open your own geode. Campers will even open oysters while searching for genuine pearls. If your kids enjoyed “The Garden Preschool Camp” last summer, then they will love this camp!

Appropriate for students entering grades 1 - 6

NASA Journey Into Outer Space

Material developed by Mad Science and NASA. Take a voyage of discovery into the atmosphere and beyond. Explore planets, moons, and other space phenomena in our solar system. Examine the sun and other stars. Discover the difficulties of space travel , the challenges of living in space, and try assembling a satellite while training to be an austronaut. Learn about the various technologies that make space exploration possible while bouncing lasers around the room, and take home an LED UFO. Build your own Mad Science rocket, and launch several with the group. Campers will have lots of projects to make and to take home including a Kepler’s Cube solar system puzzle, a Cosmic Chronometer, a Shuttle Copter, and a Catch-a-Comet. Mad Science is the ONLY organization licensed to use these activities for summer camps and school programs.

Appropriate for students entering grades 2 - 6

NASA website link - "NASA and Mad Science Partner to Promote Science Education"

Rockin' Robots Academy

Explore the basic and complex technology used to design and build robots. Discover how machines and robots work and how they make our lives easier. Learn about simple machines, gear structure, battery wiring, motor principles, and electronic circuits. Experiment with different forms of locomotion. Build your very own robot and several other take-home projects, including a catapult, a "megapincher", and a "Technicolor Blender". Separate sessions will be offered for different age groups with different age appropriate robots and machines to build and take home.
Appropriate for students entering grades 1 - 6

15 hours of fun-filled, hands-on, secret agent themed science activities featuring 10 take-home projects! The five daily themes are Discover Detection, Funky Forensics, Science of Security, Sleuths on the Scene, and Spy Academy. During the week the agents put everything they have learned to the test. They will code and decode messages, use spy equipment on a surveillance shift, collect and analyze evidence, explore the science of tracking, practice facial reconstruction, and many other activities that are so top secret they cannot be described publicly! Take home projects include an ultraviolet Fingerprint Finder kit, Spyglasses that let you secretly watch people who are behind you, Spy-noculars, a Secret Code Breaker, and an Inspecti-kit for evidence collection.

Appropriate for students entering grades 2-6

Ancient Adventures &
Buried Bones (New!)

Mad Science’s first archaeology/paleontology camp. Dig into the physical remains left behind by people and animals in the past. Delve into the mysteries of Ancient Egypt, the lost city of Pompeii, and the hidden temples of the Maya. Explore the past by examining the objects that ancient peoples left behind. Mummify a mad scientist. Participate in a mock archaeological dig and assemble the huge pre-historic skeletal remains you uncover. Investigate the technologies use in the past and build your own monument. Decipher ancient languages and preserve genuine artifacts. Even take home an actual Roman coin that is over a thousand years old! Solve a new mystery every day.

Appropriate for students entering grades 3 - 6

Junior Scientist Programs

Ages 4** - 6
**These programs are intended for children who are entering or have just completed Kindergarten.

Limited availability for the summer of 2009

These sessions are offered in a limited number of "pre-school friendly" locations. All of these sessions will be in the morning only, and will be schedule from 9:15 to 11:45. Class size will be limited to 15 children.

The Garden
Preschool Camp

This camp offers children an exciting introduction to basic environmental science. The campers will enrich their understanding of how living things grow and interact with their environments. Each day the kids will perform hands-on experiments, play themed games, and enjoy a snack and story related to the day’s theme. Sessions of The Garden will be limited to 15 children.

Appropriate for Kindergartners

Junior Explorers' Camp

Explore a different topic each day – Space, Machines, Science of Sports, Science of Toys, and Che-Mystery. Explore the solar system and build your own Mad Science Shuttle. Launch rockets. Mix and eat your own batch of space food. Learn about levers and build your own machines – including an air-powered Drag Racer. Use science to protect athletes from harm (actually…egg-letes). Play with cool toys and try to figure out how they work. Experiment with potions and mix your own batch of sidewalk chalk. Make your own slime. …tons of fun indoor and outdoor activities. (Food allergy alert: Children will handle eggs & milk.)

Appropriate for children entering Kindergarten and Grade 1

Rockland County Locations & Schedule

Orange County Locations & Schedule

Ulster County Locations & Schedule

            Dutchess County:
                  Dutchess Community College
                  Other Dutchess County Locations

Exclusive Girls ONLY Locations

            Custom camp locations
                    (If you have 12 interested kids, you can
                                schedule your own camp!)