Camp a great place for science projects

Sun., April 16, 2006

Barbara Blake Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times

Carry it back to the classroom

Following are ideas for projects at summer camp that can dovetail with school projects when students return to class in the fall.

For third-graders:

“Use a wildflower guide to identify different flowers and plants.

“Collect, dry and press different flowers to make a fact book.

“Use a sketch book to draw pictures of flowers.

“Observe the night sky and keep a log of different phases of the moon.

“Use a telescope to identify different constellations and read some of the myths and stories behind them.

For fourth-graders:

“Keep a food log of everything you eat for two weeks, first at home, then at camp.

“Plan and cook a healthy meal, identifying the ingredients and nutrients in every item.

“Start a rock collection and identify them later using a book on rocks and minerals.

“Do experiments with rocks to see if they float, leave marks on sidewalks or change color in water.

For fifth-graders:

“Keep a log for a week of the temperature and weather at home and at your camp.

“Explore an ecosystem, like a creek, then go to a different ecosystem, like a mountaintop, and compare them.

“Collect soil samples from camp, your back yard, near a parking lot and along a creek, then plant identical seeds to see if there's a difference in how they grow.

At summer camp, there is a world of treasures waiting for your child. But they are hidden under the forest floor, between the crevices of river rocks, tucked behind a laurel leaf, and high above in the dark, night sky.

Leaves, lichens, butterflies and the stars above are just a few of the treasures that can be your child’s ticket to a spectacular science project when school begins next fall.

What? Science projects? This is summer camp, right? As in fun … not as in “do your homework.”

But what if your child could have plenty of fun at camp and also get an edge on the science curriculum that will await him in the months after the camps have closed and the outdoor world is not as accessible?

“Summertime is a great time to work in some of the science and social studies concepts in a really fun way, when kids can explore the world around them and do a lot of hands-on things that will give them the background knowledge they’ll need once the school year starts,” says Laura Maynard, a third-grade teacher in Asheville, N.C. “Kids who spend time getting hands-on experiences really have a jump-start on school.”

Many public school programs in the lower grades require a focus on specific aspects of the natural world. For example, third-graders study the solar system and plants; fourth-graders study rocks and minerals, and health and nutrition; fifth-graders study land forms, models and designs, and eco-systems and weather.

With a little creativity and forethought, children can take advantage of the natural world in a camp setting to access specimens and photographs they might otherwise miss, saving them until the upcoming school year for use in science and other school projects.

“There are so many opportunities outdoors that address not only science, but literacy, art and math,” says fourth-grade teacher Marta Johnson, also of Asheville.

“At home, children can plan a garden plot, which requires math calculations. At camp, they can make a photo-journal about native plants or wildflowers, which involves writing and photography, or carry a sketch book and make their own sketches of the flowers they see.”

For science experiments, the rocks found in a camp setting offer a bounty of opportunities for rising fourth-graders, Johnson says.

“If they have a little scale, they can weigh different rocks, and do some floating and sinking experiments. They can see whether water changes the color of different rocks, or if they rub one rock with another is one harder than the others,” Johnson says. “Do any of the rocks write on a sidewalk? And you can trace the shapes of rocks, like making footprints for them, and then play a game where you match the footprints with the rocks.”

Another idea is for the child to write a poem or a story about a rock, telling what they think that rock has seen after so many millions of years, Johnson said. “And that’s a direct connection to history - in such and such year, this rock saw this thing happen.”

Camp director Brad Thompson says his staff is always willing to accommodate campers who are motivated to get a jump on school during the summer months.

“If we have a child interested in collecting leaves or rocks or taking pictures of plants or flowers, we’d certainly like to take the time to escort them and even do a few cool experiments,” Thompson says.