Entering Grades 5–6

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Chem-Artistry

Enrollment: 16 campers
Get creative with chemistry/artistry as you discover which ingredients you can use to make your own art supplies. As a scientist, make and experiment with paints, tie-dye, marbleizing techniques and more; then, as an artist, use those materials to design your creations. Discover which liquids to use to make a plaster cast of your face, called a “life mask.” Experiment with acid and bases to make an array of colors from cabbage juice. Show off your creations in an art show on the final day.

Entering Grades 4–5
June 24-July 5 No camp on Thursday July 4
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Crime Science

Enrollment: 16 campers
Ever wonder how detectives and scientists work together to solve crimes? Often enjoy a good mystery? Campers work together as detectives to identify clues, crack secret codes, and debate their conclusions. They do their own forensic experiments to analyze ink, powder, and other evidence as they investigate and solve classroom crimes and mysteries.

Entering Grades 4–5
July 8-19
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Eco Explorations

Enrollment: 16 campers
Campers explore local aquatic and terrestrial environments in the classroom and the outdoors surrounding Lawrence Hall of Science. We will get to know intertidal, pond, desert and forest ecosystems, by working with live animals and collecting plant samples. While experimenting with the living and non-living parts of each ecosystem, campers will discover the inner workings and complexity of each specialized environment.

Entering Grades 4–5
August 12-16
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Geology Camp

Enrollment: 16 campers
Get to know the Earth, from its tiny rock crystals to its massive, ever-changing crust. Create and explore models that illustrate the physical processes responsible for earthquakes, volcanoes, and the formation of three types of rock that make up Earth’s crust. Step into the dusty shoes of a geologist in our “cookie mine” and in a mock archaeological excavation!

Entering Grades 4–5
June 17-21
1:00-4:00 p.m.

August 5-9
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Cool Contraptions

Enrollment: 16 campers
Explore and build contraptions, from the interesting to the weird. Can a tin can become a camera? Can a plastic cup become a scribbling machine? Build a periscope to spy over walls and around corners. Make a mysterious roller that won’t roll away from you and can even roll uphill!

Entering Grades 4–6
June 10-14
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Animation

Enrollment: 15 campers
Create, then animate! Learn animation basics with simple paper flip-books and zoetropes, then move on to more complex stop-motion and computer animation. Work with friends to create a story and make it come to life with clay and paper, cameras and computers.

Entering Grades 5–7
July 22-August 2 Full
9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon

Build It Up, Take It Apart

Enrollment: 16 campers
How would you design a bridge or a skyscraper? What can you figure out from looking inside a printer or a speaker? In this camp, you will build and explore the inner workings of machines, devices, and structures that you use every day. Working in a team to design unique creations and solve challenges, you will practice your skills as an architect and engineer and will be amazed at what you can make…and then take apart!

Entering Grades 5–7
July 22-August 2 Full
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Electric Gadgetry

Enrollment: 16 campers
Whether your camper is a future engineer or a curious tinkerer, in this camp they will do some hands-on, minds-on work with a variety of electricity experiments and projects. Campers explore circuits and create their own gadgets, study magnets and capture their elusive fields, and learn about the relationship between electricity and magnetism by building motors and electromagnets.

Entering Grades 5–7
June 17-21 Full
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Food and Plant Chemistry

Enrollment: 16 campers
What makes pancakes fluffy (or flat)? What gives flowers their color and odor (or fragrance)? It’s all in the chemistry! Discover how the combination of chemicals, time, temperature, and physical manipulation can affect food experiments—some of which may even be edible. Experiment with plants used as foods and with plants turned into other strange or useful products. See how people throughout history have used chemistry in their food and medicine, and continue your experiments safely at home.

Entering Grades 5–7
June 24-28 Full
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Lego Technology

Enrollment: 16 campers
Students build humanoid robots, roving vehicles, and mechanical beasties of increasing complexity. Then they learn how to program their ’droids to walk, talk—and even see! And it’s all done with Mindstorms NXT, the cutting-edge robotics kit from Lego. Take your creativity to the next level with Lego Technology!

Entering Grades 5–7
June 24-July 5 No camp on Thursday July 4
9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon

August 5-16
1:00-4:00 p.m.

Ocean Science *new*

Enrollment: 16 campers
Campers will use hands-on investigations and interactive models of real NOAA data to gather evidence and understand ocean currents, weather and climate. They will look at how the ocean and climate are connected, and how the ocean affects our weather and climate here in the Bay Area. They will make predictions about global and local impacts of changes to the climate and consider how local communities could plan for these impacts.

Entering Grades 6–8
July 15-19
9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon