Contact Us: 415.221.6161
140 Balboa Street @ 3rd Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94118
Summer Camp
Robotics Challenge
Where Imagination Comes to Life
Utilizing MIT’s Media Lab technology, write computer programs that generate lights, sound, music and motion in the robots you create. Each day focuses on a different type of robot:
- Furniture robots
- Animal robots
- Amusement park robots
- And cars
Don’t miss this uniquely thrilling mixture of craft and technology and camp fun.
Presented in collaboration with the award winning San Francisco State University’s Engineering Design Center Director EDC Larry Klingenberg.
The Secret Science of Teenage Girls
Sugar and Spice and…then what?
Girls Grades 4-7
Explore what it means to enter the Teen Age. Every girl has a heart beating with anticipation and a mind full of questions about physical and emotional changes that happen after age 12. Well don't worry, there are answers. And they're all rooted in science. Join girls like you for a friendly, eye-opening camp with experts in teen physiology, psychology and health.
- Find out everything you never even knew you wanted to know about hormones and reproductive systems.
- Discuss issues surrounding self-esteem
- Delve into the mysterious worlds of friendship and intimacy
- Talk about difficulties of peer pressure and the dangers of drug abuse
- Get hands-on understanding of your skin and how to take care of it
- Pamper yourself at our in-house spa
Campers also do some cooking, play sports, and gather some valuable nutritional information to help build a healthy and strong body. Girls only. No boys allowed!
Aliens from the Microscopic Universe
The Wacky World of Germs, Virus and Bacteria
With Holly Garriock, PhD – biologist, geneticist, teacher and UCSF research scientist, and Brittany Belin PhD – a biophysicist, biochemists, teacher and UCSF research scientist.
Get a real close look at some of the strangest and smallest creatures on Earth. They live in hiding on our hands, all over our furniture, and in the food we eat. Our lab microscopes reveal these amazing and smart organisms in action, while fascinating experiments leave campers with hands-on knowledge of how medication, immunization and the immune system work.
This camp utilizes G.F.P., a glowing protein taken from the Aequorea Victoria jellyfish. The scientists who used it to observe and track living cells and their proteins won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2008.
Just added:
One-of-a-kind visit to a UCSF lab to view viruses in a state of the art media room. This trip is for the Wacky Wrold of Germs Camp only.
Coming Soon: Science Camp at UCSF Mission Bay Campus
Work with scientists at their lab
Details coming soon!
Curious and Creative—Diseases Around the World
Meet the strangest, weirdest, and freakiest diseases in the world!
With Jenny Carlson, San Francisco State University Graduate student and teacher and Holly Archer, San Francisco State graduate student and a teacher
If you think studying diseases sounds a little weird... just wait until you see how weird some of these diseases really are. Extremely interesting and curiously creative, the world of diseases will take us all over the globe, to places remote, exotic and surprising. As campers "travel" through science, they'll see how truly strange diseases thrive in their various environments. Hands-on (always safe) activities teach the inner workings of cells and the DNA characteristics of insects, viruses, bacteria, parasites, yeasts and prions. Campers then analyze how some diseases transfer from animal to human or vice versa and start to examine how medicines strategically fight them off.
Evolution
Why the Creatures of the World
With Robert Garriock, PhD, UCSF research scientist
Animals and humans are changing constantly even when we don't "see" the change. We will learn more about animals like dogs, fish and insects to see how they have changed and why. We will learn the mechanics of how these changes took place by extracting their DNA as well as our own. Based on these DNA extractions, we will find "relatives" among animals and predict their evolution in the future. We will visit the California Academy of Science for a special tour to see what Darwin saw and eventually concluded -- evolution!
Art and the Micro Universe
Get Creative with Germs, Bacteria and Viruses
With Molly Peterson Nardone, BFA in Art Education and MFA in Fine Arts
Use acrylic, watercolor, paper and fabric to explore the fascinating images of germs, bacteria and viruses. Two dimensional paintings become dynamic creations when you add bright color applications to make your work of art grow, divide and moves just like germs and cells. Dive into the world of DNA when you create a 3 dimensional project out of wood, acrylic, paint and paper.
"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere" - Albert Einstein.
Aerodynamics
The Invisible Physics of Flight
With Zeev Levkovitz, aerodynamics engineer and children’s physics teacher
How do airplanes mange to get up into the sky and how in the heck do they stay there? Campers carefully consider the invisible forces involved in flight as they build airplanes, helicopters, kites, rockets with parachutes, and hot air balloons. Learn the science and ideas of the people who made human flight possible. Hands-on experiments are the best way to learn about velocity, pressure, density, temperature, Newton's laws, and the mysterious coanda effect. Best of all, you get to take all of your projects home.
Top Chef
The Science of Baking
Learn the secrets that top chefs use in making scrumptious pastries that look fabulous. First, take a trip to the local Farmers Market and a few other shop stops to gather the freshest ingredients. Experiment with the architectural properties of structural micro-materials (carbon dioxide and microorganisms) to build some delicious food just like the pros do. Best of all – these experiments are completely edible. And eat them, we will!
Date |
Class | Grade in Sept 09 |
|---|---|---|
| June 15-19 | Teen Girls | Grades 5-9 |
| June 15-19 | Germs etc. | Grades 1-4 |
| June 22-26 | Germs etc. | Grades 4-7 |
| June 22-26 | Evolution | Grades 1-4 |
| June 29-July 2 | Wacky Diseases | Grades 4-7 |
| June 29-July 2 | Aerodynamics | Grades 1-4 |
| July 6-10 | Art Science | Grades 1-4 |
| July 6-10 | Teen Girls | Grades 5-9 |
| July 13-17 | Germs etc. | Grades 4-7 |
| July 13-17 | Robotics | Grades 5-9 |
| July 20-24 | Aerodynamics | Grades 3-6 |
| July 20-24 | Wacky Diseases | Grades 4-7 |
| July 27-31 | Top Chef | Grades 4-7 |
| July 27-31 | Aerodynamics | Grades 3-6 |
| August 3-7 | Robotics | Grades 3-7 |
| August 3-7 | Germs etc. | Grades 4-7 |
| August 10-14 | Robotics | Grades 3-7 |
| August 10-14 | Wacky Diseases | Grades 4-7 |
| August 17-21 | Evolution | Grades 4-7 |
| August 17-21 | Aerodynamics | Grades 3-7 |
| August 24-28 | Art Science | Grades 3-7 |
| August 24-28 | Top Chef | Grades 2-6 |
| August 31-Sep 4 | Art Science | Grades 2-5 |
| August 31-Sep 4 | Top Chef | Grades 3-6 |
Fees:
- $350 per week for all sessions
- Week of June 30th: $258
- Register for two or more weeks and receive $20 off each class
- Extended Care: 8-9am/3-6pm, $8/hour
1. Our unique program focuses on the building blocks of science which are often the most vital for sparking an interest in further scientific learning.
2.Our program is associated with award winning institutions including The Weitzman Institute of Science and San Francisco State University.
3.Our class size is small and intimate: 10-14 kids, each with 2 teachers.
4. Our beautiful studios are filled with natural light and create an inviting learning environment. They are well equipped with up-to-date technology: computers, flat screens, etc…, and are ADA compliant.
5. We offer flexible extended care which allows you to decide in advance, or at the last minute, when you want to pick up your child. (8-9am and 3-6pm)
