There will be SIX different camp weeks of fun, crazy, wild science at several locations. Plan to attend all of them for a positively mad summer of science! Minimum of two instructors per location. Credit cards accepted. Full-day & half-day camps are available.
SCIENCE SLEUTHS- Camp "A"
An awesome week of sleuthing, investigation and discovery awaits you! Send messages to your friends with your very own secret code wheels. Hunt down animal tracks and follow hidden scent trails during a day of nature discoveries. Explore the wonders of gravity, balance and the science behind the illusive sweet spot. Build the strongest helmet for our friend Eggbert in our “safe egg challenge”. Renew your appreciation for the Earth and the role science can play in preserving our favourite planet. Build your own cool Kepler's Cubes and become a Mad Science junior astronomer.
Camp-Day Themes include: Mad Messages, Earth Awareness, The Science of Sport, Nature, Space.
Mad Messages
Discover how to send secret messages to your friends using special codes! Children learn how to talk with numbers, just like computers, and create their very own code "crackers". In the afternoon, they become detectives and use their Mad Science observational skills to discover the hidden recipe of an ink pen.
Earth Awareness
How are we hurting Mother Earth? Discover how science will help us protect our planet. Children will understand the basics of water pollution, acid rain, and some uses of solar energy. By actively recycling, they will make their very own paper to take home and actually use!
The Science of Sport
What do football players, scientists and ballet dancers have in common? Explore how Newton helps us learn why we move the way we do and improve the games we play. Campers experiment with games and activities while learning how physical and chemical sciences affect their equipment, movement, and technique.
Nature
Play the nature scavenger hunt that combines science exploration with the animal kingdom. Campers learn about camouflage, adaptations and animal habits, and even replicate an animal's footprints.
Space Day
Young astronauts explore the mysteries of the solar system. Children will discover how astronauts live and work in space. The sun, the moon, the stars, and gravity are only a few of the things that must be dealt with on this Mad Science space mission.
MACHINE MANIACS- Camp "B"
Join us for a week full of creations, chemistry and cameras! Work together with your fellow engineers to build the best bridge in our shake, rattle and roll challenge. Turn your daily newspaper into a four foot high Geodesic Dome that you can sit in with your friends. Explore the world of birds and beasts with bird house building and our super bug investigation. Mix, mash and brew concoctions to create cool sidewalk chalk and bath fizzers during a day in the chemistry lab. Discover the wonders of photography as you study cameras, light and colours.
Camp-Day Themes include: Jr. Engineers, Machine Mania, Crazy Chemistry, The Birds & The Beasts, Shutterbugs.
Jr. Engineers
Check out shapes and why they are so strong. Investigate arches, and geodesic domes. Discover why an egg’s shape is so strong and how you can find this shape in buildings. Test loads and build some bridges when you put on an engineer’s hat and learn about structures.
Machine Mania
Find out how wedges, screws and levers help us with our daily lives. Use simple machines to complete different tasks like lifting weights and launching ping pong balls. Run through an obstacle course and use teamwork to show how useful simple machines can be.
Crazy Chemistry
Become a Mad Science chemist as you learn all about the chemistry of things that you encounter everyday in your house and school. Discover how chemical reactions are everywhere and how you can figure out if a chemical change has occurred right before your very eyes. Mix, mush and brew together different chemicals to create things you can use in this hands-on chemistry lab.
The Birds & The Beasts
Where do owls live and what do they eat? How do some bugs walk on water? These questions and more will be answered with a walk on the wild side of things to explore owls, birds and all kinds of bugs.
Shutterbugs
How does a camera work? What does a lens do? How do our eyes work? What is a camera obscura? How did the idea of motion pictures start and how did early filmmakers figure out how to make images move? All these questions and more are answered in this hands-on program wherein campers get to experience many aspects of photography.
SECRET AGENT LAB- Camp "C"
Campers will use forensic science to track down an elusive ice cream thief. A visit to Cell City will reveal the inner workings of DNA while a trip down the Organ Trail will provide a Body Portrait! Lemon Shockers, Brain Goo and Electroplating will thrill all junior chemists. We will discover how to get a rainbow in a test tube and build a Potato Power Plant during a day of radical chemical reactions.
Camp-Day Themes include: At the Scene of the Crime, Organ Trail, Radical Reactions, Chemical Counting, Cell City.
The Organ Trail
Students are introduced to the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, skeletal, and muscular systems. In the process they learn about some of the body’s most important parts: the heart, lungs, stomach, brain and more. They listen to their hearts, act as lung and muscle models and observe life-like replicas of our organs.
At the Scene of the Crime…
The importance of observation as part of the scientific method is the day’s first order of business. A mock crime scene is examined; relevant information presented in many formats. Campers are then challenged to sort and sift through the data in an effort to solve the "crime" using forensic techniques.
Cell City
Campers are introduced to several cell organelles and their functions. The membrane, mitochondria, nucleus, ribosome, and lysosome receive most of the attention. At times they will imitate the action of each of these parts with special emphasis on the nucleus and the role of DNA in directing and recreating life. They will learn the basics of the code of life, and make a model of a cell.
Radical Reactions
What holds atoms and molecules together? What happens during chemical reactions? These questions are answered while campers study physical and chemical reactions in depth. These reactions include those that emit heat (exothermic), those that require heat (endothermic), those that proceed at a very fast pace and reactions that occur in spite of the fact they shouldn’t!
Chemical Counting
Explore the “nuts & bolts” of chemistry, starting with the principle of “chemical counting” using model atoms to build familiar molecules. A mystery solution’s contents are determined via chemistry. Topics here range from creating electrical current using chemical systems (exactly as a battery does) to plating (chemically bonding) one metal onto another.
FLIGHT ACADEMY- Camp "D"
The week will fly by as we travel through time looking at the earliest flying machines right up to modern day rocket launches. We’ll cover it all. Become a Junior Aviator and discover the principals of flight and aerodynamics. Zip up your space suit for a planetary tour while we investigate the wonders of our very own Milky Way. Join your fellow astronauts as we send an awesome Mad Science rocket to the moon…well at least into the sky! As Mad Science Technicians, you will build sundials, Bead Dippers, parachutes and an incredible wind tunnel simulator. It will be a blast!
Camp-Day Themes include: The “Wright” Stuff, It’s an Up Thing, The Milky Way, Newton’s Loco-Motion and Rockin’ Rockets.
The “Wright” Stuff
Children will explore the fundamentals of aerodynamics in this hands-on program about how things fly. From the basic principles of flight to building airplanes, testing them in wind tunnels, to hovercraft and balloon helicopter building, children will understand what makes things fly and how different types of aircraft fly. Campers will take home various paper airplane designs, balloon helicopters, hovercrafts, boomerangs and mini Frisbeesâ.
–Up, Up, & Away
This program will explore the role that wind and the movement of air plays on simple flying devices such as kites, hot air balloons and parachutes. Children will experiment with solar bags, parachutes and build their own kites and parachutes during this hands-on look at early flight.
–The Milky Way
What is the Milky Way and how do we know what’s up there? Children will explore the celestial sphere, learn about celestial navigation and build their own sextant, sundial, planisphere and Bead Dipper model while discovering the wonders of the Milky Way.
Newton’s Loco-Motion
Sir Isaac Newton was very curious about how things move. Discover Newton’s Laws of Motion and something called inertia in this hands-on program all about motion. Children will experiment to learn how inertia works and how gravity is a physical force that keeps all objects “stuck” to the Earth. They will build a Satellite Launcher” to take home to continue their exploration of motion at home.
Rockin’ Rockets
Campers will learn the fundamentals of rocketry throughout this day including the parts of a rocket, the stages of rocket flight and how Newton’s third law applies to a rocket traveling to space. The children will build their own Skyblazer rockets, experiment with water rockets and stomp rockets during this fun, day filled with hands-on activities.
ROCKET CAMP- Camp "E"
Yes we are Rocket Scientists! And you can be too! Blast to the top of the class with an in depth look at all things ROCKET! This action packed week focuses on the physics of rocket flight, the parts of a rocket and rocket launches. You will experience every aspect of rocket launching as you join a different crew each day. Prepare for launch, send your rockets into the sky and track their altitudes as we launch 10 different rockets each week! You are certain to have a blast exploring, building and launching many varieties of rockets.
Camp-Day Themes include: Rocket Scientists, Rocket Flight, Mission Control, Rocket Propulsion & Recovery, Go For Launch.
–Rocket Scientists
Campers will create a rocket journal that they will use during the camp to record all of their experimental data. They will learn about the parts and functions of a rocket and learn the model rocket safety code. Children will build and launch bog-roll rockets, build Skyblazer rockets and their own altitude trackers during this exciting introduction to model rocketry.
–Rocket Flight
This program will explore what makes rockets fly, the parts of a rocket are involved in flight, and how energy gets things moving! Children will make and launch Paper Tiger rockets, experiment with devices called “food flingers” and rocket pinwheels and divide into their launch teams to launch Estes Alpha Rockets.
Mission Control
Campers will learn about the history of NASA’s rocket program and begin their exploration of the universe by making devices called “nanorovers.” They will build their own galactic mobiles and create lunar prospectors while they talk about how the galaxy can be explored via rocket flight. The children will end the day with launches of Paper Tiger and Airwalker rockets.
–Rocket Propulsion & Recovery
Rockets can travel into space but how are they propelled and how are they recovered? Campers will explore the concepts of propulsion and recovery systems through various hands-on activities. They will compare the features of different types of rockets and even design their own rocket to the moon! The children will prepare and launch X-Ray, Skywinder (or Cosmic Cobra), Quark and Condor rockets at the end of this fun, filled day.
Go for Launch!
The final day in this week long program will focus on rocket transportation, rocket staging and advanced rocket launches. Campers will discover the advantages of rocket staging –attaching small rockets to the tops of larger rockets, create their own rocket that has two stages, and participate in the launching of Redstone, Snitch, and Echostar rockets.
CHECKMATE CHESS CAMP- Camp "F"
Chess the Mad Science way is a blast. Everyday children will learn the chess rules, strategies and tactics. Game pieces have been given extraordinary personalities and are brought to life. Play with our giant chess set - the biggest you've ever seen! Campers receive their own magnetic chess set. As an extra bonus, part of each day will be spent doing super-cool science where children will make a daily take-home activity such as a Rocket, Stunt Plane, Space Shuttle, Racer Car, Silly Putty, Superball and more.
JR. SCIENTISTS- Camp "G"- (Half-Day Camp)
During this exciting half-day of fun, hands-on and interactive programming, our professionally trained Mad Scientists will take your kindergarten camper on a thrilling journey of amazing scientific discoveries. Through amazing, hands-on experiments and demonstrations the fascinating world of dinosaurs, chemical reactions & bubbling potions, erupting volcanoes, ooey gooey slime, space and much, much more will be explored. Each day children will make cool take-home activities which they will be excited to bring home to show off.
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