How Camp Can Spark a Lifelong Passion for Science

While it can seem like a daunting subject, science is very important for children to grasp. When children start to learn science they gain an appreciation of how their whole world works. Everywhere they turn, science can be found. There’s science in their mom’s cooking, there’s science when they’re hiking, there’s science when they’re crying on a plane. Almost everything has science in it, but it’s hard to see unless you know what you’re looking for.

Often, kids only get excited about science when they are doing experiments in school. Imagine how excited kids would get about the subject if they could not only do experiments every day, but also develop their own experiments or creations, and test and play all day long. That’s where places like Destination Science, a specialized camp for kids ages 5-11 with locations all across the tri state area, come in. At Destination Science, counselors help campers discover on their own how principles of science happen in their everyday world, whether they’re bouncing a basketball or sitting next to dad driving in the car. Once kids start to grasp that these things don’t happen by accident but because of scientific principles, it can spark a love of nature and a deeper appreciation for life. It’s also Destination Science’s belief that it sparks a lifelong love of learning science, says Kathy Heragthy, camp director. Here are some reasons why camp is the perfect setting for creating a science lover.

Camp Vs. School

Should your child choose to attend a specialized camp like Destination Science, the learning is implemented in different ways than at school, and that is not only enticing for parents, but for kids as well. At camp there are no due dates, tests, assignments, or homework. And unlike school, kids are doing hands-on activities every day. If children are engaged and having fun, they are more likely to absorb the lessons and learn new things. 

“At camp it’s fun and easy for kids to be excited, curious and confident about science. This early enthusiasm is a huge boost for our children that will help them both in and out of school. Developing curiosity makes kids lifelong learners about everything,” says Heragthy. “In school there’s very distinct end goals that have to happen. Children have to learn this proficiency by the end of this grade year and be tested to have accomplished that, whereas in a summer camp it’s much more open-ended. We can explore things that spark interest in them, like the science behind the gears on a bicycle. Getting exposed to these concepts and hearing them and starting to question them and experimenting with them, kids are building this foundation of comfort with vocabulary, and having that childhood connection to the concepts will help develop a lifelong love of the subject.”