SCIENCE / MEDICINE : School Holiday Programs Abound
School’s out, the kids are running wild or complaining about having nothing to do and being bored with the beach, Magic Mountain and the movies. What can they do? Several local organizations have activities and workshops designed with youngsters in mind for the summer.
Class sizes are generally small and taught by professionals in the field. Most also require registration in advance. Some offer scholarship assistance.
A sampling:
* The Cabrillo Marine Museum in San Pedro begins its sixth year of “Science at the Seashore” workshops on June 25. In weeklong and one-day programs, children from first through 12th grades can learn about marine animals and the marine environment in the laboratory, the classroom and the field. Classes are scheduled throughout the summer. Call (213) 548-7562.
* The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will be offering natural science workshops for children from kindergarten through sixth grade beginning July 10. Some of the topics offered in the participatory classes include botany, geology and paleontology. Call (213) 744-3342.
* The Los Angeles Children’s Museum will take youngsters on tours “Inside L.A.” this summer. Children can take a behind-the-scenes look at places such as the Griffith Observatory and the Wildlife Waystation. Thirty different trips are scheduled.
Dodgers trainer Charlie Strasser will be at the museum June 30 to talk with youngsters about the health of professional athletes. Call (213) 687-8801.
* Students can become junior botanists in weeklong programs offered by the Los Angeles State and County Arboretum in Arcadia beginning June 25. The programs, for children ages 7-12, offer the chance to explore the grounds of the arboretum and discover the intricacies of plant communities. Call (818) 446-8251, Ext. 49.
* Budding rocket scientists, meteorologists and other young scientists can learn more about their areas of interest in more than 40 hands-on workshops offered by the California Museum of Science and Industry beginning June 25. The five-day sessions for children from preschool through the eighth grade, including some bilingual classes, continue through the week of Aug. 20. Call (213) 744-7440.
* Special daily activities for children are planned throughout the summer at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Children can view planetarium shows, learn about Audubon’s work with birds and examine artifacts from the museum’s collections. Call (805) 682-4711.
HEALTH
The San Fernando Valley chapter of the American Lupus Society will discuss aspects of this disease on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Northridge Hospital’s IFL penthouse. Call (818) 609-8910.
ORNITHOLOGY
Ornithologists from all over the world will meet at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and at UCLA June 25-30 in the first joint meeting of the American Ornithologists Union and the Cooper Ornithological Society. In conjunction with the meeting, a symposium on the conservation crisis of the world parrot population will be held Saturday from 10:30 to 5 p.m. Call (213) 208-8003.
ENVIRONMENT
Families can learn about the environment in a high-elevation campsite in Angeles National Forest in a “Family Field Ecology Workshop” sponsored by the Sierra Club’s Natural Science Section June 23-24. Call (818) 787-2294 or (818) 793-4727.
ASTRONOMY
Summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere at 8:33 a.m. on Thursday, the summer solstice. The solstice occurs when the sun reaches its northernmost point in its apparent path across the sky. This is also the longest day of the year. The Griffith Observatory Sky Report has all the latest information on celestial events. Call (213) 663-8171.