Endeavors to Fill a Child’s Summer

This being the first day of summer, parents throughout the area are turning to thoughts of how to keep the kids busy during summer vacation. Many are opting for the science classes, camps and workshops being offered by local organizations.

Children can take advantage of the wealth of scientific facilities in the Southland, such as museums and science labs, to learn about the world around them. Most programs include hands-on activities and incorporate crafts and other projects.

Classes are generally taught by educators or professionals in the field. Some facilities offer extended day care for children. A few organizations have limited scholarships available for low-income families. Classes fill up fast, so early registration is a must. A sampling:

* The California Museum of Science and Industry will offer the 31st year of hands-on science workshops for young people at the museum site in Exposition Park. More than 40 classes for children ages 4 to 16 in courses ranging from “Bubbles Galore (ages 4-6),” “Life in the Sea (ages 6-8),” Crime Lab Chemistry (ages 8-11),” “Advanced Rocketry (ages 11-13)” and “Star-Spangled Skies (ages 12-16)” will be given. With the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the University of Southern California, the museum will be inaugurating a two-week Robot Summer Camp for young people ages 5 to 16 beginning Aug. 1. Service and industrial robots will be used as teaching tools in the special classes. The popular Curators Kid Club offers one week of day-long science activities for children as well. Workshops begin July 11. (213) 744-7444

* The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will have hands-on “Adventures in Nature” classes for children ages 3 to 14. Three one-week courses will include morning and afternoon sessions on topics ranging from insects to dinosaurs. The students will receive experience in observing and working with scientific specimens and exploring items from the museum’s collections. Other topics being offered include mammals, plants, earthquakes, whales and reptiles. Classes begin July 18. (213) 744-3534

* The Eaton Canyon Nature Center Associates are offering weekly full-day and half-day Science Day Camp programs through July 22 for kids in kindergarten through sixth grade at Eaton Canyon County Park. Some topics that will be covered include “Science Detectives Camp,” “Animal Explorers Camp” and “Space and Rocketry Camp.” These classes are part of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation’s “Science Adventures For Kids” program, which is offered at a number of locations. Camps will be held in Cerritos, Culver City, Arcadia, Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Clarita, Whittier and elsewhere. (800) 472-4362

* Guided Discoveries, an nonprofit educational organization, still has openings for a one-week “Astrocamp” for children ages 8 to 15 at the Desert Sun Science Center near Idyllwild July 3-9. The residential camp will have courses organized by age level in astronomy, rocketry, robots and space technology. Youngsters ages 12 and older can learn how astronauts prepare for weightlessness in an underwater micro-gravity class given in the facility’s pool. Telescopes, microscopes, gyroscopes and astronaut training equipment will also be used in high-tech science explorations. (909) 625-6194 or (800) 645-1423

* The Los Angeles Zoo will be having a Zoo Camp beginning July 18 for children entering grades one through six in the fall. Children can choose to learn about primates or animal adaptations in the one-week sessions. All classes will use crafts, games and extensive tours of the zoo’s facilities to teach children scientific observation. The day-camp classes will run through Aug. 19. (213) 666-4650, Ext. 5.