http://la.mommypoppins.com/lakids/10-summer-science-camps-for-kids-in-los-angeles
California Science Center
700 Exposition Park Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90037
213.744.7400
Dates: 6/18/12-8/17/12
9am-3pm (half day & extended care options, too)
$135-$335/week
Ages 3-13
Not surprisingly, the California Science Center offers the ultimate summer science camps for LA area kids. More than 25 courses are available on topics that include robotics, wizardry, outer space, skate science, pirate science, 3-D animation, and movie special effects along with the classic biology, chemistry, and physics offerings. Camps range from preschool parent-child classes through mind-blowingly amazing eighth grade explorations.
Kidspace Children's Museum
480 N. Arroyo Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91103
626.449.9144
Dates: 7/23/12-8/10/12
9am-5pm (half days and extended care available)
$80/day; $400/week
Ages 6-11
Kidspace takes the "museum" part of its name to heart and makes sure that each week of camp is packed with educational opportunities. This summer's topics cover environmental science, physics, anatomy (actually billed as "gross anatomy..."), and space adventures. Kidspace promises to send your kid home knowing the meaning of E=mc².
Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
1600 Ocean Front Walk
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.393.6149 ext. 103
Dates: June 25-29, July 23-August 10
9am-12pm or 9am-2pm
$350/week; $60/day
Ages 6-10
Heal the Bay runs a Science Adventure Camp at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium that offers a hands-on, science-based, environmentally conscious learning experience right at the beach. Kids spend part of the day observing, handling, and learning about all sorts of marine life in the lab, and part of the day outside finding where science meets surf. Other activities include games, crafts, puppet shows, and kissing sea cucumbers. The first three weeks may be booked by the week only; the last week can be booked by the day. No before or after care is available, but when you pick up - you've got the Pier and the beach!
Aquarium of the Pacific Summer Camp100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA 90802
562.590.3100
Dates: 6/18/12-8/24/12
8am-5pm (full and half day options available)
$140-$290/week
Ages 3-9
Kids can explore the Pacific ocean and its inhabitants during three-day and week-long day camps at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Campers of different ages participate in different class programs, with all getting behind-the-scenes opportunities to help care for and feed the marine life and learn about water quality. Little ones ages three to four attend with a parent. The aquarium also offers a sleepover camp for teens in August.
Ocean Institute
24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr.
Dana Point, CA 92629
949.496.2274
Dates: 6/25/12-8/30/12
9am-4pm
$164/week-$290/week
Ages 5-14
How lucky are our kids that so much Southern Californian science happens at the beach? The Ocean Institute is right in the thick of things, with camps that explore marine biology both in the lab and at sea - from plankton to whales and everything in between. Older kids even get a chance to build and operate underwater ROVs. The Institute's camp programs include day, weekly, and overnight options. Older teens (14-17) can participate in the marine science careers internship program.
Los Angeles Zoo Summer ZooCamp
5333 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323.644.6400
Dates: 7/2/12-8/10/12
9pm-3pm
$55-$65/day; $240-$300/week (extended care available)
Ages 4-12
LA Zoo's annual summer camp intermingles classic summertime activities, crafts, and games with behind-the-scenes exploration that inspires caring for animals and the environment. Each camp focuses on a different group of animals, with themes like reptiles, primates, and - for older kids - wildlife photography.
Moorpark Teaching Zoo Junior Safari Zoo Camp
7075 Campus Road
Moorpark, CA 93021
805.378.1441
Dates: June-August (specific dates TBA in April)
8:30am-4pm (half day options available)
$200-$350/week
Ages 6-14
A metro area as enormous as greater Los Angeles is bound to have far more hidden treasures than most people can keep track of; that's the only reason we can think why America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College so often flies under the radar. Students of the college program are learning to be animal trainers, working with all sorts of exotic and local rescue animals, and during summer camp our kids can learn along with them! Each week finishes with an animal show that parents can attend, in which the kids are the trainers.
Rolling Robots
757 Americana Way
Glendale, CA 91210
818.241.2308
or
700 Silver Spur Road, Unit 101
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
888.ROBOT.08
Dates: 6/11/12-8/31/12
10am-1pm or 2pm-5pm
$149-$375/week
Ages 5-14
One of those camps with a name that says it all, Rolling Robots offers different levels of technical challenge for different ages. Littlest kids get started experimenting with electronics, while older kids get to design robots and program them, finishing the week with the ability to build competition-level robots on their own - ready to take over this world or another of their choosing.
Robotics and Things
Sumac Elementary School
6050 North Calmfield Ave.
Agoura, CA 91301
805.660.1809
Dates: 6/18/12-8/17/12 (with some exceptions)
Mon, Wed, & Fri 9am-3:30pm
$249 for three days
Ages 7-14
Robotics and Things offers its ninth summer of the ROBOTIX Experience, in which campers use California Science Standards to create robots, robotic creatures, and robotic vehicles. The curriculum, developed in cooperation with Caltech/JPL, lets kids who fantasize about building robots live out their fantasies, applying science, math, and engineering principles to intricate robotics kits that leave Legos (much as we love them) in the dust.
Mad Science
Locations all over the greater LA area
and Orange County, too
office address:
8107 Orion Ave.
Van Nuys, CA 91406
818.909.6777
Dates: 6/18/12-8/17/12
9am-3pm (varies by location)
$130-$350/week (varies by location)
Ages: 5-12
Mad Science is a national company offering summer science camps in a wide variety of locations around Southern California. Serving so many different communities means that the prices and curricula vary quite a bit, but the theme that runs throughout is having fun with science in local community venues at reasonable prices. Individual camp weeks include Secret Agent Lab; Claws, Codes, & Constellations; Red Hot Robots; NASA Space Academy, and Crazy Chemworks.
And finally, if the science-inclined camper in your family happens to be a girl entering grade 4-9, you should definitely look into Sally Ride Science Camp. The legendary astronaut offers her remarkable girls-only summer science experience at five college campuses across the country, and Angelenos are lucky to have one of those be Caltech in Pasadena, July 9-13, 2012.
Chinaway Past Program
4 years ago
