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Full Day Programs
Half Day Programs

FULL DAY PROGRAMS

SCIENCE EXPLORERS I: THE LIVING CREATURE
Ages 7 - 8
Your body is, quite simply, amazing-a factory for producing red blood cells, a storage depot for calcium and other minerals, an arsenal ready to fight off foreign invaders from within, and an incredibly efficient system of pulleys and levers, able to accomplish super human feats that machines can only mimic. Test your lung capacity with a homemade spirometer, discover how fast your heart beats using the tennis ball pump, and experience the challenge of trying to write when your saddle joint is immobilized. Compare the human potential to the capabilities and adaptations of other members of the animal kingdom.

SCIENCE EXPLORERS II: AMAZING EVERYDAY SCIENCE
Ages 7 - 8
Don't take science for granted! Science is everything EVERYWHERE! Reveal the physics facts embedded within the water pipes in your house; test out the structural integrity of triangulation on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge; and create a cloudy, low pressure weather system within the confines of a glass jar. See colors from a new perspective when you play The Wave Game with infamous host ROY G BIV, and construct a working miniature roller coaster while learning how forces, energy, motion, and momentum work together to keep your body inside of a speeding roller coaster car.
FIELD TRIP! One day of this session includes a tour of the Baltimore Museum of Industry

GLOPPY, SLOPPY SCIENCE
Ages 8 - 10
Back by popular demand and still as messy as ever! Become a science wizard as you create a slimy, gooey, sticky, icky chemical concoctions that seem to defy the laws of nature. Playful polymers stretch you imagination to the limit while colorful colloids ooze from between your fingers. Create an artistic masterpiece from home-made paints, encounter the friendly bacteria in dairy products, and take part in the great slime race.
FIELD TRIP! One day of this session includes a trip to Hershey's Chocolate World and Museum for a look at the sweet, sticky science of candy and chocolate.


THE JOY OF INVENTION
Ages 8 - 12
Crickets are small programmable devices that can make things spin, light up, and play music. You can plug lights, motors, and sensors into a Cricket, then write computer programs to tell them how to react and behave. With Crickets, you can create musical sculptures, interactive jewelry, dancing creatures, and other artistic inventions–and discover some important math, science, and engineering ideas in the process. Join us and see what you can invent by combining digital technology with some hands-on experimentation.

CURIOUS SCIENCE INVESTIGATORS I: MYSTERIES EVERYWHERE
Ages 9 - 10
The evidence may be found on any floor, and the suspect may still be lingering in the shadows ...scour the Maryland Science Center exhibits in search of clues and forensic proof when each new day brings a new "crime" for you to solve. Uncover how evidence is located, identified, and processed while learning how to gather testimony from potential witnesses. Gather and preserve evidence you collect while on the scene, perform chemical and physical tests, and interview Science Center staff, all while reconstructing the scene of the crime.
FIELD TRIP! One day of this session includes a trip to the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

CURIOUS SCIENCE INVESTIGATORS II: BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Ages 9 - 10
A 250 pound reel of IMAX film disappears from the IMAX projection booth...five hissing cockroaches are missing from their aquarium in the basement animal room ...a T. Rex bone mysteriously appears on the staff elevator ...strange and often outlandish things happen behind-the-scenes at the Maryland Science Center, where the public rarely ventures. Sherlock Holmes himself could not have asked for more intriguing forensic challenges than those that occur off of the exhibit floors. Venture into spaces and places that museum visitors rarely go to while using investigative skills to discover who dunnit!

ASTRO KIDS
Ages 9 - 12
Explore the Sun, Moon, planets and stars at the Maryland Science Center this summer. See the Sun and Moon through our rooftop telescope; identify stars, constellations and the cycles of the Sun and Moon in the Davis Planetarium; construct a scale model of the solar system; view Space Station 3D in the IMAX Theater and tour the IMAX Projection Booth; and see dramatic images of Earth, Sun, Moon and the planets on our Science On a Sphere, a large suspended globe. Also explore current and future space missions, including the upcoming servicing of the Hubble Telescope, and plans to go to the Moon and Pluto.
FIELD TRIP! One day of this session includes a day-long astronomy related trip.

WATER WONDERS I: MOLECULES IN MOTION
Ages 11 - 12
Argh, Mateys! Come aboard for a seafaring adventure! From the tides of the Chesapeake Bay shore to the energy behind tidal waves, discover the unique characteristics of water molecules in motion. Learn the principles of shipbuilding while constructing a seaworthy vessel capable of navigating swift currents. Design an underwater metropolis able to sustain human life, and test your reaction time in a wacky water maze competition. The pressure is on when you put Pascal's Principle to the test to propel water through your own artesian well!

WATER WONDERS II: SEA SAFARI
Ages 11 -12
How can a diamondback terrapin flourish in brackish water? What environmental clues do horseshoe crabs use to return to their place of birth to lay their eggs? Don your scuba gear and take the plunge into Earth's greatest natural resource, WATER! Discover the many amazing and unusual adaptations that aquatic animals use to navigate their way through life in H2O. Peer into a drop of water teeming with zooplankton as they jump, squiggle, and propel their tiny bodies through a microscopic world, and design your own water wonder creature that can successfully compete for food, shelter and habitat.

SCIGIRLS
Ages 11 - 13
Girl Space, Girl Planet, Girl Scientist. A week of camp just for girls, designed and taught by young women. Conduct experiments focused on health and nutrition to understand how our choices affect our quality of life. Evaluate the current health of the Chesapeake Bay focusing on the impact of humans. Using the waters outside the MSC, conduct water quality experiments, interact with animals found in the bay waters, and work to provide a "school yard" report card of our environmental impact. Design and experiment with robotics and the basics of engineering. Investigate robots used in space exploration and spend time assembling and disassembling various robotic devices. Campers will be focused on design and functionality. Utilize our rooftop telescope to safely view the sun to discover sunspots and learn about the solar cycle. Participate in solar photography experiments, utilizing newly gained knowledge about the sun and its effects. Ask questions and explore how basic interest in the field of earth, space, and biological sciences might translate into career opportunities.
FIELD TRIP! The last day of the session will include a visit to university laboratories and tours of working science in action.

HALF DAY PROGRAMS

GOING BUGGY
Ages 4 - 5
We'll start with some great books by Eric Carle and explore the crazy critters that live in our backyards. From fireflies to caterpillars, ladybugs to beetles, we won't leave a single insect behind as we discover what makes each one unique. There will be live insect inspections, movement activities, and we'll even produce some insect art. The perfect week for those kids who always have a six-legged friend hidden in their pocket.

SCIENCE SAFARI
Ages 4 - 5
Roll up your sleeves and get your hands wet as we discover how arctic animals brave the cold and tropic animals take the heat. We'll travel the world to investigate the different climates (environments) animals live in, what they eat, and how they protect themselves. It will be a roaring good time for every camper!

DISCOVERY WORKSHOP
Ages 6 - 7
Each day brings something new to explore with computers and active investigations into motion, musical instruments, light and color, and your senses. Express yourself through the link between art and science and discover the inventor within you.

STEP RIGHT UP!: SCIENCE OF THE CIRCUS
Ages 6 - 7
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up and join the fun! Don't run away and join the circus yet. First, learn the science behind your favorite circus acts. Walk like a tightrope walker, juggle like a clown, and play in your very own circus band. Discover everything from the high flying trapeze to what kind of scat you might find on your knees.

READY, SET, PLAY!
Ages 6 - 7
Discover the science behind the toys we play with every day. Roll a gigantic wheel down the stairs to find out what puts the "vroom" in a toy car. Spin around and feel the forces that keep tops moving. Dissect a battery powered toy to investigate what makes it go. Once you've taken them apart and experimented, you'll put everything back together to create toys from button yo-yo's to clothespin race cars. You'll experience the science of play, and we guarantee it will be big fun for everyone!