Week 1 - Science Week, July 6-10
Preschool/Kindergarten: Cosmic Adventures - To the Stars & Beyond!
3, 2, 1 - BLAST OFF! Come explore the wonders of the universe during Space Camp. Campers will join our team of ELC Astronauts as they complete astronaut training, build customized rockets, and take part in our own rocket launch at the end of the week. To guide their voyages, they’ll learn about our solar system, build constellations, and even create galaxies in a bottle. We’ll have plenty of time to use our imaginations to explore space life through dramatic play and outdoor space games/challenges.
Elementary: Flash, Fizz, Bloom - Science in Action
Goggles on - it’s time to experiment! From giant bubbles and magic milk to naked eggs and erupting volcanoes, campers will explore science in action. They’ll make predictions, test their ideas, observe reactions, and discover why things fizz, stretch, change color, and occasionally go BOOM (the safe way!). Curious kids will dive into the amazing worlds of chemistry, physics, and biology through hands-on investigations. They’ll have a chance to do the work of real scientists - identifying variables,developing hypotheses, analyzing their results - and will even get to meet a few along the way!
Week 2 - Arts, July 13 to 17
Preschool/Kindergarten: Once Upon a Summer
Step inside the pages of a picture book! We’ll use puppets to tell tall tales, instruments to create 'soundscapes' for our favorite rhymes, and plenty of art to bring the characters to life. In addition to nursery rhyme classics, we’ll explore ancient legends and folktales from around the globe, discovering some new favorites along the way. Through guided reader’s theater, campers will act out the most exciting scenes from timeless fables, perhaps with an original song or two! It’s a playful introduction to performance, rhythm, and the joy of a story well told.
Elementary: Makers & Masterpieces - The 3D Studio
Time to squish, mold, twist, and build! In this hands-on camp, young artists will explore the exciting world of 3D design using clay, wire, and wood. We’ll learn how to turn our ideas into real sculptures as we shape, carve, roll, and construct amazing creations from our imagination. Through a series of mini-projects campers will invent new creatures, design miniature forms, and craft functional ceramics.They will experiment with texture, balance, and structure, all the while creating something they can actually hold in their hands.
Week 3 - Water Week, July 20 to 24
Preschool/Kindergarten: River Runners - Life in the Current
Dive into a week of wonder as we follow the world’s most adventurous fish! Campers will follow the salmon’s journey from the quiet gravel of a mountain stream all the way to the big, blue ocean, stopping to meet other animals who make the river their home. Through our 'salmon run' obstacle course, water-table play, and shimmering scale art, campers will experience the salmon life cycle first-hand. We’ll cap it off with our traditional, end-of-camp water day where we spend most of the day outside in our swimsuits soaking up the sun and playing in the wading pools.
Elementary: Set Sail - The Captain’s Quest
We’re launching an action-packed voyage through the science and secrets of the high seas! Campers will explore different forms of boats before designing and building one of their own. From investigating the center of gravity in sailboats to mastering the mechanics of paddle power, we’ll explore the science of buoyancy, displacement, and propulsion. Campers will then use what they’ve learned to captain their own seaworthy vessels, experimenting and refining their creations as they prepare for our annual ELC Boat Race in the Cedar Classroom. Between navigating the currents and defending the river as 'Nature's Guardians' with handmade sponge balls, it’s a week of maritime magic and high-seas hijinks.