The summer program at Young Child Science Discovery is designed for children from 4 years to 7 years old. The classroom environment is structured to provide a blend of child directed time and teacher directed time for each unit. Child directed activities include hands-on science materials, thematic books, puzzles, games, art projects, and manipulatives. All summer science classes are offered in 1 week sessions, with a morning and afternoon option. Classes with consecutive sessions, such as OCEANS I and OCEANS II, may be taken independently, and address different material. For example, a child taking both courses would not repeat material, and a child taking only OCEANS II would not be at a disadvantage from missing OCEANS I.

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Preschool

Summer Classes

Curriculum

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CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Insects & Spiders: (Ages 4-7)

Insects & Spiders Mon, June 9- Fri, June 13 Cost: $150

The bugs classes include all insects, spiders, and related arthropods.
While the class emphasizes local creatures, we will also explore exotic and unusual bugs from other environments. Students will dissect rotting wood to examine the insects living inside, learn the major physiology of insects, and have some fun discovering a truly alien existence. Insects have developed hive colonies, massive reproduction capabilities, and are the most prolific Kingdom in biology. Additionally, the children will be exposed to adults
demonstrating appropriate and safe methods for handling specimens. All children will have an opportunity to learn the major field marks, (obvious ways for scientists to identify the characteristics of a specific species) for all poisonous bugs in and around this geographic area. This class includes child directed activities and games including: puzzles, manipulatives, bugs for playing, live specimens, and thematic curriculum throughout the classroom environment. Teacher directed projects include click bugs, ladybird beetles, spiders, butterflies, scorpions, giant centipedes made from bamboo, bees, caterpillars, and harvestmen. Back to Top.

Reminders:

1) BRING A SNACK DAILY.

2) APPLY SUNSCREEN TO YOUR CHILD DAILY.

Dinosaur I & II: (Ages 4-7)

Dinosaurs I Mon, Jun 16- Fri, Jun 20 Cost: $150

Dinosaurs II Mon, Jun 23- Fri, Jun 27 Cost: $150

The dinosaur class is a fun and active combination of activities and
free exploration. The classroom environment includes a free play dinosaur habitat, a variety of fossils, dinosaur puzzles, and related thematic art, music, and science. Teacher directed projects include dinosaur habitats, fossil discoveries, dinosaur size projects, timelines, Therazinosaur claws, dinosaur eggshells, footprints, dinosaur skin, and numerous take home fossils and materials.

Theories about dinosaurs are continually updated, and this class will address this issues of known facts vs. reasonable hypotheses. For example, some scientists hypothesize (guess logically) that triceratops made a defensive circle when threatened because musk oxen behave that way today. This behavior concept is a logical guess. It is a fact that numerous triceratops fossils contain broken triceratops horn fragments mixed in with the body, so we know that triceratops fought triceratops. The young child dinosaur class is fun and active, and the children tend to retain the facts which matter most to their own personal interests. Back to Top.

Reminders:

1) BRING A SNACK DAILY.

2) APPLY SUNSCREEN TO YOUR CHILD DAILY.

Space: (Ages 4-7)

Space Mon, July 7 - Fri, July 11 Cost: $150

Outer Space is a fascinating concept for children and adults alike. In
this class the children will be exposed to the vast orders of magnitude involved in discussing outer space, the basic properties of stars, planets, comets, asteroids, and meteors, and the 'life' cycles of celestial bodies. In addition to the child directed materials throughout all learning centers in the classroom, children will have an opportunity to explore and make a variety of teacher directed projects including: star tubes, solar system wall hangings, alka seltzer rockets, comet balls, yearly constellation charts, small Estes rockets, and gravity experiments. Space is an active and varying unit, and most classes choose to learn a few songs from our children's space musical which combines accurate space facts with child appropriate words and common melodies. Back to Top.

Reminders:

1) BRING A SNACK DAILY.

2) APPLY SUNSCREEN TO YOUR CHILD DAILY.

Oceans I & II: (Ages 4-7)

Oceans I Mon, July 14- Fri, July 18 Cost: $150

Oceans II Mon, July 21 - Fri, July 25 Cost: $150

The Ocean Classes utilize a combination of child directed and teacher directed activities and materials. Topics include: sea mammals, sharks, coastal creatures, ocean ecosystems, and the variety of zones for specific ocean life. Hands on materials include: shells, relevant skeletons, a small fountain with appropriate small sea creature toys, and a variety of ocean related toys, puzzles, books, and early childhood materials. Teacher directed projects include: Ocean bottles, life zone projects, sea turtles, jelllyfish, octopus balloons, sandpaper starfish, abyss creatures, sand dollar habitats, coral reefs, sea anemones, kelp, and sea urchins. Back to Top.

Reminders:

1) BRING A SNACK DAILY.

2) APPLY SUNSCREEN TO YOUR CHILD DAILY.

3) Student interests vary from class to class. Children's individual interests may require curriculum modification, such as the class which really wanted a giant squid project.