Summer camp: not like it used to be
Kids work with robotics, telescopes at regional park
Summer day camp is not what it was even a generation ago. And you can tell just by looking at camp names.
Grace Boisvert, 12, pulls herself up a small step ladder to get into position for a look through one of several large telescopes at the Onan Observatory, located at Baylor Regional Park. The observatory is unique in the regional park system, and one of few available for public outreach and education.
Check out these opportunities – all in regional parks across the seven-county metro area:
- Ecology Technology
- Get Set to be a Vet
- Digital Animation
- 1876 One-Room School Camp
- Mad Science – Forensic Lab
- Abrakadoodle – Giggle, Wiggle and Paint
- Ooey Gooey Messy Madness
- Geo Mania (How Geology Rocks Your World)
“Camp directors and staff are trying hard to offer useful programs that bring kids in to experience something new and exciting that they might not experience otherwise,” said Lenny Klevan Schmitz, Parks Coordinator for Carver County. “A lot of the focus is on education as well as having fun. I think it’s working pretty well.”
Learning robotics and astronomy
Klevan Schmitz offered an innovative new day camp at Baylor Regional Park in July that combined two science-based topics not usually found in a summer program: robotics and astronomy.
Campers first designed a hand-sized, Lego-based rover (with an internal motor) and learned a computer program to robotically control the vehicle as it moved over small obstacles on a tabletop map of Mars.
Later they experienced the impressive telescopes at Onan Observatory, located within park boundaries, which is one of the region’s few high-caliber observatories available for public outreach and education.
Camp instructor Jon Hickman was a natural for the job. He is a longtime engineer and Minneapolis-area high school teacher who’s been active for many years in the Minnesota Astronomical Society (MAS).
“It’s been a lot of fun for these kids,” Hickman said. “None have been exposed to robotics and computer programming like we’ve done this week, and very few, if any, had any experience with the large telescopes that we have on site. I think they were surprised and impressed with how much they learned in just a few days.”
Students revise work for better results
Joshua Lord, 14 (left), and Robbie Grindahl, 12, were all business as they repaired their remote-controlled “Mars rover” at the Science and Astronomy Day Camp at Baylor Regional Park in western Carver County.
Hickman’s observation was readily confirmed. The buzz was palpable as some campers remodeled their rover to keep it intact on the obstacle course. Others huddled intently over a computer screen to reprogram their rover for a better performance.
All in a day’s work, campers agreed.
“It’s a lot of fun, but it takes a lot of thinking,” said camper Kate Frye. “It was a new experience for me and I learned a lot. We had to try different strategies to see what would work best… like whether bigger or smaller wheels worked best. You have to pay attention.”
Sun flares fuel imagination
The group later spent time peering into space from several large telescopes at the observatory. Although a view of Mars was obscured by clouds that day, the campers were easily able to find Venus floating peacefully in the heavens, even in broad daylight.
Using a special solar telescope (and with a little help from Hickman), campers were able to see gigantic flames flaring 250,000 miles off the surface of the sun. “Wow!” said one enthusiastic camper, who promised to return with his family for a nighttime session. “That is soooo cool… I mean, so hot!”
For adults and families who want a chance to observe the heavens, Onan Observatory schedules several public viewing nights throughout the year. For more info, visit the Minnesota Astronomical Society website.