Parents wanting to fill their child’s time during winter break with a fun and educational opportunity should look toward the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum’s winter camps.
Normally offered in the summer, the two science-based camps give children the chance to be with kids their own age and learn about robotics or space, Program Manager Donna Beal said.
“As a mom, I really want to make sure that my children have as much opportunity to compliment what they did in school with additional activities where they can apply the science and the math with additional learning in camps,” Beal said.
From Dec. 20 to 23, parents can sign up their young ones for the Discovery Space Camp and older kids for the Robotics camp, Beal said.
The Discovery Space Camp—for ages 6 to 10—will begin the museum’s day at 9 a.m. Children will have the opportunity to learn about constellations, the solar system—Mars in particular—space nebulas, and how craters are made, through a variety of creative activities, she said.
“The Discovery Space Camp is inspired by a few exhibits we have in the museum. … In particular the Vandenberg Launch Experience,” she added.
Through a partnership with Vandenberg Space Force Base, the museum designed exhibits related to space exploration and recently installed the Celestial Ceiling—a planetarium software that allows children to see the planets and stars on a screen.
Once space camp is wrapped up, at 1 p.m. the Robotics Camp begins—for ages 8 to 14—where children can learn about science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) through robot building and coding. The camp follows First Lego League’s program, an organization that guides children through early STEAM learning and exploration.
“The robotics we are doing is following what [the] First Lego League teaches during competition season. They are going to learn coding and coding for specific missions, which is defined in the First Lego League website,” she said.
Students from Orcutt Academy’s Spartatroniks Robotics Team and Righetti High School’s Ability, Service, Training, Responsibility, Achievement (ASTRA) Club work as counselors to assist campers each day, Beal continued.
“Many of the youth are volunteering as counselors in keeping the kids engaged and just having a great time. They get community service hours for it,” she said.
The camps are essentially a soft opening for the museum; since the pandemic began, the museum’s been closed to the public. Camps have a maximum capacity of 20 kids per group. There’s plenty of places for children to wash hands, and masks are required and temperatures will be taken every day.
After hosting the camps, the museum may be able to transition to having weekend hours in the new year, Beal highlighted.
“I think for both camps, one of the critical things that is underlying is the STEAM we are doing. … Science, technology, engineering, all of that is incorporated in all of those camps, and we do it in such a fun way in both of those camps,” Beal said.
High school volunteer slots are full, but those interested in volunteering for summer should reach out to the museum for later opportunities.
The cost for both camps is $125 for museum members, and $150 for non-members. To sign up for the winter camps, email Beal at [email protected]. The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum is located at 705 S. McClelland St., in Santa Maria.
Highlight
• Need to hide gifts from snoopy kids or a curious special someone? Patrons are invited to bring their gifts to the Santa Maria Public Library and use its free gift-wrapping station. The library will provide a workspace, wrapping paper, tape, scissors, ribbons, and gift tags; the station will be available from 2 until 4 p.m. on Dec. 11, 18, 21, 22, and 23. Supplies and space are limited, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is not required. The library’s located at 421 S. McClelland St. Call the library’s information desk for more info, (805) 925-0994, Ext. 8562.
Taylor O’Connor wrote this week’s Spotlight. You can reach her at [email protected].
