Two local museums and a science center are offering at-home and in-person activities for children as the summer camp season – newly adapted to the COVID-19 world – begins.
• The Lancaster Science Factory454 New Holland Ave., will open Monday, June 8 for limited-size STEM summer camps.
The center will be open for camps only while Lancaster County is in Pennsylvania’s “yellow” phase of reopening — which is scheduled to begin Friday, June 5. Camps are limited to 12 participants to facilitate safe social distancing.
Week-long STEM camps are offered for K-8 students through early July. The cost is $300.
Week-long half-day camps are offered for various ages in July and August. They include woodworking, junior coders, video game design, flying machines, and environmental engineering. The cost is $150 or $175, depending on the camp.
To read Science Factory’s plan for running camps safely — following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for summer camps, including daily temperature checks of campers — visit bit.ly/LSFSafetyPlan.
For information and registration, visit bit.ly/CampsLSF2020.
• The North Museum of Nature and Science will offer two hands-on online camps.
The museum, at 400 College Ave., is closed for the time being.
The online camps are offered in partnership with Snapology of Reading and Lancaster, which has adapted its educational program to online learning during the pandemic.
Children will need a device with a camera, microphone and internet connection to participate.
– “Online Space Camp” is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, June 8 to 12. It is for 7-14 year olds. The cost is $99. Information and registration: bit.ly/NMSpaceCamp.
The camp includes learning about the night sky and star characteristics, STEM activities you can do in your backyard or neighborhood, and hands-on activities with basic building materials and art supplies.
— “Discovering Dinosaurs” runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday to Friday, June 8 to 12. It is for 4-7 year olds. The cost is $75. Information and registration: bit.ly/NMDinoCamp.
The camp includes learning about dinosaurs through short lessons, games, and crafts with basic supplies; doing activities in your garden or neighborhood; and observing and learning about dinosaur fossils.
For more information on either camp, call 717-719-4154 or email [email protected]
• Free activities for children continue until Sunday in the parking lot of Hands-on House, Lancaster Children’s Museum721 Landis Valley Road in Mannheim Township.
The museum is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But four different activities for children from preschool to elementary school will be offered in the parking lot from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday from June 2 to 6 and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 7.
Activities included making chalk drawings, rainbow paint on foil, and STEM sugar cube towers.
Clubhouse-to-Go home activity kits can be rented at the museum, via curbside pickup for four days at a time; call 717-569-5437 or visit bit.ly/HandsOnKits for information.
