Youth invited to dive into science at Maine Discovery Museum Camp

The Maine Discovery Museum (MDM) has partnered with Maine EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) to deliver a top-notch summer science camp program so children ages 4–12 can dive into aquatic science up to their elbows.

Spots are available in the Week 5 camps, which run July 18–22. Underwater Adventures is offered for Level 1 (ages 4–6) and Creep into the Deep End is for Levels 2 (ages 7–9) and 3 (ages 10–12).

In Underwater Adventures, children will be immersed in science and play as they learn about Maine’s oceanic and freshwater creatures, while Creep into the Deep End campers get to experience aquatic life at the museum and in the field. Campers will spend a day on Holbrook Island, one of Maine’s natural wonders and off-the-beaten-path nature preserves. Holbrook Island is only accessible by boat and Maine Maritime Academy will give campers a ride. MDM and Maine EPSCoR will introduce children to one of Maine’s largest sustainable ecological efforts — aquaculture. Through Skype sessions, campers also will get a chance to interact with scientists in the field — researchers from a Gulf of Florida project.

Maine EPSCoR’s latest project, SEANET (Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network), works toward educating the general public about the bounty that lies beneath the surface of the water. Through the MDM Summer Camps, children will get to touch, handle and examine creatures native to the state’s waters and learn about where they live, what they eat, how they grow, how different creatures’ life cycles interact and depend on one another, and what everyone can do to preserve and protect the ocean.

The camps are designed for children fascinated by nature. The goal is to foster that fascination and to teach them something new about the life that exists in their backyards, just below the surface.

Maine EPSCoR and the Maine Discovery Museum are advocates for early education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and want to give children the opportunity explore these fields with all of their senses. STEM education at the Maine Discovery Museum is about inspiring children through interactive learning to spark and foster lifelong curiosity.

For sign-up information, call the Maine Discovery Museum at 207.262.7200 or visit the museum’s website.

Contact: Andrea Littlefield, 207.581.2289