What a summer for children

zooschool062: CALM Zoo School
Summer Campers come together amazed by a large fossil displayed by a Kern County Museum docent.
Both the California Living Museum (CALM) and the Kern County Museum are combining efforts to provide local children with an ambitious and exciting summer camp experience. Besides offering nine weeks of half day summer camps, the two organizations have partnered for two more weeks of full day camps in which children will get to experience both CALM and the museum every day at one location.

During the weeks of July 24-28 and August 7-11, parents who have signed up their children (ages 5-12), can take them to the museum (3801 Chester Ave., in Bakersfield) at 7:30 each morning and pick them up at the museum at 5:30 that night. During the morning, CALM's creative staff will get children involved in fun activities that focus on animals, nature and the environment. Then, in the afternoon, the Kern County Museum staff takes over, offering children opportunities to discover exciting and thought-provoking adventures with science, music and geography. Campers take a field trip on Fridays to CALM for an up close continuation of the zoo experience seeing and learning about animals in their natural habitat.

Parents can let their children delight in the week long, dual experience for $150 a session, if they are either CALM or museum members. The cost for nonmembers is $180.

CALM and the museum are also offering many week long, half day camps.

"Oceans of Fun" kicks off the summer at the museum from June 5-9. The following week, the museum has three different age-appropriate half day camps dealing with "Wild & Wonderful Science," "Kitchen Science" and "Can You Build It?"

"Oceans of Fun' ought to be just that for the children," said Jackie Brouillette, museum education services manager. "Wait until they find out one of the ingredients used in the making of the delicious gummy bears they all like is found in the ocean. Other half day camps will give them insight into the world's rainforests, and they will get a chance to make chewing gum and chocolate from the raw ingredients found in the rainforest. One session even combines a little magic with nature. Special solar sun print beads they make indoors will actually change colors when they go outdoors."

Cost for a week-long, half day, Museum Summer Day Camp session is $75 for museum members and $90 for non-members. Camp runs each day from 8 a.m.-12 p.m., and youngsters can be dropped off as early as 7:30 a.m. For more information, call the museum at (661) 852-5050 or check the Web site, http:\www.kcmuseum.org.

Beginning June 19-30, it is CALM's turn for two weeks with Zoo School to let children notice how animals and nature support each other with lots of playful, hands-on-activities and up close peeks at zoo's residents. CALM is located at 10500 Alfred Harrell Highway, between Hart Park and Lake Ming in northeast Bakersfield. The first week, June 19-23, half day campers will find themselves "Sensing Your World" and learning what "Ologists" (those scientists who work with nature) do.

"It always is quite an adventure for the children," said Debby Kroeger, CALM education manager. "It's not just seeing animals in their habitats that makes it fun. It's the thrill of finding out how and why the animals, plants and people who come in contact with each other co-exist. They can learn things about the everyday world around them and how it relates us. We will even have a session strictly reserved for former Zoo Schoolers called "Keep Me Busy." Those campers will study an animal each day and make behavioral enrichment items that will help CALM's animal keepers take care of the animals all year long."

CALM's half day, Zoo School week-long sessions are $70 for CALM members and $85 for nonmembers. Children can arrive at 7:30 a.m. but must be picked up by 12:30 p.m. For more information, call CALM at (661) 872-2256 or check the Web site, http://www.calmzoo.org.
Here are the dates and topics for each of the weekly sessions:

Kern County Museum Summer Camps (1/2 day)

June 5-9
Oceans of Fun (ages 5-12)

June 12-16
Wild & Wonderful Science (ages 5-6), Kitchen Science (ages 7-8) and Can You Build It?(ages 9-12)

June 26-30
Can You Build It? (ages 5-6), Wild & Wonderful Science (ages 7-8) and Kitchen Science (ages 9-12)

July 10-14
Kitchen Science (ages 5-6), Can You Build It? (ages 7-8) and Wild & Wonderful Science (ages 9-12)

July 17-21
Music Madness (ages 5-12)

July 31-Aug. 4
Science Magic (ages 5-12)

CALM Zoo School (1/2 day)

June 19-23
Sensing Your World (ages 6-8), Be An Ologist (ages 9-12)

June 26-30
Fur, Feathers, Scales and Exoskeletons (ages 6-8), Keep Me Busy (ages 9-12)

July 10-14
Zoopendous (ages 6-8), Be An Ologist (ages 9-12)

Kern County Museum /CALM Combination Full Day Camps at Kern County Museum

July 24-28
Native California Habitats (CALM), Time Travel (Museum)

Aug. 7-11
Wander Through the Oak Woodland (CALM), Around the World in 5 Days (Museum)


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