Summer Camp 2023 Weekly Themes
Each week of camp is filled with exciting, hands-on science activities related to that week's theme. All activities are designed to fit each groups age range.
AGES 4-9 GROUPS: STRANGE, SILLY SCIENCE
Start your summer off discovering how much fun science can be! We'll spend the week performing weird and fun experiments, unraveling the mysteries behind some scientific basics such as light waves, bubble physics, slimey creations and more!
AGES 10-13 GROUP: CHEM-YSTRY & FIZZICS
Don't be scared, it's just science! An SMLI classic returns with a thrilling week of challenges, icky creations, creepy crawly friends and more. Campers will explore new and strange areas of science that push their mind and skills to the limit. Let's just say, our hissing cockroaches will definitely be making an appearance!
AGES 4-9 GROUPS: DINO-MITE!
Take a trip back in time to explore all of earth's creations long since passed. Just how big was a t-rex's footprint, or a megalodon shark's tooth? Get up close with real fossils in our paleontology lab.
AGES 10-13 GROUP: DIGGIN' IN THE DIRT
Explore our earth's past, beyond just the world of dinos. Learn how paleontologists dig for fossils, an archeologist investigates ancient civilizations, and a geologist predicts earthquakes all in one week!
AGES 4-9 GROUPS: SPACE IS THE PLACE
Spend a week learning about all things outside our atmosphere! Get to know your fellow Milky Way galaxy neighbors, and what makes each planet unique. Explore the fundamentals of flight and just how strange life as an astronaut can be.
AGES 10-13 GROUP: ASTRONAUT ACADEMY
Expand your scientific knowledge beyond our atmosphere. Go beyond just the basics of naming our planets, and discover just what it takes to explore space. Learn the foundations of rocketry as you and your fellow campers design, build and launch your own rockets!
AGES 4-9 GROUPS: MARINE MADNESS
Explore our beachfront on Manhasset Bay with nets and shovels to see what amazing diversity of animals call it home. Prepare to get sandy as we try to catch fish, dig up crabs, and discover what lurks near our shores.
AGES 10-13 GROUP: JUST BEACHY!
Join your fellow junior marine biologists as we discover what lies beneath the deep blue sea. Learn the skills of an oceanographer while you perform chemical tests, collect samples and observe marine life up close. Work together as a group to master the techniques of seining, trapping and netting various sea creatures.
AGES 4-9 GROUPS: ANIMALS & ECOSYTEMS
Investigate the diverse relationship between plants, animals and their environments. This week features everyone's favorite SMLI staff members: our animals! Learn the unique adaptations that allow each of our animal friends to thrive in their habitats.
AGES 10-13 GROUP: BIOLOGICAL BONANZA
Our earth is an amazing place, filled with plants, animals, fungi and more. Explore how all living things, from the smallest insect, to the tallest trees, interact with one another. Get out into our woods to understand the dangers of invasive species, and what you can do to protect our planet!
AGES 4-9 GROUPS: PRACTICAL PIONEERING
Did you know you don't need to go to the store to make your own butter? Travel back in time with us as we take on the challenge of living in pioneer days. We'll create our own shelters, learn the basics of orienteering, and even cook some sweet treats over an open fire!
AGES 10-13 GROUP: SCIENTISTS VS THE WILD
If you were dropped into the woods with nothing but the clothes on your back and your fellow campers, how would you work together to survive? Join us in our woods to practice skills that'll leave you with no fear of the outdoors! Put your skills to the test at a group wide camp-out during the week.
All of life's amazing technology started off as an idea. Learn about great inventors of the past to find inspiration to design, create, and test your own contraptions. Through unique challenges, build gadgets that hurl objects through the air, reach as high as our ceilings, and more.
AGES 10-13 GROUP: DESIGN DERBY
Tap into your inner engineer as you build structures and contraptions from household items! What does it take to build the strongest bridge? Why does a racecar travel faster than a semi-truck? Work individually and as a group in this STEM filled week of creating.
AGES 4-9 GROUPS: BUILD, CREATE, PLAY!
AGES 4-9 GROUPS: SCIENCE A TO Z
Do you like science too much to just choose one area to learn? Spend a week hopping from one subject to the next, as you and your fellow campers pick which experiments to perform! Topics range from Astronomy to Zoology and everything in between.
AGES 10-13 GROUP SMLI FORENSIC TASK FORCE
Something strange has happened at Leeds Pond Preserve and the SMLI Task Force needs your help. Take on the role of a forensic scientist, collecting different types of evidence to analyze and use to crack the case. Venture outside your classroom to interrogate fellow SMLI staff suspects and find out just who dun it.
