Best STEM Science Camp in Southern California
Think about the scientific method. You can probably only remember some of the steps officially, but you’re more familiar with it than you think. We solve almost all our problems with the scientific method.
Let’s review the steps, as a refresher. First, you make an observation. In this case, maybe your observation was that the field trips you’re used to taking aren’t as exciting as they used to be for your students.
So, you set out to conduct research on other field trips that could excite the spirit of learning in your students, while getting them out of their daily environment. During this research step, you find Pali Institute’s Science Camp. You hypothesize that this is the solution to your boring field trip problem you’ve been looking for.
To test your hypothesis you explore our site and end up reading this article. Here’s what you need to know to gather enough data to draw a conclusion that Pali Institute’s STEM Science Camp in Southern California is the right choice for your school.
We Have World Class Facilities
When you consider doing an overnight field trip for your students, you need to know that their parents are OK with where they’re going. As we all know, some parents are pickier than others. But parents will feel secure knowing that their children are staying in our up-to-date, modern, climate-controlled cabins.
These cabins have classic camp-style bunk beds and a rustic style like parents might remember. But they have radiant floor heating, weatherproof doors and windows, and private showers and bathrooms. So no tents, no outhouses and no bears, either.
We have a chef and talented kitchen staff to provide healthy and nutritious meals. We’re a tree nut and peanut-free facility when it comes to our cooking. The staff always provides options at every meal, and if there’s a specific dietary request, our staff will work to customize options.
We even have sets of classrooms with wi-fi and a/v equipment if you want to do some teaching of your own in between the activities we offer!
We Have an Accredited Education Program
When you take your students on a field trip, you want them to learn, but you want a break from having to facilitate every minute of their learning. It’s fair – you do work all year round! You’ll get a break from having to make day-long lesson plans while your students are on our campus.
Why? We’ve created our own lesson plans, which you can pick and choose from to meet your needs, based on what you’re teaching. We’ve taken the time to validate our curriculum, too. Our program carries accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as well as the Association of Experiential Education.
Science
For example, your students can learn about the body’s systems by doing their own dissection of “Kraken” which is really a squid. We call this class “Kraken Squid Open” and it’s a great way to start students on dissection without having to store specimens at your school. Our teachers can guide students on everything from where to cut first to telling them what they’re looking at.
Students will also learn what the role of squids (cephalopods) are in their environment. It’s a good way to introduce them to another favorite class we have, from the outdoor camp curricula (that you’re welcome to pull from) where students get to act out a food chain system.
Engineering
Another class that’s a favorite is our natural disaster class. In it, students learn about the E in STEM, engineering. In places (like California) where earthquakes are common. Engineers have to take that into consideration when they’re building houses and public use buildings.
Students will learn about different techniques engineers and architects use to keep people safe from building collapses. They’ll even get to look at infrastructure engineering, like roads and bridges.
As the experiential learning part of the class, students will get to create their own cities and structures, then see how they stand up to the elements. It’s a fun way to show students the importance of STEM careers in the public sector.
Biology
Another science course we offer gets kids (hands and arms) deep in the water. We have a pond on-campus that they can take samples from to help us assess pond health. First, they’ll spend time learning about what makes a pond ecosystem healthy and what tools we use to assess different health aspects.
Then they’ll get to get splashin’ in the water testing and gathering these samples themselves. We aim to teach the importance of water conservation in this class, along with different ecosystems. We’ll even try to touch on the importance of using earth-friendly chemicals and soaps, as chemicals are a big part of dying water systems.
M…Magnetics?
While the M in STEM stands for math, we’re using it to stand for magnetics in this course. Students will work hands-on to create a dynamo generator and learn what it can do. From there they’ll talk about how to harness electricity like this and what natural resources could power the machine.
Your other choices include classes like CSI: Pali, Living Fossils, Aerodynamics, Under Pressure – and those are just a few options.
The Best STEM Science Camp in Southern California
Now we hope you’ve gathered enough data to draw a conclusion that Pali Institute should be your next big field trip. The only thing left to do, in the scientific method, is to test your hypothesis by taking a chance that your students will remember for the rest of their lives.