By Angie Wynne
Happening weekly from June 3 through July 26, Oakland’s week-long summer camps for kids 7-10 years old offer a unique opportunity to dig into STEAM through daily creativity-fueling crafts, exciting skill-building games, hands-on problem-solving activities, and engaging experiments that will ignite campers’ imagination and love of learning. Activities are centered around a different STEAM-related theme each week, so students can attend one or more camps and have a different experience. Take a look at the weekly camp themes:
June 3 – 7: Eco Adventures: Flora – Delve into the vibrant world of Oakland’s unique plants, trees, and grasses and learn how Oakland’s 48 acres provide critical habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
June 10 – 14: Eco Adventures: Fauna – Discover how Oakland’s 48-acre greenspace contributes to Atlanta’s environmental health. Engage with animal life at Oakland and understand how Oakland’s flora provide habitat for wildlife.
June 17 – 21: Oakland Rocks! Geology Week – Investigate how weathering and chemical reactions impact the different types of rocks around Oakland and gain a new perspective on rock classification. Learn how Oakland’s preservation team cares for Oakland’s stone monuments and headstones and discover other jobs in the geology field.
June 24 – 28: Waterways of Atlanta – See how the water cycle plays a pivotal role in our daily lives and decipher the importance of irrigation systems as it relates to parks and nature around Atlanta.
July 1 – 3: What’s Cooking? Gardens and Food – Gain a deeper appreciation for and knowledge about how food is grown. Campers will engage with local farmers’ markets to see how gardening influences Atlanta’s economy and their own nutrition. They’ll also learn to identify edible plants and fruit-producing trees around Oakland and participate in a cooking class.
July 8 – 12: Atlanta from Above – From birdwatching to air pollution to drones, campers will explore how the sky and what’s in it affect Atlanta’s everyday living.
July 15 – 19: Simple Machines – Campers will design simple machines to aid in solving problems at Oakland (and in the city at large) and will discover ways to enhance gardening and hardscape at Oakland through mechanical engineering.
July 22 – 26: Get Active at Oakland – This camp focuses on the importance of being active and encompasses how nature and mental health and well-being are connected.
Registration for summer camp is open now. Scholarships are available. Visit www.oaklandcemetery.com/summer-steam-camp to learn more and register.
