It all started from Kurt Vonnegut’s
\nfamous dictum – Science is magic that works. The idea of an urban camp
\ngrounded on this statement turned out to be very appealing, so the organizers
\nset up a special area where children can conduct experiments and toy with
\nnotions of physics, math, logic, ecology and others. The experiments make
\nabstract notions easier to understand. The area is structured in 8 sub-areas,
\neach having its own experiments in a certain field.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
At a time where children are
\nincreasingly inventive, holidays are getting longer and parents’ leave shorter,
\nurban camps are an engaging alternative to summertime activities. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
We spoke about this concept to
\nAna-Maria Roata Palade, the founder of the Procunoastere Association:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
This is not our first edition. Ever since the
\nassociation was founded we wanted to bring children closer to science by means
\nof practical experiments. And since the summer holidays are sometimes a problem
\nfor those without grandparents, we thought this might be a great idea so that
\nparents should mind their business carelessly, and children should try these
\nexperiments. This is how the urban camps sprang into being. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Ana-Maria Roata Palade told us the
\nfirst two camps unfolded at the end of August 2016. The next year the
\norganizers held three camps, and last year there were four, because from one
\nyear to the next the demand goes up. This year the organizers have prepared
\nfive one-week urban camps. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
With each new camp children engage in more experiments.
\nEach camp is different than the others, in the sense that one day is devoted to
\nphysics experiments, the next to chemistry, biology, geography and so on. We
\ntry to encourage children to innovate and invent all sorts of machines that
\nshould observe the laws of science. Each camp comprises a maximum of 20
\nchildren, and there will be five series this year. Parents can sing up their
\nchildren via e-mail or telephone. We have an inner courtyard, where we try to
\nunfold some of our activities, in the morning programme and inside when the
\nweather does not allow it. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The inner space comprises over 80
\nitems, each consisting in an experiment. Children have to move balls, match
\nitems, touch and arrange objects, press buttons, spin mills and other
\nactivities. The experiments are intuitive, and there is plenty of information
\non what you have to do in order to understand the experiment. The starting idea
\nis that by watching, hearing, smelling and touching, you can actually have fun
\ntoo, also getting a taste of what science is all about. The purpose of the
\nexperiments is to develop children’s motor skills and reasoning. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
We’ve asked Ana-Maria Roata Palade
\nto describe a typical day at the urban camp.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Parents can bring in the children around 8 or 9 in the
\nmorning, then we have a socializing period when children get to know each
\nother. Over 9 and 11 AM we have two series of experiments and games, then at 11
\nAM we have a fruit snack, followed by a new experiment. Lunch is around 12:30,
\nthen we have another three series of different experiments. We try to combine
\narts and science, so children do feeling and origami. These are activities
\nwe’ve developed over the years, each camp had them. Feeling and origami encourage
\nchildren to develop their fine motor skills, which they sorely need. Then, at
\n2:30 PM we have an etiquette workshop, which we have been organizing jointly
\nwith Manieres Association. These workshops are very fashionable right now.
\nBefore they go home, from 4 to 5 PM we have theatre development games, which
\nthe children adore. Every year the children are very happy when the time comes
\nto play with our friends from Carnaval Party. It’s always a fantastic activity
\nfor them.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
And since one of the mottos of the
\norganizers is Science solves a problem by creating another 10, children are
\nthus encouraged to spend an active summer while developing a taste for
\nscientific discovery.<\/p>\n
\n
\n(Translated by V. Palcu)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A very popular pastime for children in summer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":135850,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42520],"tags":[43217,43219,43218,43220,43216],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-135849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inside-romania","tag-experiments","tag-personal-development","tag-procunoastere-association","tag-scientific-discovery","tag-urban-camps"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n