Featured Book
by Kimberly Burke-Weiner
illustrated by
Fredrika P. Spillman
Beyond Words Publishing
(503) 531-8700
June 1992
With spring in the air and gardening on the agenda, here's one of my favorite kid's books about a unique garden, The Maybe Garden. As the story unfolds, the mother suggests more traditional gardening ideas, and the child comes up with wildly imaginative alternatives.
This is a story about the power of imagination. It has inspired me to dream about and begin creating a secret garden for my future grandchildren. |
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"No Child Left Indoors!"
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND 2007 Summer Day Camp blends the exciting science and nature studies developed by Sarah Shaffer, with art, music, hiking, swimming, and outdoor games. Our goal is for every child to have a summer filled with outrageous fun in a beautiful, wild, natural setting. We say, "No child left indoors!"
 Nature and science work together. The weird and wonderful world of nature provides a great way to "hook" kids on science. In turn hands-on science and art activities connect children back to the natural world, increasing environmental awareness and instilling a deep caring for our world.
Each week your child will bring home 6 hands-on projects related to the weekly theme. Our themes this year include "Crazy Contraptions," "Rockin' Robots," "Edible Science," and "Kaboom! Pop, Burst & Bubble."
We offer two lovely outdoor sites: Roberts Regional Park in the Oakland hills and Tilden Park in Berkeley.
Camp Dates:
June 18 - August 31
Weekly sessions
Hours:
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Extended care available
8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
For more information call (510) 581-3739
or visit our website: www.sarahscience.com |
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Camps are filling up. Call today! | |
| Greetings!
Welcome to Sarah Says, the first issue of our e-news update on the wonderful world of science and nature! I'm so excited to be able to share some of the many resources and ideas that I have collected over the last 20 years. I hope you will enjoy our e-news and find information that is helpful and interesting.
Sincerely,
Sarah Shaffer |
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Choosing the Best Camp for Your Child
by Sarah Shaffer
Many questions arise when thinking about summer programs for your children. With so many exciting possibilities, choosing the right program for your child can be challenging. Your options include camps and programs that specialize in sports, academics, science, art, drama, nature or music. Begin with your child's interests and remember that summer should be fun! Kids recharge their batteries in summertime. If you worry about your child's performance in school, paradoxically, it might be best to avoid academics during summer. Let them fill their spirits back up as they run in the woods, soak up forest smells, chase bugs and lizards, and get good and dirty.
As an educator for over 20 years, I have long encouraged parents to let their children spend some of the summer reveling in the outdoors. Now, a growing body of research indicates that experiencing nature is essential for healthy physical and mental development. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, advocates "healing the broken bond between children and nature." Louv cites several studies that "suggest that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can even be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorders and other maladies. As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may well need contact with nature."
Once you decide what kind of program best suits your child, how do you evaluate the quality of a given program? Start with referrals from other parents who have used a particular program. A good program responds to your questions and accommodates the individual needs of your child. Look at the adult/child ratio; shoot for at least a 1/10 ratio depending on the nature of the program. It's okay to ask questions. A good program will address all your concerns.
When you pick the right camp, don't be surprised if Sally is the one rushing you out the door to get to camp on time.
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Up Close and Personal with Bugs at Sarah's Science Spring Camp!
 More than 160 campers attended Sarah's Science Spring Camp 2007 during spring break in Berkeley, April 2-6, and Oakland , April 9-13, for a fun-filled week of hands-on science, exploring the mysteries of one of California's most distinctive natural communities - the chaparral. Through a series of exciting science projects they explored the fascinating vegetation and animal life unique to this ecosystem and had the opportunity to learn how exciting the natural world is.
Campers assembled and interacted with two individual projects each day, including an electric matching game, an air-powered pop-up chaparral scene and a nature detective kit. They experienced the aromatic smells of the chaparral by building a sniff box containing several native plants. The week ended with each camper receiving their own caterpillar and a butterfly hotel, allowing them to observe the metamorphosis of caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Also featured were creative art projects, outdoor play, sing-along music time and science and nature movies.
The highlight of the week was a field trip to Las Trampas Regional Wilderness in San Ramon to experience the chaparral firsthand. Campers hiked up Chamise Trail to see black sage, buckbrush and mountain mahogany, search for checkerspot caterpillars on sticky monkeyflowers, and chase butterflies and lizards.
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"Imagination is more important
than knowledge."
~ Einstein
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Sarah Recommends:
Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
18012 Bollinger Canyon Road 
San Ramon, CA
Las Trampas is a great place to hike with your family. Follow Bollinger Canyon Road until it ends; the parking lot is on the left side. The trails that lead off from the parking lot are mostly oak woodlands. You will see lots of acorn woodpeckers and other interesting birds. At this time of year there are terrific butterflies and lizards.
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Sarah's Science™ 21525 Knoll Way
Castro Valley, CA 94546
Phone (510) 581-3739
Fax (510) 581-6144
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