City’s Parks and Rec hoping to offer programs all year
POULSBO — Nineteen thinking caps were imaginarily strapped on the heads of 7-11-year-olds early one recent morning as the World of Science Camp kicked off with an eco-friendly bang. Held at the Poulsbo Parks and Recreation Center, it was the Mad Science organization that brought a science-infused agenda filled with fun and discovery.
“Bonjour!” mad scientist Madame Way, a 7-year Mad Science instructor from Bremerton, said in a singsong. “Do you know what that means?”
A chorus of “hello’s” followed, and soon the group was down to business.
“This is no longer the Poulsbo Recreation Center, it’s my laboratory,” Way explained. “Do you guys know what maniacal laughter is?”
After practicing their kooky cackles Way led the eager learners in discovering the ways in which humans impact the planet. A fish bowl lake model helped to display the kinds of pollution found in nearby bodies of water, and the acronym OHEC (pronounced, “Oh, heck!”) promoted the scientific process of observing, hypothesizing, experimenting and concluding — all before 9:30 a.m.
“You know what girls and boys? Sometimes our hypotheses are wrong, but that’s the great thing about science,” Way contended. “You can change a variable in your experiment and try it again.”
From Earth awareness and recycling to nature hikes, bugs and panning for gems, the scientific group was embarking on the start of a week-long journey, and it’s a journey Poulsbo’s Parks and Recreation department is hoping even more Little Norway kids can take.
Recreation programmer Kris Goodfellow said Mad Science offers all sorts of learning opportunities, from half-hour displays for preschoolers to all-day activities and five-day programs for older kids.
“The Mad Science organization is really wonderful,” she said. “They go all over to different schools and rec centers to do these programs.”
Now, the department is hoping to offer similar learning opportunities during school holidays, spring break and on school district Learning Improvement Days, when kids normally don’t attend class.
“We’re just hoping to offer more options for parents in different locations at different times of the year,” Goodfellow said.
The Parks and Rec department’s next brochure, which will include class schedule information for preschool-adult programs from September through March, will be out at the end of August, she said.
Until then, 19 busy future scientists are well on their way to someday running a laboratory of their very own.
“Anything that gets kids excited about science and learning, you can’t go wrong with that,” said Goodfellow.
