If Star Wars and Wall-E are on a constant loop in your home, you may have a future astronaut on your hands. So why not foster your kiddo’s aspirations of becoming the next Neil Armstrong by enrolling them in space camp?
“Our summer camp program has themed weeks designed to excite kids from ages Pre-K through 12th grade about space,” says Bridget Pronovost, Assistant Director at The Buehler Challenger & Science Center in Paramus. “Campers learn what it is like to live and work in space, build and launch rockets and fly simulated missions.”
If you think your Mini-Me has what it takes to blast off at space camp, here are Pronovost’s top 6 tips to prepare them ahead of time for the out-of-this-world adventure.
“Go to the NASA website with your kids to explore together. It has lots of information about space spin-offs, technologies that were developed for use in space but have been adapted to improve our lives here on Earth.- “Watch Apollo 13. This helps older students understand the importance of mission control, teamwork and what a successful failure is.”
- “Discuss the differences between living on earth versus living in microgravity. This helps students understand these differences and the difficulties with space travel.”
- “Make, buy and eat dehydrated space food. This helps students understand why we use dehydrated food versus hydrated food for lift-off. Dehydrated food enables us to have less weight onboard the spacecraft.”
- “Read the Star Challengers trilogy. Students in the book embark on a simulated mission at a Challenger Center only to realize it’s not a simulation!”
- “Watch space movies together. This gets students excited about space, the space program and careers in STEM, an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math.”
For more information about any of this year’s summer camp programs offered at The Buehler Challenger & Science Center, visit their camp directory or call 201-251-8589.
Buehler Challenger & Science Center Space Camp Programs
Hero (Top) Feature Image: © Konstantin Yuganov / Adobe Stock
Additional Image Courtesy: Mitsu Yasukaswa, The Record, Bergen County (Used with permission)