Posted on Monday, July 20th, 2015 by Will Hagle
Camp Google is a free online summer camp, exploring a new scientific topic every week.
Summer camp can be an important part of a child’s life — a time for discovery, adventure, learning and fun. Unfortunately, not all children have access to such a camp. With Google Camp, now any kid with an Internet connection can access a free, week-by-week online summer camp. The site is designed to be used by kids ages 7 – 10, although those are relatively loose guidelines. Kids of any age (or even adults!) can use the site. Even though the site is designed for children, it’s also built to get the whole family involved in the activities and experiments that it promotes.
A major aspect of Google Camp is encouraging children to get offline, exploring the outdoors or conducting science experiments within the home. The camp focuses on a different topic each week: examples include Ocean Week, Space Week, Nature Week and Music Week. Google has partnered with National Geographic, Khan Academy and the U.S. National Park Service in order to provide activities and other experiments throughout the program. During Ocean Week, for example, kids can learn why some things float and others don’t. They can then conduct an experiment in their own home in order to make an egg float. Every successful accomplishment results in a badge, which can be tracked and printed onto a Google Badge Tracker. Camp Google might not replace the experience of a real summer camp, but it does offer a free opportunity to get kids active and learning cool stuff this summer.