Community Science Groups and Organizations

Many communities have groups and organizations that include science programs as part of their services for children. Some may sponsor local summer science camps—focusing on areas that range from computers and technology to natural science to space. Check out, for example:

• the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or similar groups;
• YMCAs and YWCAs;
• 4-H groups;
• Audubon; or
• local colleges and universities.

Other Community Resources

Botanical gardens, weather stations, hospital laboratories, sewage treatment plants, newspaper plants, recycling centers, and radio and television stations are only a few of the kinds of places in your community where your child can learn more about all kinds of science. Try the following:

Arrange a tour of a recycling center or landfill to show your child what happens to the community’s trash. Before the visit, ask him to think about questions such as the following:

• Where does the trash go when it leaves our home?
• What happens to it?
• How much trash does our community produce each year?
• What kinds of materials are recycled?
• What kinds of things can’t be recycled?

As you tour the facility, have your child ask the questions; then compare his earlier thoughts to what he has learned.

Contact your local water department or sewage treatment center to arrange a tour of its facilities. Before the visit, ask your child to think about where the water comes from that he drinks and where it goes when it has been used. Is anything added to the water to make it safe to drink? Does all the water used in the community come from the same place? Does all the sewage in the community go to the same place? What happens to the sewage? Again, have him compare his earlier answers to what he learns on the tour.

Finally don’t overlook your local public library as a rich resource for books and magazines on science; videos and DVDs; free Internet access; special programs—such as book talks—that relate to science; and much more.

By Barbara J. Feldman

Barbara J. Feldman is a syndicated columnist and the publisher of Surf Net Parents, Surfnetkids.com and 51+ other family-friendly sites. She has been creating websites since 1996, and loves teaching others how to solve WordPress problems.