The Hundred Acre School opens its doors to children ages 4 to 7 in July and August for an eight week program designed to allow families the ability to sign up in one week sessions or for the entire eight week program. Join us in this new, bright, modern facility for a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)-focused summer program that allows children to question like scientists, use technology as a tool, be creative engineers, and think like mathematicians. We’ll engage in daily STEM exploration adventures throughout Heritage Museums & Gardens, using a variety of locations and hands-on materials to explore, discover and play. Plus we’ll conduct experiments and collect and share data about our predictions and what we discover. Activities each week will be appropriate for participants who attend one week or all weeks in a theme.

Adventures in Horticulture
Weeks of July 6-10, 13-17, 20-24
Activities will focus on plants, gardening, and investigating what makes plants similar and different. Children will create their own garden at The Hundred Acre School and determine what they want to grow and how they will need to care for their plants. We will also learn about farming, and how we gather, ship, and grow food around the world.

Becoming Pattern Makers
Weeks of July 27-31; August 3-7, 10-14
Participants will discover patterns in their environment and have opportunities to learn to create their own. Using human-made and natural materials to explore patterns, shapes, and mathematical concepts, participants will develop number sense and be able to use patterns to understand mathematical algorithms. Discovering ways to count by (multiplication), count time, count order, count objects, and count on (addition), we’ll learn about symmetry and balance and the beauty of patterns found in nature.

Conducting Science Experiments
Weeks of August 17-21, 24-28
Activities will focus on exploring chemistry concepts. Children will use the scientific method to develop hypotheses and then test them through experiments. Together we will explore how materials transform, such as liquids becoming solids or gasses. We will also learn about chemical reactions and catalysts, discovering the “magic” of science and why the reactions occurred. Children will also learn about scientists and other STEM occupations.