Holiday Camps for Kids

1. Most of our sessions are designed for kids to do projects independently, *Younger Campers will be grouped together, doing age-appropriate science activities & challenges requiring occasional assistance from mom & dad.  
2. Please register early to allow up to 5 weekdays for Science Kits to ship from Southern CA to you!  Enrollment will be closed 7 days before camp begins!
3. Please be sure to have general supplies on hand such as 1 paper grocery bag  to store projects, scissors, paper, markers, crayons, pencils, tape (Scotch, masking) .

DS LIVE ZOOM Instructions for FAMILIES

Please be sure to log in for LINE UP 5-10 minutes before each session

Before you ZOOM

1. You will need your computer, Chromebook, tablet, or smartphone.
2. You will receive an email from Destination Science with a zoom sign in ID the THE DAY BEFORE PROGRAM.
3. It would be great if you can zoom together with family and have your child practice Controls* below.

To Join a ZOOM

1. Join the meeting by clicking on a ZOOM link provided.
2. Follow the prompts to download and run ZOOM.
3. Enter your meeting ID if you are prompted to do so.
4. Click to join the audio conference.
5. MAKE SURE IT’S YOUR CHILD’S NAME ON THE DEVICE (not parent name)
6. You will enter a wait room, please wait until the Camp Director is ready to let you in.
7. When you are in the meeting, click on the start video button to turn on the camera on your device.
8. Everyone will be muted upon entering. 

ZOOM Controls* – Please go over these controls with your camper prior to camp.

HOW TO RENAME your device to child’s name (see three dots above child’s zoom square)

Using the icons along the bottom of the screen your child can:

• Mute/Unmute your microphone – your counselor may ask you to mute your microphone

during parts of the session to limit background noises.

• You can un-mute your device to ask your counselor a question.
• Always have camera ON – turning your camera on allows your teacher and other children to see you and know you are following along with them.
• Raise your hand.’ If you click to raise your hand, it will notify your counselor so they can talk to you.
• Share screen – this allows your teacher to share their computer screen with you.
• Chat – this opens a chat window where the teacher can see questions you may have and respond to you.
• Break Out Rooms: You will be assigned a breakout room based on Topic & Grade level.

Transfers, Cancellations & Refunds:   
Transfers: If you need to transfer please email info@destinationscience.org, we will do our best to accomodate the request.
Cancellations:  If you need to cancel, we can not provide cash refunds however we will provide a Credit Voucher that will be transferred to your family account to use on any DS Program. We do not issue refunds to campers who have been asked to leave camp. Refunds or credits will not be issued for any missed or partial days.

Many families have questions about virtual programs for kids such as DS Live Online. We recommend reading our parents’ guide for more information about fun, engagement & parent involvement required. Learn more!

The reviews are in…
DS Live Online Science Summer Camps scored a GOLD medal!

We have included a small sample of feedback we received from our DS families. Thank you for the encouragement, ideas, involvement and advice. We are proud to report that overall DS earned a 5-star rating across the board of the families that joined us for our inaugural DS Live Online Science Summer Camps. The following quotes capture the essence of Destination Science!

But don’t just take our word for it:

“The way it was broken into shorter sections was great, they never got bored . They loved all the different packs they got to open every day, and the bonus goodies and leftovers to play with.“
Parent-Kinder & 2nd grader, El Segundo, CA 7/14/20

“She really enjoyed the instructor – engaging and fun. She loved the small Zoom class with kids her age. She LOVED getting the box in the mail – it made her so excited to start her class! It was hands-on and kept her busy all day, and she really loved it. So we signed her up for another week!. She has done DS camps for many, many years, and she was worried about it being too different because it would be online, but you figured out a way to bring it to her. Thank you.“
Parent-6th grader, Sacramento, CA 7/17/20

“My son thoroughly enjoyed the Robotics camp and had fun interacting with kids from all over the country on Zoom. He absolutely loves building/creating and the robotics activities were really fun and challenging for him. The best part for him is seeing his projects come to life! His teacher, Ms Sharon, has been incredibly patient and a wealth of information. She’s amazing and keeps all the kids completely engaged and curious about the topics at hand. She also played some really fun games like Jeopardy which my son really enjoyed, as it brought out a bit of his competitive side. He has just started the playspace week and built some really cool play structures that he is really proud of. This has been a wonderful outlet for him this summer and he’s learning so much every day. “
Parent-4th grader, Manhattan Beach, CA 7/22/20

“I felt that your camp program was ideal in structure, content, formality & activities. The materials were interesting and the daily sessions were engaging.“
Parent-3rd grader, Merrick, NY 7/28/20

“My kids each took one DS camp this summer. I couldn’t comprehend how a summer camp over Zoom would work, so we only scheduled camps for weeks where we could be available to sit with them the entire camp. After the first day of the first one, we saw that the instructors were not only very engaging, but the kids were completely involved the whole time. I wish I would have known more about how the camp would work, because I would have signed my kids up for all the DS sessions.”
Parent-4th grader, Bellevue, WA 7/31/20

“Ryan had a stellar way with this age group. This is our second DS virtual camp, and both were our best virtual camps of the summer. Our rising 1st grader loved the amount of time spent hands-on building his Mars Rover. He was also very proud to receive an award for life skills the first day, and took it very seriously. He got very into the imaginative start to the week–drawing a Mars landscape–as a way to immerse in the theme. Fantastic job! “
Parent-1st grader, Menlo Park, CA 8/2/20

“The activities were just the right length. Having all the materials grouped by day was SO helpful. They loved the scientific concepts (simple machines, physics) and the well-organized groups. Love the age breakout groups.”
Parent-1st & 3rd grader, Santa Barbara, CA 8/14/20

“I’d love to know what it was specifically that created the magic. It was the first time ever that my daughter willingly showed up for Zoom class. She was totally engaged and having a blast. There wasn’t a single battle. So whatever you did, it worked. Keep it up!”
Parent- 1st grader, Santa Monica CA 8/17/20

“When the space rover worked, he was ecstatic! 🙂 I also loved how the Instructor interacted with the kids… I’ve seen a lot of virtual camps now, so I can compare, and she had really good energy and a great handle on how to address the chatty kids, while also incorporating the more quiet ones. Kudos to her! :)”
Parent-2nd grader, Torrance, CA 8/18/20

“I think everything was great and well planned. My son had a great time building his robot and sharing it online with other campers.The instructor did a great job in keeping the kids interested and helped every step of the way. I was able to continue my work while my son was at camp online.”
Parent-4th grader, Waterbury, CT 8/27/20