GAINESVILLE, Fla. — This winter break students can ring in the holiday season with scientific exploration and natural history investigation during the Florida Museum of Natural History’s school holiday camps beginning Dec. 23 through Jan. 17, 2014.

The camps for students enrolled in grades K-5 for the 2013-2014 school year provide natural history exploration through museum exhibits and hands-on activities.

“Holiday camps are always an opportunity to have fun while learning about something new – whether it’s engineering feats or how prehistoric people managed day-to-day living,” said Florida Museum of Natural History public programs coordinator Catherine Carey. “Museum camps are hands-on and sometimes messy, but always fun.”

“Float My Boat” on Dec. 23 will dive into engineering principles while students learn to construct a plane, float a boat and build a bridge as they create different models.

“Engineering is one of those subjects students don’t always specifically learn about in school,” said Florida Museum educator Tiffany Ireland. “It’s amazing how much it takes to keep a boat floating or a bridge standing.”

Starting 2014 off with a splash, students will gain an appreciation for Florida’s coastal waters by learning about the ecology of the beach and ocean in “Surf’s Up” on Jan. 2. “Prehistoric Technology” on Jan. 3 will teach students how to make everyday objects and discover how the earliest Floridians adapted to the environment.

The “My Museum” camp on Jan. 17, which is a teacher workday and student holiday, explores everything the museum has to offer by touring the exhibits and going behind-the-scenes.

Camps are offered as full- or half-day programs. For non-members the full-day program is $50 per student and the half-day cost is $30. A special rate for museum members is available.

For full-day camps, drop-off is between 8 to 8:30 a.m. and pickup is 4:30 to 5 p.m. The half-day camps can either be for the morning, with pickup from noon to 12:30 p.m. or for the afternoon, with drop-off from 12:30 to 1 p.m.

Pre-registration is available on the Florida Museum’s website at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/events/camps/school-holiday/.

For questions or more information, call 352-273-2061.

-30-

Writer: Francis Diaz, fdiaz@flmnh.ufl.edu
Source: Tiffany Ireland, tireland@flmnh.ufl.edu
Media Contact: Paul Ramey, pramey@flmnh.ufl.edu, 352-273-2054