Posted: June 25, 2012
When burning Cheez-Its, competing in water relays, and playing with crickets count for graduate school credit, something might seem horribly wrong. But those are actually a very effective ways to interest children in science — even though it’s their teachers who are having all the fun.
The weeklong VISIONS (Venture Into Scientific Inquiry Organized around Nevada Standards) institute provided 60 local teachers lessons in energy and how it is transferred among living organisms. With funding from a federal Math and Science Partnership grant, the summer science camp boosted the science knowledge of elementary school teachers while offering graduate credit and a stipend for taking the workshops.