How Pacific Science Center ran safe, successful summer camps — in-person — despite COVID-19
COVID-19 doesn’t prevent a chem lab camper from getting a little messy. (Pacific Science Center Photo)
Seattle’s Pacific Science Center took its own messages about innovation and ingenuity to heart this summer and created a slate of camps for kids in the time of COVID-19, conducted not just remotely but also in-person.
The nonprofit just wrapped up 10 weeks of camps, with nearly 1,500 kids participating at the spacious Seattle campus and three partner locations, and another 1,500 kids enrolled in the Science Center’s virtual camps, including students from out of state. In a year when the pandemic dashed many cherished summer plans, the camps were a welcome reprieve.
“We heard very clearly from the adults that this was not only needed, but a lifesaver for some,” said Diana Johns, vice president of exhibits, science engagement and outreach for the center.
The in-person camps followed state safety guidelines, which meant creating pods of nine kids maximum and one counselor, staying 6 feet apart and wearing masks. The kids came and went from camp through multiple entrances at the center to limit contact, and pods had designated bathrooms.
A dissection lab camper. (Pacific Science Center Photo)
There were no reported incidents of novel coronavirus spread among camp educators or kids, who attended the week-long camps for up to seven hours a day.
There has been significant concern and debate about the whether and how to bring kids safely together for school and camps, with most students in Washington returning to entirely or partially remote classes this fall. While the Science Center program has some unique features, it demonstrated that in-person instruction for kindergarten to eighth-grade kids can work, but there are challenges to manage.
“The hard thing is you’re asking kids not to be so ‘kiddie’ — you’re asking them not to touch each other and keep this thing on your face, which is hard for young kids in particular,” Johns said. But at the same time, she added, “what was clear was how much it meant for those kids to be with other kids.”
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