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Health & Fitness

Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES Offers Science & Exploration Camps

Instead of lounging by a pool all summer, your child could be learning the ancient art of falconry, or how to predict the weather or how to engineer products using principles from nature? He or she could even learn how to dive among coral reefs in Key Largo, Florida.

The Center for Environmental Education at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES is sponsoring 25 one-week camps on topics ranging from meteorology to survival in the wilderness.

In BOCES’ Falconry Academy, campers age 12 to 16 will learn how to train and handle birds of prey. They will also learn how weight management affects the behavior and performance of birds, how to make equipment used in falconry and how to free fly a bird of prey. “Each apprentice falconer will have a chance to handle a hawk, owl or falcon and learn their different personalities,” said Dorna Schroeter, coordinator of the Center for Environmental Education.

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In Weather Camp with Jim Witt, campers will be grouped by age, with one camp for eight to 11 year olds and one for 12 to 16 year olds. Participants will learn how to analyze surface weather maps, make a weather forecast each day, read and analyze weather charts, use forecast models to make predictions and create a weather broadcast.

In Nature’s Engineers, campers will be shown how some of our best industrial designs were inspired by nature. For example, the woodpecker was the inspiration for an ice ax. Japan’s speeding bullet train was inspired by a bird’s beak and a termite mound inspired the creation of an energy efficient building. They will look at geckos, boxfish and squid to see how they are able to adhere to surfaces or move through water.

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The EcoDiver Program in Key Largo takes place from July 29 through August 5 and is open to high school students who already know how to scuba dive. Participants will advance their knowledge by learning how to collect valuable data from coral reefs and will be eligible for EcoDiver certification, provided they pass a final test.

For more information on the Center for Environmental Education’s summer camp offerings, go to http://register.asap-connected.com/PNWboces or call Rachel Wade at 845-225-9256.

 

 

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