MONTREAL -- A series of science day camps attended by more than 5,000 Quebec children has been cancelled this summer after its organizers decided there was no way to keep kids safely distanced while also teaching them science.
"Camps with a scientific feel, but without the traditional group experiments, major technological projects and hands-on, experimental activities, seemed hardly possible," said the network that organizes the Débrouillards day camps.
"Though we’re very reluctant to cancel the camps, various health, economic and human concerns prevailed," wrote the Réseau Technoscience, which is headquartered in Montreal but has chapters all over the province.
Its day camps are not just recreational ones meant for small children—though the youngest participants are only four—but they also offer increasingly sophisticated levels of programming meant for young scientists up to age 20.
Parents are asked to contact the organization about getting refunds.
Still, the network’s regional organizations are planning to create new ways for kids to learn about science and tech this summer, saying it it’s "out of the question" to completely deprive participants of their experiments.
As they become ready, these activities will be listed on the Debrouillards' website.
