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Photo gallery Hands-On Exploration

July 23, 2012 By Cindy Foss

Think the UW campus slows down during the summer? Well, think again: The university is a mighty busy place well into August as new students and parents attend orientation sessions; camps, clinics and conferences pop up to explore everything from math to music and banking to basketball; and University Housing welcomes more than 100 groups needing places to stay. No matter the subject or the age of the participants, these opportunities offer everyone the chance to explore and learn within the relaxed environment of warm – and sometimes sizzling – temperatures.

Tiny hands dig in the dirt with naturalist Colleen Feist during a UW-Madison Arboretum class that introduces three- to five-year-olds to the world of moles. Words by Cindy Foss

Tiny hands dig in the dirt with naturalist Colleen Feist during a UW-Madison Arboretum class that introduces three- to five-year-olds to the world of moles. Words by Cindy Foss Photo by: Jeff Miller

An inquisitive youngster reaches out to gently touch a beetle resting on a naturalist's arm during a UW Arboretum Earth Focus Day Camp class for preschoolers.

An inquisitive youngster reaches out to gently touch a beetle resting on a naturalist's arm during a UW Arboretum Earth Focus Day Camp class for preschoolers. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Using a miniature replica, undergraduate student instructors Katlyn Putney, left, and Ella Stutz, center, teach sailboat maneuvers during a "ground school" portion of a Hoofer Youth Sailing program near Lake Mendota.

Using a miniature replica, undergraduate student instructors Katlyn Putney, left, and Ella Stutz, center, teach sailboat maneuvers during a "ground school" portion of a Hoofer Youth Sailing program near Lake Mendota. Photo by: Jeff Miller

And now for the real thing: Undergraduate student Tulika Singh, right, helps a young student learn to rig a sailboat during one of the one- and two-week Hoofer day camps offered for participants ages 10-18.

And now for the real thing: Undergraduate student Tulika Singh, right, helps a young student learn to rig a sailboat during one of the one- and two-week Hoofer day camps offered for participants ages 10-18. Photo by: Jeff Miller

As a sprinkler waters the grass on Bascom Hill, high school students attending a sports journalism workshop hosted by UW-Madison throw a football and a Frisbee before they tackle their first writing assignment – a how-to column on throwing spirals and achieving distance.

As a sprinkler waters the grass on Bascom Hill, high school students attending a sports journalism workshop hosted by UW-Madison throw a football and a Frisbee before they tackle their first writing assignment – a how-to column on throwing spirals and achieving distance. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Runners from middle schools and high schools check in for the Camp of Champions, a co-ed camp now in its 40th year.

Runners from middle schools and high schools check in for the Camp of Champions, a co-ed camp now in its 40th year. Photo by: Jeff Miller

With running shoes symbolizing the activities to come, nearly 250 students move into Sullivan Residence Hall at the start of the weeklong camp for cross-country and middle-distance runners.

With running shoes symbolizing the activities to come, nearly 250 students move into Sullivan Residence Hall at the start of the weeklong camp for cross-country and middle-distance runners. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Demonstrating that friendship can conquer even the toughest challenge, students returning for another Camp of Champions experience reconfigure their bunk beds, hoping to stay together in one room at Sullivan Residence Hall.

Demonstrating that friendship can conquer even the toughest challenge, students returning for another Camp of Champions experience reconfigure their bunk beds, hoping to stay together in one room at Sullivan Residence Hall. Photo by: Jeff Miller

High school students Yer Lee, wearing glasses, and Mia Yang create a tape mural on a classroom wall at the Mosse Humanities Building as part of a six-week outreach program sponsored the Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE).

High school students Yer Lee, wearing glasses, and Mia Yang create a tape mural on a classroom wall at the Mosse Humanities Building as part of a six-week outreach program sponsored the Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE). Photo by: Jeff Miller

Small becomes large as teams of PEOPLE students cover the walls of a classroom with tape murals, including working from a computer-projected drawing of a panda. The group's project is part of an art internship taught by UW graduate student Jack Ohearn.

Small becomes large as teams of PEOPLE students cover the walls of a classroom with tape murals, including working from a computer-projected drawing of a panda. The group's project is part of an art internship taught by UW graduate student Jack Ohearn. Photo by: Jeff Miller

During a Summer Science Camp focusing on stem cells, instructor Tom Turbon describes a lab procedure at the Embedded Teaching Lab in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Led by the Morgridge Institute for Research, camp participants included 18 students and five teachers from nine rural Wisconsin high schools.

During a Summer Science Camp focusing on stem cells, instructor Tom Turbon describes a lab procedure at the Embedded Teaching Lab in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Led by the Morgridge Institute for Research, camp participants included 18 students and five teachers from nine rural Wisconsin high schools. Photo by: Jeff Miller

Sally Bilder and her grandchildren, Saskia and Martijn den Boon, program an interactive computer game during a Grandparents University class. The nearly 1,300 participants could choose among 22 diverse "majors" to explore together during one of three, two-day sessions.

Sally Bilder and her grandchildren, Saskia and Martijn den Boon, program an interactive computer game during a Grandparents University class. The nearly 1,300 participants could choose among 22 diverse "majors" to explore together during one of three, two-day sessions. Photo by: Jeff Miller

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Tags: learning