CLEVELAND — There are no soccer balls or basketballs to be found at a certain summer camp in Northeast Ohio.
Junior medical campers at the Natural History Museum have sheep hearts, one preserved in chemicals, the other raw.
You might be thinking, 'Gross, who would want to touch that?' But these kids are all in. Even the girls can't wait to explore the inside of a heart.
Many of the campers there want to be doctors and are excited about learning, so instructors say "have at it."
"They say it all the time, 'this is real science' and I'm like, 'why would we show you fake science, we're a museum.' Our job is to show you the real thing," says Lee Gambol, Learning Coordinator and Science/Health Instructor at the museum. "Just being in a classroom or lab setting where everyone else is super into it, they just feed off each other and become more interested and more excited."
We can attest to that. When those hearts were passed out, the level of excitment in the room just grew.
Campers also get to interact with scientists, doctors, nurses, nutritionists, even veterinarians at various medical facilities. They learn first aid, CPR and grow bacteria colonies, all things that make these campers really "geek" out.