LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Thousands of students are just getting back in the swing of things at school after spending most of 2020 learning virtually.
But summer is right around the corner, and many camps are getting ready to reopen for the first time since 2019.
"There is nothing like hearing the children laugh and those 'aha' moments that they have," said Lee Ellen Martin, executive director of Explorium of Lexington.
Once school dismisses for the summer, the children will return to the Explorium Monday through Friday.
"So we've got 11 weeks of summer camps. Kids can come spend a whole week or the whole summer with us," said Martin.
This will be the second pandemic summer for the Explorium, which operated smaller camps in 2020.
"Well number one, it's fun. And number two, it's also educational. It's fun and educational," said Martin.
Another non-profit that specializes in fun, hands-on learning is the Living Arts & Sciences Center, which recently hosted a spring break camp.
"It was amazing to hear students' laughing, having fun in the building next week. It was our first time welcoming students in this center in just over a year," said Ashlee Collins, a discovery educator at the center.
Collins says since the pandemic, the center has lost more than $200,000 in funding, but grants and federal loans helped them stay afloat.
"So right now we are operating the center with seven full-time employees whereas in years past, we had 12 to 15," said Collins.That smaller staff is preparing for a packed summer.
"I think students are excited to be back in person and they're just ready to get creative again," said Collins.