New online “Camp Google” brings park to kids across the country

Keiki (kids) seen hiking Kīlauea Iki this summer. The Camp Google "Nature Week" experience connects and encourages children across the country to get outside, explore the great outdoors, and keep asking questions.

NPS Photo/J.Ferracane

News Release Date: July 28, 2015

Contact: Jessica Ferracane, 808-985-6018

Kids, many who live thousands of miles from Hawai‘i, will have the opportunity to explore Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow, July 29 via the new online “Camp Google” experience.

The free, one-hour camp will debut during Google’s Nature Week, July 29 at 9 a.m. HST (12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. ET). Camp Google is full of fun science activities and adventures, and is geared towards keiki (children) ages 7-10, but with proper supervision, is open to all ages. Kids don’t have to register, or have a Google account to participate.

“As the National Park Service and Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park step into our next 100 years of caring for America’s special places, the number one goal for our 2016 Centennial is to connect with and create the next generation of park visitors, supporters and advocates,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. 

The timing for Camp Google is ideal, Orlando said, because the new “Every Kid in a Park” initiative, which invites all American fourth graders and their families to visit national parks and public lands for free during the 2015-2016 school year, will soon launch. Camp Google will share Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to families and kids across the country, potentially inspiring them to visit Hawai‘i.

Google launched its first camp adventure with National Geographic explorers Sylvia Earle and Erika Bergman in mid-July. Kids plunged the Atlantic Ocean via a remotely operated vehicle, and watched as filefish, lionfish, corals and other marine life came into view. Last week, kids found out what astronauts eat and helped create new space food with NASA astronaut Don Pettit. 

The Nature Week segment, filmed entirely on location in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, is co-hosted by Park Ranger Rebecca Carvalho, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientist Don Swanson, and Derek Muller, the creative director of Veritasium, a popular online science video channel. Keiki will learn how Hawaiian volcanoes, culture and biology are woven together by visiting Kīlauea Overlook, Thurston Lava Tube, Steam Vents, and observing Kīlauea volcano’s summit eruption at Halema‘uma‘u Crater. 

Like Ocean Week and Space Week, the Nature Week segment will be available on the Camp Google website, so kids who can’t join in on Wednesday can participate at another time, and earn their Camp Google badge. 

While the camp is free to everyone, some activities require common household items, usually under $5. Click here for a list of items and to learn more.