MUSCATINE, Iowa — Summer is a fun time for kids, but sometimes they lose a bit of what they learned in the previous school year.
The Muskie S.P.A.R.K. program is focused on not only preserving some of that knowledge but giving kids fun activities - and possibly inspiring them to pursue new interests and future career paths.
The five-week program is for kindergarteners up to sixth graders. It has over 400 students from all six Muscatine elementary schools this year.
"In the morning, the kids have a homeroom teacher, where they work on reading, writing and math skills — kind of as a jumpstart to the upcoming school year," organizer Kim Warren said. "In the afternoon, they get different hands-on enrichment classes." Those afternoon activities include robotics, programming, cooking, art, engineering, agriculture and more.
Franklin Elementary School Principal Corry Spies said he's seen a year-round benefit for his kids.
"A lot of times, we are concerned about summer learning loss when we're not in session for school," Spies said. "Having students attend this program really helps them as they prepare for the upcoming school year."
Employees at local companies also lend a hand in teaching the classes.
"We have engineers from HNI, we have food scientists from Kent that come in with corn starch and do Oobleck sort of experiments with second graders," Warren said. "We also have Muscatine Power and Water here today talking with sixth graders about designing wind turbines to help the electrical grid."
The program ends on July 21. It is free for Muscatine students and hosted at Jefferson Elementary School.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel