Transcript of our interview with Geri, Super Scientist Inc. : Parent Interview with Geri Smith

What's unique about the program at Super Scientist, Inc. that made you want to enroll your child there?

What I really like about Super Scientist, Inc. is that it's very hands-on. So for my son, he's very much into science and into building, and so having it so hands-on and actually working with all the equipment and with all the supplies really kept his interest up.

And then Louise would give the instructions, but also the explanation. She would explain the process on top of everything, and so some of that was sinking in while he was building. So he's doing what he loves, but he's also getting that information that is helping him move forward and learn more in science.

Was Super Scientist your child's first experience with this kind of camp?

He's done some other programs such as LEGO, like a robotic LEGO program. He's done the future engineering camps through the City of Mississauga. So he has done other programs; he's enjoyed them, but this one really just, I think it's small groups. She really targets each child to their needs, and she's very patient, especially with it being online. She answers all their questions; she gives them lots of time to speak to each other.

I'm looking forward to it being in person. I think so is he because they'll really then be able to bond with each other even more than they have over the video.

But yeah, there are very good programs out there. I just found that this one is targeting his interests and his needs the best so far. So we'll keep going with it.

What does your child like best or find most exciting about Super Scientist, Inc.?

I find that she has a nice balance of science within the program. So there are the building components, there's kind of a creativity to it, there are the chemical experiments, and every child sort of has their different specific interests.

Kaash is particularly interested in building, but it's nice to have that variety so that it's not just the one thing. So as much as he loves it, and she tries to build it in whenever she can with him, using, say, electronic circuits or building with cardboard, which is his specialty, he also loves a good volcano explosion or making electricity through different chemicals in the water. And there are all kinds of really unique things that you can't just do on your own.

So she's facilitating it. You're getting all the exact supplies or ingredients. You don't have to search for those all over the place. So he loves the whole broad spectrum of it, but building is definitely his forte.

Was there any change or noticeable personal growth you saw in your child after time at Super Scientist, Inc.?

So he originally started it, was a broader age range. And then when she brought it online, she was very specific about certain grades. So he was in a 4, 5, 6, and then that started to evolve into different groups. She found that he was maybe a little advanced in some of the—because sometimes it's just the dynamic of the kids that are involved, and maybe that it's online. But she found that maybe he could try the 7-8 class that she was doing because some of the experiments were a little more in-depth.

And so he's been doing that now for one full session, and he signed up for another one and he's really loving it. The 7-8s that are on it, it's a small group, but they're a little more mature, but they're very intriguing to listen to them talk. And he's just soaking it all up and getting involved. So it was really neat for her to sort of notice that and try him out in these different groups. And she's really trying to see the dynamic between the children as well and their personalities. And so he's really loving the fact that he's being challenged more and more.

Throughout this program, when he first started, I was helping him a little bit more. I'd help him set it up, I'd help him get the supplies out, and even during the class, I might have to come in and help him with a few things. But over the last few years that he's been doing it, now we just say, "Hey, it's time, get set up," and he just pulls the box out. He gets all his own supplies and we just leave him alone in his little office and we can hear him talking on the screen. And he's become so much more independent.

And some of the projects he remembers doing and he can now do it a little more advanced than he had done before. So he kind of keeps taking it up to the next level. So definitely I see a growth in him and he's a lot more independent than when he first started.

If you hadn't sent your child to Super Scientist, what's the most important personal growth that they would've missed out on?

He feels so comfortable with Louise and with the Super Scientist, Inc. group that he really has allowed himself to fully immerse himself and be himself in this group. He doesn't feel that he has to hold back or be quiet. So I think there's a confidence that he's really gained through this.

And I also think this level of learning of the science and the robotics and the coding, which really I don't think anywhere else is doing the robotics and coding that he is doing with her, which is a newer program and she's developing it. I don't think he would get that anywhere else.

I've researched a lot of other coding locations and a lot of them look really good, but it just wasn't the same sort of involved, personalized experience that Super Scientist, Inc. is offering. So I definitely feel like we've hit on a gem of a program.

How can a parent support their child to get the most out of Super Scientist, Inc.?

I found that in the beginning, because it was online, I had the opportunity to sort of be there and assist him and listen in through the program to see if he needed help. Sometimes if they get caught on one little section, it's hard to sort of move on to the next, and there could be frustration, especially with being online. So I sort of made sure that I was always available in the beginning. Now he knows that if he ever needs me, he can come and get me. I think once it goes in person, there are instructors and volunteers who help with that.

And what I've also found, actually, even online, is that Kaash has now helped other kids with excellent explanations of certain tricks. He'll say, "Oh, I did this and it worked really well," and then you hear other kids doing the same. So I think the great thing, how they can get the most out of it, is working together, learning from each other, and just kind of throwing their whole selves into it. It's really fun and it's really educational.

What does your child say about Super Scientist, Inc., either to you or that you may have heard them say to friends or others?

He tells people he loves it. We shared with many of the parents on the playground that we've passed the contact information on for Super Scientist, Inc. to many, many parents. So she happens to have, I think, a high proportion of students from our neighborhood, and there are a lot of kids that really love it. And then some kids with many programs, they rotate, and they move on, and they do other things and then they come back. But she definitely has a core of students who just want to keep going with it.

So he loves it. If I ever ask him if he ever wants to do something else, he says nope. He loves it. He was even going to give up his outdoor hockey league so he could do the Thursday night program. Luckily, she was able to juggle time so we could fit both in.

But he definitely loves the program. He enjoys it. I never have to argue with him to get online or to do any of the program.

Any final thoughts on this camp?

I feel like the program at Super Scientist, Inc. has a very personal touch. I feel like Louise, who runs it, is doing it because she loves it. She's not doing it because she's looking for a job or to build this company. She does want all those things, but she does it first and foremost because she loves it, and she is so good with the kids. And I feel that personalized touch is really what sets it apart from some of these other organizations that I've looked into.

And he just feels like he has a relationship with her, so he feels comfortable listening and following instructions and asking for help when needed. So I feel like there's a comfort level and a personalization that just is so valuable to us, and it's why we keep coming back.