Friday, July 13th
Campers and families, what a great first week of Explore Science! We enjoyed spending the week with you; thanks for five action-packed days. Before signing off for the week, we wanted to share a few of the day's highlights:
The Explore Science! K campers spent time outside enjoying the morning sun and searching for insects in the lawn. Then, they created colorful shields that would have made any Roman legion envious. They also learned how early humans turned rocks into pigments and paint to express themselves.
The Red Pandas and Yellow Jello groups competed in the Acient World Olympics today! Campers tossed straw javelins, competed in a discus distance challenge, and launched pom-poms in catapaults. We loved connecting campers' "Forces and Motion" Auditorium show with their Olympic events. The pom-poms don't launch themselves... you need a FORCE! (Does your camper remember how we define "force?")
The 3rd - 5th grade campers ended their week with long-awaited outdoor activities: spear throwing, archery, and trebuchet launches! The group focused on the connection between physics and anthropology. Early humans quickly figured out spear throwers (or "atlatls") were superior thanks to the increased force and distance!
Whether you join us for one week of camp or all five, each week of summer camp is unique! Next up: Physics and Chemistry. Visit the Week 2 Snapshot page for updates, and click here if you'd like to join us for another week!
GO SCIENCE!
-Your 2018 camp staff
Thursday, July 12th
The 3rd - 5th grade campers started their day by making whirligig toys out of string and a button. After a bit of practice, they got the hang of playing with them. After lunch, the group set their watches (smart, digital, analog, or invisible) aside and built their own sundials. Finally, campers "ate" with different bird beaks; the experiment helped the group learn more about bird evolution.
The Yellow Jello group investigated Ancient Rome today. They made Roman mosaics and studied the ecosystem of Egypt. Check out the backgrounds in your campers' handprint camel page -- you'll find scorpions, river, and sand in lieu of Michigan's lakes and forests! The Red Pandas took a trip to the exploreLAB and practiced their paleontological skills. They took home ancient aquatic fossils, too!
We caught the Explore Science! K crew thinking on their feet this afternoon. When tasked with building a tall tower, the counselors asked the campers what they would need to keep the tower steady. One camper exclaimed, "a platform!" and the group quickly started constructing together. Looking forward to seeing what problems these kiddos tackle tomorrow!
You'll find images of dinosaur feasts, log cabin construction, tall towers, and more on the museum's Facebook page!
Wednesday, July 11th
We cannot believe that we are over half way done with our first week of camp! Explore Science! K campers continued to investigate the lives of dinosaurs by visiting our T. rex and checking out the skeleton. It served as inspiration for the model skeletons campers made with cotton swabs and popsicle sticks. Later, campers visited the exploreLAB and dug out their own souvenirs. You can read more here about coming back to the exploreLAB as a family!
The 3rd - 5th grade campers created dinosaur skeletons, too, but with a twist. The group used recycled materials and came up with fantastic specimens. You can see examples on the museum's Facebook page. Campers also enjoyed making their own salt dough and creating casts -- they make for a great camp souvenir!
The Green Griffins (one of the Explore Science! 1-2 groups) started their day with a show in the Acheson Planetarium. What did your camper think of the Young Stargazers show? It was neat to watch the Yellow Jello group tour our exhibit, The Story of Us, and visit the museum's wigwam. Shelter, food, family... we ended the day by discussing the needs all humans share.
Tuesday, July 10th
Ready for Day 2 updates? Read on!
The Red Pandas (one of the Explore Science! 1-2 groups) practiced their classification skills by making dichotomous keys. Check out their rock sorting piles... red or not red? Speckled or not speckled? The Yellow Jello group used yesterday's now-dry handmade papyrus to practice their hieroglyphics!
The Explore Science! K group made their own Jurassic Parks with model dinosaurs. In the afternoon, they did some cool archaeology... Campers excavated a school bus out of ice and made model igloos.
Explore Science 3-5 campers created their own clay pots with unique designs. Did you see them drying on the bench at pick up? Campers also investigated how fish breathe and compared the breathing process between fish and humans.
See you tomorrow!
Monday, July 9th
Dear camp families,
Thanks for joining us for the first day of camp! We had so much fun exploring "Blast from the Past."
The Kindergarten campers focused on dinosaurs today. They passed around fossils and casts from the museum's collection, made ferocious paper dinosaur models, and dug for bones in our sand boxes.
1st - 2nd grade campers practiced writing their name in hieroglyphics - it was tricky, but fun! They also made their own papyrus to take home later in the week.
The 3rd - 5th grade campers' take on "Blast from the Past" had an entomological focus... Campers saw a "Webs, Wings, and Crawling Things" program and "fished" for macroinvertebrates (or "water bugs") down at the pond.
We're looking forward to seeing you back here tomorrow. Keep an eye on the museum's Facebook page as we'll be sharing photos throughout the week!