Tuesday, July 24th

Welcome back, campers! Read on to hear about some of today's highlights! 

Explore Science! K campers used found objects from nature to experiment with pigments. They collected flowers and leaves on a nature walk and used the materials to paint! In the morning, campers enjoyed a planetarium show and used pressure to learn about weather... they made a cloud in a bottle! 

The 3rd - 5th grade campers covered geology today. First, they tried to build structures that would survive simulated earthquakes! Then, they used graham crackers to model the movement at tectonic plate boundaries: diversion, conversion, and transform. Campers also visited the exploreLAB and House of Vapor.

The Red Wings (Explore Science! 1-2) grabbed nets and microscopes to take down to the pond. We found frog eggs!  Today was the 1-2 Green group's turn to measure, mix, and make seed balls. Over the week, each camper will make one to plant at home. Campers in the 1-2 Blue group met [LIVE!] friendly arthropods from the museum's teaching collection. The highlight of the 1-2 Purple group's day? Making very messy bird feeders! 

Monday, July 23rd

Dear families, 

Thanks for joining us this week! We're having a blast learning all about our planet! 

The Explore Science! 1-2 campers cracked open geodes today. What did you camper think of his/her geology souvenir? It was hard work! Campers also met the Institute's geologist, John, and passed around specimens from the museum's collection. The groups also went on a scavenger hunt nature walk outside. What was the most memorable living thing your camper spotted? 

Explore Science! 3-5 campers started their day by modeling plate tectonics with oranges! A visit to the gallery Every Rock Has a Story helped further illustrate the concept. Later in the day, campers started two projects: seeds and papier-mache globes. We'll revisit both as the week progresses. 

The Explore Science! K group started their zoology-themed day with animal charades. Then, the group searched the museum for animal feet and imagined what each foot would look like if it walked in mud. We loved seeing campers translate foot observations into drawings of footprint shapes! Campers spent time outside observing with their ears and mapping the sounds they heard. 

Can't wait to see you all back here tomorrow for more summer science fun! Keep checking the museum's Facebook page as we'll be sharing snapshots at the end of each day! You'll find a whole album dedicated to this week. 

Until tomorrow,
Your 2018 camp staff