<span style="color: #008000;"><strong>Future Stars Science at Del Val</strong></span>

&nbsp;

<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>IF I RAN THE RAINFOREST  Week 1</strong></span>

We began our week with making a germinator on Monday.  We explained the growth of plant and the need for sunlight, water, and soil.  Today, your child will be coming home with a bag containing a sprouting bean seed.  I have told them to explore this more at home but filling a small cup with soil, plant the seed, add water, and find a spot in the sun to place the cup.  Watch it grow!

Ducks, Dragons, and Hawks collected leaves from around campus and made leaf rubs.  We identified parts of a leaf: tip, stem, and vein.  They labeled the parts and enjoyed creating art with a twist of nature.

Gophers and Gators also collected a leaf and then made a project called a leaf relief.  We again discussed the parts of a leaf, but got a bit more scientific.  We learned that leaves have margins, such as serrated and lobed.

Dragons also made a sensory page of different items that they collected in nature.  We discussed the 5 senses and each group shared their board with the rest of the class.

All campers made Cheerio Bird Feeders - hopefully they made it to your backyard before being eaten.

Ducks and Dragons made Truffula Trees - we watched a short clip of the Lorax movie and discussed our need for trees.

Children in the Gators, Gophers, and Hawks learned about the 4 layers of the rainforest.  We did a discussion about the differences of each layer and also included types of animal and bird life.  They were then divided into 4 groups, each being assigned a layer of the rainforest.  They were to draw on a large piece of mural paper their section only of the rainforest.  In the end we put the 4 layers of together, like a puzzle, to form the rainforest.  They did awesome work!!

~ Miss Tricia

&nbsp;

<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>DOWN THE SHORE  Week</strong> 2</span>

All groups began the week learning about the hermit crab.  We identified their anatomy, characteristics, how they live, and what they eat.  We talked about the hermit crabs that live at homes as pets and how to care for them.  Each group had the opportunity to make a model hermit crab or other sea creature using model magic/play-doh and sea shells.  Many of the youngest campers make impressions of the shells.

The Ducks continued to focus on the hermit crab with a project that had them make the home for the hermit crab using a paper plate.  We also watched the story telling of Hermit Needs A Home by Eric Carle.  They learned that as the hermit crab grows, he needs to change his shell.

The rest of the groups spent time learning about jellyfish and their anatomy, characteristics, how they live and what they eat.  The were then put to the test to create a jelly fish using a plastic grocery bag.  The key to this activity was to make a delicate jellyfish, using scissors and lots of patience.  The jelly fish was then put into a plastic water bottle filled with colored water.  In the bottle the jellyfish swims to the top because of the air inside the head of the jellyfish.

All campers learned about the properties of salt and fresh water.  The word density was defined.  We then did a hands on test of various objects to see if they would sink or float in fresh or salt water.  We kept track of our data and discussed results.

Sand was used in our next activities.  The Ducks created sand volcanoes by packing sand around a plastic soda bottle.  We filled up the bottles with cornstarch, drops of food coloring, and then vinegar!  They had fun counting down and watching the eruptions.  The rest of the campers were involved in a shoreline science activity.  Using paint roller pans, groups created a beach with an ocean.  They took pictures of the beach in a calm state.  Then using a water bottle to create waves for 2 minutes, they made note of the erosion that took place.

Finally, all days at the shore are not complete without ice-cream!  On Friday (tomorrow) each camper will make ice-cream.  Yum!

Happy July4th!!

~Miss Tricia

&nbsp;

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">BLUE &amp; GOLD WEEK 3</span>

This week in Science we played Minute to Win It Games.  Many of the games involved physics and other science related themes.  Some of the games favorites were Pong Tac Toe, Balloon Juggle, Cookie Face, Key Fishing, Pick up Beans, Stack Attack, Say AHH, Noodling Around, Hula Hoop Ball Toss, Sticky Marble Roll and Pom Pom Toss.  In each game a blue member competed against a gold member.  Games were playing simultaneously and campers rotated through each activity.  We had counselor challenges too.  On the last day, we had Blue and Gold Turtle Olympics.  Team spirit and sportsmanship were modeled and encouraged.  This was a really fun week!

Have a great weekend.

~Miss Tricia

&nbsp;

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">FUELED FOR FUN WEEK 4</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">
</span>

This was an incredible week of learning and fun! With our theme being "Fueled for Fun," campers learned and participated in activities that had to do with staying healthy, especially when it comes to food!

The week began by learning about the body! The older kids made body maps out of construction and tissue paper to map the skeleton and vital organs while the younger campers learned about how our heartbeats change through various exercises from resting to running and dancing to the music!

On Tuesday, campers got to learn about certain ingredients in our food, especially starch. While the older kids continued to finish their body maps and the younger groups built structures out of carrots and peas, all of the campers took part in a starch test experiment! We tested certain foods by dropping an iodine and water solution on them to see if they'd change color to a dark purple! If so, the food contained starch!

Wednesday was another science packed day! The Ducks and the Dragons had a blast making butter out of heavy cream and manpower! We all sat in a circle and took turns shaking the butter jar to the beat of the music! The outcome was absolutely delicious! The older groups learned about DNA, and we were even able to extract DNA from strawberries!!!

Thursday and Friday were both invested in making and cooking with solar ovens! We used pizza boxes and a few other supplies to create heat traps in which we placed s'more ingredients! We then let them soak up some rays for a few minutes and the product was unbelievably delicious! Maybe not the healthiest snack for Fueled for Fun week, but definitely a FUN treat!!! It was a great activity that got us outside to enjoy the fantastic weather!!!

It was an absolute pleasure filling in for Miss Tricia this week, and I enjoyed every minute spent with each camper!!!

Thanks ,

Brian :)

&nbsp;

<span style="text-decoration: underline; color: #888888;">ART-RAGEOUS WEEK 6</span>

It is great to be back at camp!  This week in Science we took a dip into the world of Art.  We began our week exploring spices - turmeric, cinnamon, chili powder, and ginger.  First the campers predicted the smell of the spice before it was revealed.  We all knew the sweet smell of cinnamon and the toughest to figure out was turmeric.  The spices were then mixed into paint colors and the campers took to finding their inner artist by creating their own work using spice paints.

All campers really had fun with this next activity - Shaving Cream Prints.  We learned that the soap properties of the shaving cream do not absorb food coloring.  When an index card is laid upon the shaving cream swirled with food coloring, the dye is more attracted to the paper.  When excess shaving cream is scraped from the index card, a really cool tie dye effect is left on the index card.  These could be used a great homemade note cards/thank you notes/place cards, etc.

We also set up a classroom pendulum - using chairs, the pole of a garden rake, string, cup, water, paper, and of course paint.  We discussed examples of a pendulum - clock, swings, etc.  It was explained that a pendulum has a fixed point and that gravity plays a very important part in its function.  When paint was added, we could see patterns and designs on the paper form as we watched the pendulum swing.

Ducks had fun exploring with food coloring and color explosions with vinegar and baking soda.  This was really fun to watch their reactions, as they saw the colors bubble, fizz, and mix.  They became Mad Scientists!

Dragons, Hawks, Gophers, and Gators learned about artist Georgia O'Keeffe and her work with water color and oil.  Through this project we learned that oil and water don't mix!  Many of us know that already but it was fun to really see it in action.  We had fun using liquid watercolors - so cool!  They dropped color onto watercolor paper then dropped oil on top.  Beads of color would try to separate from the oil.  They created beautiful, vibrant masterpieces.

Of course we had to get a bit more messy - so we took on the challenge of creating bouncy balls.  This involved following a recipe to create the right consistency that would produce a material that was able to be molded into a ball.  While the balls didn't bounce like a super ball - they did bounce!  The whole process was fun and messy.

Lastly, we explored rainbows.  We discussed how a rainbow is made and the colors created.  The project was to make rainbow paper.  Simply dipping a piece of black paper into a bowl of water with a couple drops of clear nail polish creates rainbow paper.  Very cool and super easy.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and welcome August!  Summer is flying by!

~ Miss Tricia

&nbsp;

<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">FUTURE STAR BLAZERS   Week</span> 7</b>

&nbsp;

This week in science we began our week by watching a short video of a space shuttle launch - the focus being on how the launch happens.  We then went outdoors and launched film canister rockets.  Many kids had no idea what a film canister was - not surprising.  But they did enjoy the launch.  To do this at home, place an Alka-Seltzer tablet into the canister and add a small amount of water to start dissolving the tablet.  Quickly seal the lid tightly and flip the canister upside down.  Within moments the canister will rocket straight up into the sky.  This was an awesome and fun moment for them.

For the older groups - Hawks, Gophers, and Gators, they were put to the test of creating a balloon powered car.  This was done in small groups, with emphasis on making modifications to their cars based upon results.  Propulsion, friction, Newton's Laws of Motion are all a part of this activity.  The goal was to have you car move by solely being powered by a balloon.  It was awesome to see the teamwork and minds working to create a product.  This was completed over several periods and the final day was a race and explanation of their product.

The Ducks and Dragons were given the opportunity to feel what the Moon's surface would be like.  We created moon dough.  They really enjoyed getting into the dusty and mold-able substance (baking soda, powered black paint, glitter, and water).  They even made some moon rocks.

At the end of the week the  Ducks and Dragons learned about Constellations.  Two counselors became human constellations on a large piece of paper.  The campers added the starts and made the night sky.  Each counselor constellation was given a name and shared with the groups.  They were fun and creative!

Have a great weekend.  See you next week.  I am looking forward to the Camp Show next week!!

~ Miss Tricia

&nbsp;