The
campers had a
lot of fun this year. Here are pictures of the five groups.
Chemistry
Campers got to custom color safety goggles that they used later in the
week.
They grew crystals and
made
octahedral models that showed their basic shape.
Construction of a
conductivity tester
and then using it to check various liquids was another of their
chemistry projects.
Physics The study
of bubbleology is
always fun (and messy).
They made giant bubble makers using 2 straws and a loop of cotton cord.
Now you can study some
of the
properties.
Can you put things through the bubble without breaking it.
What happens when two bubble films touch.
Blowing bubbles on a
plate lets you
see the shape of the interface between two bubbles. The pressure in the
smaller bubble is
always greater than in the larger ones so the film between always
curves into the bigger bubble.
Using the string and
straws you can
make surprisingly big bubbles. With care and soapy
hands you can
catch them and study the colors. The thickness of the
bubble film
causes different colors to be reflected. The thinnest films are
colorless and
only about one millionth of an inch thick.
Putting a kid in a
bubble brings
smiles. The helpers tried it as
both operator
and subject.
It takes quite a while
to make a hot
air balloon out of tissue paper. Trace the outline, cut
the gores,
glue them together, inspect the result and test for any holes. We will fly the balloons
during the
physics olympics on Thursday.
Astronomy In the
astronomy class they
made flip books showing the progression of the moon's phases.
They also built models
of spacecraft. Biology They
modeled an
ecological system to investigate the interactions.
Investigated
the senses.
And dissected a dogfish
shark. Clearly there were a
variety of
reactions.
Computers In the
computer class they
learned to program using a storytelling language.
Science
Olympics A series of competitions
were held on
Thursday.
There was a contest to build a platform to catch a steel ball dropped
from various heights.
The best catcher would combine the lightest weight, shortest height and
still catch the ball without breaking.
Some of the entries and a test in progress.
Teams competed in
several events. The teams that compiled
the highest
total score won prizes and the admiration of all concerned. Challenges included
trying to figure
out what shape was in a closed box by tipping it and seeing how it
moved.
The teams maneuvered a
figure through
a computer maze, built bridges with toothpicks to be tested to
destruction. They also made aluminum
foil boats
the were loaded with marbles until they sank.
Paper airplanes, towers,
and a water
balloon target shoot rounded out the events.
The "Who Wants to
be
Millionaire" game tested science knowledge.
Now it was time to fly
those balloons
we made earlier in the week. A propane burner
provided the heat
for liftoff.
Up they go. Trees can be a problem
but most were
successfully recovered.
A few however met a
fiery end when a
gust of wind blew them into the burner.
The
winners of the
various contests
Field
trip This year
we went to Bays
Mountain park in Tennessee.
Some of the wildlife we
saw there.
This fawn
was just lying near
one of the trails and was not in an enclosure of any kind.
The park was home to a
pack of wolves. They were kept in a
large fenced
compound.
We enjoyed two
naturalist programs. The first was about the
wolves and a
comparison of their skulls with other large carnivores.
A program about birds
gave us the
opportunity to see them up close and find out about various
specializations they exhibit.
As a bonus we found this
praying
mantis egg case that was in the process of hatching.
