Welcome back to the second week of our “Energy” adventure, as well as our final week of Summer Camp!
We experimented with static electricity, exploring how we can move objects without using our hands. We tested ways to pick up pieces of paper and found that a plastic straw does the trick when we rub it against our clothes to charge it with static electricity to attract the paper. Extending this idea, we also went fishing for paper “fish” using our straw fishing rods.
We also explored the power of the sun and learned about different ways solar energy can be used. We saw how the sun can change the color of paper and make marshmallows melt! We played with light and shadows, making our own shadow puppets and sundials.
Additionally, we got creative with music, making maracas, tambourines, and pan flutes from recycled materials, and we played our homemade instruments to our favorite tunes!
For our cooking activity this week, we made rainbow Jell-O! We layered different flavors each day to create a colorful and delicious treat to enjoy on Friday.
We hope you had a fantastic summer with us! Be sure to join us in September for updates on the upcoming school year.
Students conducted an experiment on friction and tested if they can pick up pieces of paper using a plastic straw.
Students first drew shapes of fish on paper and cut them out. They used a plastic straw that they charged by rubbing against a piece of paper to “catch” the fish.
Students designed a sundial using paper plates and a straw, placed it outside, and observed the change in the position of the shadow on the surface of the dial in the morning and afternoon.
Using the power of the sun, students made nature prints on paper. They carefully laid leaves on paper and weighed them down with stones. The students then placed them outside on a sunny day and observed how the leaves blocked the sunlight, leaving a print on the paper while the surrounding colors were bleached out by sunlight.
Students tested the power of the sun to cook marshmallows in a solar oven made from recycled materials.
Students scooped beans coated in primary paint colors and shook them up in a jar to create a colorful painting.
Students first cut out two pictures and pasted them back to back onto a straw. Then they held the straw in between their hands and twisted it quickly to see the two pictures move like an animation.
Students made shadow puppets using shape stickers and paper rolls. We first covered one end of the paper rolls with plastic wrap, and then placed stickers on top of the plastic wrap. Then, by shining a light through the tube, we were able to produce a bunch of fun shadows.
Students created their own pan flutes using straws of various lengths.
Students poured a layer of Jell-O every day this week to create a beautiful rainbow by Friday.
