Explore It: Washington Wildlife - Week 1

In Discovering the Wildlife of DC, the girls have spent time investigating the various plants and animals that live in our neighborhood. The girls have created nature journals spending time outside each day documenting all that they see around them. In preparation of creating their own field guide the girls have spent time walking throughout the close indentifying trees. As well, in class they have studied the anatomy of both trees and leaves and discussed the impact of humans on the environment.

Robotics - Session 3 - Week 1

During the first week of Session 3, students spent time building a TriBot. The students are working on programming the TriBot to move forward, backwards, turn and change acceleration. The Tribot also responds to sound command (through its Sound Sensor ), follow a line with its Light Sensor , feel objects with its Touch Sensor , and see with its Ultrasonic Sensor. Enjoy the sideshow below with the building process.

Amazing Art - Week 1

Last week we began with a creation called a "youtube." The students were to communicate the essentials about themselves through different mediums all attached somehow to a cardboard tube. The results were incredible!

Next we moved into the technique of drawing. Using charcoal, the students explored how to make "marks" that reflected the properties of what they were observing. They drew to music, observed and drew different textures, and eventually moved into the details of drawing faces.

This week we began our work in color. The students learned how to mix colors using only the primary colors and black and white. They reproduced paintings using their fingers as well as brushes, all the while focusing on recreating the colors as closely as possible.

Interactive & Structural Engineering - W1

This week we discovered many different types of engineering. This week we did projects that allowed us to be aerospace engineers, mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, civil engineers, material science engineers, and bioengineers.

We created a rollercoaster on the computer to understand the relationship between force, gravity, friction, and speed. We learned about kinetic and potential engergy and how it relates to a roller coaster.

We assembled a hovercraft, and discussed what makes objects fly. We talked about propulsion and air pressure. We then raced our hovercrafts to see who could go the farthest!

We crafted a solar oven out of a pizza box and was able to bake cookies on a sunny day! We learned about solar panels and how they produce engery. We also looked at pictures of solar houses from the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall.
We played a computer game to understand magnetics and radio waves in an MRI. We also played a computer game to understand diabetes, insulin, and glucose. We discussed how your body produces energy. The last computer game we played was about lasers. We discovered that laser stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Also, we learned that lasers are made up of electromagnetic wave.

Our most popular project yet is creating non-Newtonian fluid, made up of corn starch and water. We discussed viscosity and the internal friction between gases and liquids. We got to step and run on the non-Newtonian fluid in order to feel the fluid's reaction from the force we were creating

Come up for the engineers....

We will create a water flitration system. We will be discussing the difference between tap water and bottled water. We will also research the up-and-coming innovative ideas for producing clean water for developing countries.

We will craft a wind trubine, and talk about wind energy. We also will make a model of our wind turbine on the computer.

We will make lip balm in order to understand the incredients and chemical reactions that occur in it.

Our last day we will be playing Who Wants to be a Millionaire? to review all we learned!

Cooking with Math

Cooking with Math has been so much fun! This week we’ve put our math skills to work as we’ve whipped up some of our favorite traditional treats. Pizza, blueberry muffins and fruit smoothies are just a few of our favorites! Some of the math skills we’ve been refining include fractions and measuring, as well as time and temperature. We’ve come to realize that baking is all math and science! We’ve had many opportunities to experiment with measurement such as how it can affect, the taste, texture and physical appearance. Additionally, we are very pleased that most of the ingredients we are using are organic. Wow!

Books into Movies

The campers have been reading Matilda in the books to movies class. Throughout the week the girls have discussed the book with one another and drawn pictures demonstrating how they each pictured the main characters. We are looking forward to watching the movie this week!

Lax

Dancing with the Stars - Session 2