DeadFish Herpetological
Photographs of Activities, Junior Einsteins, Session I
Our Daily Schedule (all times are approximate):

8:30   Arrival and freeplay/classroom choices
9:10   Science Activity Block 1
9:45   Science Activity Block 2
10:20   Snack (all together)
10:45   Science Activity Block 3
11:20   Get organized/change for Swim & Lunch
11:45   1/2 group Swim Lessons & 1/2 group Lunch
12:15   Swim and Lunch Groups switch
12:50   Group Games
1:15   Change from Swimming
1:45   Choice Time (playground, games, etc)
2:45   Story, Stickers, & Shake Out
3:20   Head to Buses, Carpool, and Extended Day

Campers are organized into three groups that rotate through two
science activities (one with Chad, one with Randy) and a third
counselor lead camp activity.  Each group is further divided into
two smaller groups, each with its own counselor.  The youngest
group splits in half for swim and lunch.
Tuesday, July 5th:  Today we played an important game to
show that we were very good at listening and following
directions.  We also used our senses to discover some
unknown items that were encased in clay.  We also
discussed how important it was to never put anything in
our mouths and to protect our eyes when we are doing
experiments.
Page last updated:  July 15, 2011 @ 1:30 pm
Wednesday, July 6th:  Today we had a science challenge to try to
float metal on water.  We had many coins from different countries
and two types of paperclips.  We also experimented with changing
the density of water by adding salt in a way that a carrot would
hover in the middle of the glass.  In Chad's room, we created
"elephant toothpaste" by causing a chemical reaction that
produces foam.
Thursday, July 7th:  Today we tried to change the weight
of a balloon so that it would hover in the middle of the
classroom.  We also experimented with balancing objects
using counterweights and finding the balance point
(center of gravity).
Friday, July 8th:  Field trip to
the Harvard Museum of Natural
History.  At the museum we saw
some enormous rocks and
crystals from all over the world.  
We even got to feel some real
meteorites.  We also saw many
preserved animals and
skeletons.  Because the
animals bodies had been
preserved, we were able to get
close up views of creatures we
could never be close to in the
wild.  The museum also has a
large collection of skeletons
and preserved skins from
animals that have been extinct
for short and long times.
Monday, July 11, 2011:  Today we experimented
more with water and density.  With Chad we
experimented with changing shapes of objects to
make them float.  With Randy we tested several
different condiment packages to find ones that
had the right ratio of air to food to allow them to
float under normal atmospheric pressure, but sink
when compressed.  We discovered that
mayonnaise and relish require a high level of
compression, but SOME ketchups can be
compressed by hand to become cartesian divers.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011:  Today we started a
two day engineering project building "Gutter
Boats".  We capped the ends of a rain gutter so
it can hold water and placed a fan at the end
for constant wind power.  Campers then
designed, tested, and redesigned boats trying
to have the fastest time trial.  Our knowledge of
density and counterweights was very helpful in
the design process.  Tomorrow we race our
boats head to head.
Wednesday, July 13,
2011:  Today we
continued studying
reactions with Chad by
making film canister
rockets.  We loaded
them with the right
chemicals, capped the
cylinders, and waited for
them to blow!  We also
raced our boats today.
Thursday, July 14,
2011:  Today  in
Randy's room, we
played a science
game called Isotope
about radioactive
decay and neutrons.  
In Chad's room we
experimented with
emulsifying fats with
detergent to create
firework-like effects in
milk.
Friday, July 15, 2011:  Today, Armand, one of our LITs lead us all in a game of sharks and minnows on the main field while
Chad, Mike, and John prepared for today's properties of materials explorations in liquids and solids.