Science Themes and Topics

Each week we will cover a different area of science, with a set of associated projects, experiments, and demonstrations. This gives us variety and lots of different ways to have fun.

(Exact details of a topic may change slightly. Projects and experiments vary from year to year. In particular, this year we have a bunch of fun new projects and experiments.)

MegaProject – Experiments in Energy Storage

This year we will have a megaproject that will last over multiple weeks.  Each week, however, is standalone and will be good and fun by itself.

We will be doing multiple experiments in creating our own rechargeable batteries and/or supercapacitors.  We will be using fun safe ingredients like carbons made from a WIDE variety of sources, including carrots, used coffee grounds, sugar, and many more.  We will also be using more cutting-edge ingredients like graphene and graphite.  You can see a video introducing this project here.

This project will be a fun attempt to create an environmentally friendly powerful storage device, as well as using concepts such as careful documentation, precision execution, changing one variable at a time, measurements, variations, and significant figures.

Weekly Themes and Topics

Week 1 – June 17-21 – Electricity

Make a motor, build a battery charger/tester, electric pickle, make a light bulb

Week 2 – June 24-28 – Food Fun

Make homemade ice cream, make chewing gum, make butter, eggs galore

Week 3 – July 1-July 3 (no camp July 4&5) – Magnetism

Fun with levitation, build a magnetic rail accelerator

Week 4 – July 8-12 – Machines and Physics

Build a catapult, fun with levers, gravity and falling objects, collision lab, roller coaster fun

Week 5 – July 15-19 – Light/Solar Energy

Solar power, make a safe sun pinhole telescope, make a sundial, optical effects

Week 6 – July 22-26 – Air/Gasses/Flight

Balloons, airplanes, dry ice experiments, huge bubbles

(No Camp Week of Green Oak Ranch, July 29 – August 2)

Week 7 – Aug 5-9 – Geology/Paleontology

The study of origins is one of the few that we will be covering that has spiritual implications.  This week has been designed to coincide with a study of origins and creationism.  We will be covering different viewpoints, as we also have fun with the projects and experiments.

Forming layers in Noah’s flood, make your own fossils, sugar crystals, DIY Geodes

Week 8 – Aug 12-16 – Rockets

Make rockets, Diet Coke & Mentos rocket cars, various propulsion fun