Spheros, Slime and Science Camp

I have always taught middle school, I have delved into an elementary classroom or two during my student teaching but knew early on that I was meant to be teaching junior high. Every summer, I teach a science summer camp at the STEM center. My audience is 3rd and 4th graders. I enjoy a week of connecting with these beautiful little people. They are energetic, out-going, friendly, loud, funny, affectionate and did I say loud. They are wiggly and squirmy and need constant reassurance and affirmation, yet they are eager and willing to try anything and don't mind getting a little dirty in the process. This year our theme for the camp is Science Through Time and each of the five instructors chose a century and are highlighting scientists from that era and the science that was coming to the foreground during that time in history. I chose the future, so my scientist of the century (seeing as he is a futurist) is Neil deGrasse Tyson. An astrophysicist that few of my students knew. So it was fun to get them excited in astronomy and travelling to Mars.

Every group of 16-20 students rotated throughout the day to each of our rooms. My room was decorated like Mars and while others were making solar ovens, crystals and conducting chemistry experiments, very science indeed, at my station they made vehicles from recyclables and used Spheros to race them, made slime, used K'Nex to make wind powered machines and used fans to race them, and used the Speros to get their mars rovers (built in the makerspace) to traverse the surface of mars- a student designed course. I focused on my favorite tool of our classroom, a makerspace. I love to get messy and have students tinker and design. My cuticles are still blue from the food coloring in the slime. It was a very productive week with many STEAM activities. I am thrilled to be able to work with these youngsters. It was exhilarating and a definite reminder that I am a junior high teacher. It is always a good thing to get out of our comfort zone and during the summer is a great time to branch out and help bring curiosity and the wonderment of science to all.