Summer is a great time for Energy Activities

Solar ovens are always a big hit at Science Camp, so here is a link to a family-friendly site with more activities like that.   The first day of summer was on Friday, so celebrate with some hands-on activities that let kids play with science!

http://energy.gov/articles/parents-and-kids-energize-your-summer

Teaching kids to code...interesting article

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/06/23/apple-pluralsight-programming-code-kids/2376279/

Super Moon on display this weekend!

Check out the cool full moon on display this weekend...combine a super Moon with summer solstice and it is  an awesome weekend for Astronomy!

http://earthsky.org/tonight/is-biggest-and-closest-full-moon-on-june-23-2013-a-supermoon

Robotics Camp sponsored by the CRTC Electronics Class

I am proud of all the kids that work so hard learning to program robots in the Mini-Cassia area.  The kids sponsoring this camp are involved in the Electronics Program at Cassia Regional Technical Center.  The price is very reasonable and scouts who participate can earn the Robotics merit badge.   Check out the link and get your kids signed up! There are several 2 day workshops still available.  Their website is idahorobotics.net.

 http://e101.webs.com/summer-camp

CSI Science Camp in Burley went out with a bang!

What a great week with the teachers and kids in Mini-Cassia!  Today we had kites flying, boats floating, catapults flinging, telescope viewing, solar ovens cooking, and the candy cannon shooting!  Phew!  The purpose of this camp is to give kids a chance to play with science and teachers a chance to practice these activities without the pressures found in the traditional classroom.    I hear it all the time...if we had more time and more supplies and less attention to tests, we could do these kinds of experiments more often.  I am grateful to be involved in this program because I get to play too!

 

 

Firemen Come to Science Camp

What a great day for Science!!

The kids were able to design and build containers to hold raw eggs.  What we didn't tell them is that their eggs would be dropped from a ladder truck provided by the great guys at City of Burley Fire Department! 

It was awesome!  Yes, the storm clouds rolled in and the pictures look ominous, but the kids were undeterred.  Their eggs flew and floated and crashed, but most of them made it safely to the ground unbroken.  Great job to everyone!  Thanks Captain Ryan Taylor and crew!!

CSI Summer Science Camp This week~!

http://cindysingletonart.com/sciencecamp/pages/CSI-ScienceCamp2013MCC-005.html#marker

We are having a great time in Burley!  The "Young Inventors" are designing and building all kinds of great things this week.  We loved the team from ISU that came and shared cool physics with us, and our great friend, Cindy Singleton, came and took pictures of the kids.  Click on the above link to see her images.

 

New to me radio program~ el.e.men'tal Idaho

http://elementalidaho.org/

I have been teaching Environmental Science at CSI for years and did not know about this program.  I will look into it as a possible source of information.  I like the idea that they clearly state they are nonpartisan and their goal is present facts from a variety of viewpoints about the issues facing Idaho.

The rebroadcast on June 6 highlights MOSS, the only outdoor school of its' kind in Idaho.   In May, I finally stopped for a visit in McCall and took a picture at their school.  Someday I hope to take a workshop or take a class of students there.  The people who run that program are awesome!

June 8 is Get Outdoors Day and Free Fishing Day in the Magic Vallley

Enjoy a beautiful weekend outdoors thanks to the US Forest Service.  Some local campgrounds will be fee-free.  We have spent time exploring near Pettit and Penstemon campgrounds this past week, and those would be great places to visit with your family. 


The U.S. Forest Service is offering a fee-free day on June 8 in celebration of National Get Outdoors Day, an annual event to encourage healthy, active outdoor fun.


http://www.nationalgetoutdoorsday.org/

http://magicvalley.com/lifestyles/recreation/june-is-free-fishing-day-in-idaho/article_558f603c-fcbb-5f46-88f3-9278d83cdd21.html

 

 

 

 

Lego Robotics Camp at CSI

The award-winning 4-H Live Wire Robotics Team will instruct this summer’s Robotics Summer Workshop at the Herrett Center for Arts and Science June 12 – 14. Kids in grades 2 – 8 are encouraged to sign up soon.

Campers will design, build, program, and operate Lego NXT robots as they work on teamwork and competition skills. The camp runs from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 12 through Friday, June 14 at the Herrett Center’s Rick Allen Room. The registration cost is $100 per student and enrollment is limited to ensure a quality experience for each camper. For more information, please contact Darcy Thornborrow at the Herrett Center at 732-6664 or at dthornborrow@csi.edu.

More Rock Creek Pictures

We spent more time up the canyon this weekend, hiking and checking out the wildflowers.  Our favorite flowers were the lupine, the penstemon, and the forget- me-nots.    We hiked up to Ross Falls, and a few brave souls hiked the Third Creek Trail...which ended up being 7 miles!  The sun was setting by the time we returned to our car.  What a great day to be outside!

Hiking in Rock Creek

One of the highlights of my summer will be serving as a camp counselor for a church camp in Rock Creek Canyon.  Today we drove up to see the campsite and decide on the hikes we will take.  It was a beautiful day, and I am excited to attend the camp in just a few weeks.  We drove up the hill to Pike Mountain Overlook and Don took a video of all the surrounding country.  It is cool to see all the mountains and hills and landscape.  Enjoy!