Camp Google - 4 Weeks of FREE Fun Science Adventures #NGKinsider

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I am about to leave for a a week long camp to become certified as an Outdoor Wildlife Leader along with my two friends. But I won't be the only one having fun....you and your children can experience a science camp from the comfort of your own sofa over the next 4 weeks. Khan Academy, National Geographic and NASA have joined forces with Google to bring you Camp Google. Camp Google is a 4 week online camp designed for children ages 7-10 years old. Each week will be filled with fun science activities and exploration.

Every Monday camp starts with a live adventure that you access right from the Camp Google site. Adventures include a dive into the Atlantic ocean, a hike up an active volcano and jamming with a music star. If you miss a week don't worry, camp activities will remain open and you can look back and relive the experiences at anytime.

National Geographic kicks off the fun on July 13th with Ocean Week. During Ocean Week children will go on a 1 hr live dive into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean with with National Geographic Explorers Erika Bergman and Sylvia Earle. The event will be staged from inside Baseline Explorer's Submarine 'Nemo' where Erika Bergman and Sylvia Earle will discuss marine biology, technology and then pilot an OpenROV pre-positioned several miles offshore and piloted through a wireless ethernet bridge.

Children will learn things like:

• What's at the bottom of the ocean floor?
• How are volcanoes formed?
• What do astronauts eat?
• Why does music make us want to bust a move?

All you need to participate is internet access and a few household items.

As children progress through camp activities they will earn cool badges....like these.

Google explains:

"To really dig into the answers, kids will complete hands on science projects led by experts - using supplies often already available at home - that encourage them to learn by doing, explore the real world and get a little messy. With every activity completed, kids collect special Camp Google badges and track the new skills they've learned along the way."

Watch this video to learn more:


I'd love to hear your thoughts on the camp after you attend some of the session!

Space Scouts Review and Giveaway

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Space Scouts was created by Carol Stump a mother with an established and successful 25 year career in the Aerospace Industry who has a passion for the night sky. And it was her passion for children and space that led to her vision for Space Scouts.

A moms review:
Space Scouts is a monthly subscription club that engages children ages 6+ with fun learning activities, hands-on discovery, and exciting challenges all about space!  After receiving the introductory kit in the first month, children receive the following in subsequent months: activity sheets, a constellation card and information sheet, magnet, space toy, and more, all around a space theme.

We received the introductory kit and subscription month #2 kit for the purpose of this review. The children immediately tore the package open and began to oh and ah over all the fun goodies included in the package. They begged to get started right away...which we did!

Introductory Kit:
This kit includes program introduction, Space Scouts lunch box, solar system poster, activity sheet, sticker scramble, souvenir toy, constellation card cover and ring and constellation card introduction. The lunchbox and toy were probably their favorite items. The metal lunchbox is very cute and sturdy and offers the perfect place to store future materials.

We first read over the program introduction so we could learn more about space scouts and our adventure buddies Roxy and Jett. Next we read over the information sheet on constellations and learned things like: what they were used for long ago and what the meaning of the word constellation is. Each month children are introduced to a new constellation and receive a new card to add onto their constellation ring. 

Next we moved onto the sticker scramble and activity sheet. My son age 7 completed the sticker scramble and my daughter age 8 completed the activity sheet (they switched on the month #2 kit). My son really enjoyed the scramble and loved the end result which was a photograph of our solar system.
My daughter had no trouble with the activity sheet which included 3 activities: decoding, mini crossword and word search. After she completed the activities she shared what she had learned with her brother. 

Next it was time to play! The souvenir toy was a set of Wiki Stix along with a dot-to-dot space picture. This was my children's first experience with Wiki Stix and they fell in love. They spent almost 20 minutes playing with them and they are in for a treat because they will have a large set of Wiki Stix under the tree for them at Christmas.

And last, but not least we took a look at the solar system poster. I reviewed the planets with the children and we hung it up in our homeschool room. In future kits there are stickers that get added to the poster. The poster was quiet large, brightly colored and made from thick, glossy paper. 

Blast Off Into Space

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We had tons of fun with the Poppins Book Nook blog series last year and we will be continuing that fun all throughout 2014. This month's theme was, "Beyond Our Planet!" Keep reading to learn more about the books we read and crafts we made. There is also a giveaway is at the end of the post! To check out all of our past Poppins Book Nook posts click here.

Books:
We started out reading just one book Space: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House: Midnight on the Moon, but while working on our project below we ended up utilizing two more. The other two books had fun exploring were The Astronomy Book and The Stargazer's Guide To The Night Sky.

Craft Project: 

Here is the fun craft project we did to go along with this months theme.

Melted Crayon Planets:
So this project did not go entirely as planed, but it was still tons of fun and it does look great. It was definitely a messy project and parental supervision is needed. My children choose to do all the planets and make a giant board with them, but you can just do your favorite planet or make up your very own planet creation. You could even add glitter into the melted crayon to make a sparkly planet. Note the planets will crack a little as they dry, but it just adds to the look.

Materials:
-Crayons
-Thick cardstock
-Microwave
-Scissors
-Grater, rock, butter knife
-Paper plates
-Rubber glove