Week 2 : Botany is the perfect theme for art making!

Oil and water don't mix! 

Using oil pastels and liquid watercolors, campers explored the "resist" painting technique, depicting trees and plants above and below ground.

Raindrops fall on a garden of carrots.

Showing off some works in progress. A painting lesson on post-impressionism, Vincent van Gogh and his wonderful sunflower and iris still lifes.

CACTI SCULPTURES

As an avid collector of cacti, this is absolutely my new favorite art project! After studying these hearty plant species and their structures at the Arboretum's cactus garden, campers sat in the shade creating their very own cacti, using oil pastels on chipboard, toothpicks for the needles and tongue depressors and popsicle sticks for stands!!!!

Did you know that it takes between 50 and 75 years for a Saguaro cactus' arms to appear!? In areas of lower precipitation it may take up to 100 years!

Barrel Cacti.

Such a beautiful day so we must create our mosaics outside! 

What happens when we mix dish soap, tempera paints and a bit of water? BUBBLE PAINTINGS!!! 

So glad we decided to do this one outside. We would have been cleaning the classroom for days.

Post-bubble painting play with our awesome counselors!

On Friday morning before water play, I told the campers we were going to be graphic designers, starting our own seed companies and creating our very own seed packet designs. 

I love when the kids use their imagination and take my projects even further. Love the catchy text, barcode and paper seeds... I see advertising in this ones future!

Note the USDA organic stamp.

In case you haven't met him yet, this is Lucky, our bearded dragon friend and one of our class pets. Lucky and I both joined the Arboretum team back in 2011 and he has quadrupled in size since then! The kids love watching him hunt for crickets in his luxurious terrarium and holding him when he's feeling social.

A Few More Favorite Moments From Week 1...

On Friday afternoon we made masks in art class. This little camper decided to make a "Ms. Hilary mask"! Of course we had to take a photo together.

Launching the paper stomp rockets campers made in afternoon science with Andre!

Friday "water days" mean slip 'n slides and water balloons! Snapped this just before an ambush.

Ice cream making assembly line. Don't worry, ice cream comes AFTER the slip 'n slide!

Week 2: Botany - The great plant adventure

To a scientist, it is difficult to tame a simple stroll through beautiful bright wildflowers and lush greenery without thinking about science. There is an explanation and a reason why we see such beautiful colors, but this explanation is never an easy one to relay to our young adventurers. In fact, it can be quite difficult to explain to anyone (let alone a 6-year-old!) what color actually is.

Yes, color can be pretty, bland, cold and warm, but what makes that purple flower purple? Why do we see that leaf as green and not blue? Why are rocks brown and not red? Who made up these rules anyway?!

To a 5-year-old, an adequate answer is a simple one: light. When the sun comes up, we are able to see all the color around us. When there is absolutely no light (including the moon and stars), we can no longer see color. This is an 100% accurate explanation and one you shouldn't feel bad about explaining to the little ones.

To an 8-year-old this answer is not quite good enough. How is light color? *Cue looking at the sun and burning eyeballs.*

Picture your run-of-the-mill drawing of a sun. Generally it is composed of a big yellow ball and lots of yellow squiggly lines emanating outwards. In reality, the sun emits many of these squiggly lines called "waves" and these waves come in all different sizes... they're invisible except for the waves we see as color. For example, green-sized waves travel from the sun, reflect off a leaf, travel to your eye, and finally to your brain which tells you "yes, that leaf if green."

What happens when a green-sized wave hits a flower that is supposed to be pink? That green-sized wave is absorbed by the flower. Only pink-sized waves reflect off of that pink flower.

In class this morning we made an optical illusion meant to trick our brains into thinking an entire rainbow of color is actually white. It takes some practice and patience, but it's a neat project. If you would like to reproduce this project at home, use the link below.

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/disappearing-color-wheel

Of course to test our hypothesis about color we just had to do more tie-dye.

Week 1: Camp messes are the best messes

Summer camp in a very unique experience. As a future teacher I absolutely love school, but summer camp has it's own sounds, tastes, smells, sights, and feelings. Camp comes without a catch - there are no grades to earn, assessments to ace, or homework to turn in. We turn off our video games, close the textbooks, and toss the agenda in exchange for unfettered exploration, curiosity, and meaningful connections. Oh, and messes. Lots and lots of messes. 

The Friday before camp started, we were able to meet some of our fabulous high-schoolers during counselor orientation. Providing a fun camp experience for 40+ campers would be impossible without them. 

T-shirts, tie dye, stained hands, oh my!

Our color-themed scavenger hunt was a great success. Didn't quite make it to the waterfall, but engaged minds don't walk quite as fast as I initially thought.

"Look back, the line of campers never ends!"

Time to apply our findings in an art project. 

Our Tuesday science project was egg carton caterpillar planters. Campers were able to plant the wildflower and poppy seeds they learned so much about on our color hike the day before. I think a few campers made carton bunnies... hmmm. 

Mysteries of the rainbow scratch paper is revealed. Proper pictures next time, right girls?

These campers are concentrating hard on making their stamps. Hilary provides some helpful tips to getting it just right.

When campers aren't busy watching peahens, catching dragonflies, and observing bees, our front yard tent is a favorite spot for reading, drawing, and eating lunch. 

Back inside, campers work hard on their stamps. Stopping to eat lunch is oh so difficult when there is art to be had!

Week 1 : "The Earth, Our Friend"

Youth Education Manager + Camp Director Ted welcomes campers on Monday morning.

Getting to know the Arboretum on a morning hike.

Exploring the tropical greenhouse!

   

Tie dying our new camp t-shirts on Monday morning with our wonderful science instructor, Jenna!

Combining bean mosaics and sand paintings in morning art class... I spy a peacock!

Afternoon science + bugs with our new instructor Andre!

Colorful windsock art project.

On Tuesday morning, Jenna took campers on a scavenger hunt, collecting organic materials matching our color-coded egg cartons... 

Next, our art instructor Hilary introduced campers to the work of French artist, Jean DuBuffet and his 'impasto' technique, combining organic materials and paint to thicken and add texture. Best of all, we got to use what we found on our hunt, combining natural science and fine art!  

Afternoon plein air drawings under the shade of our garden tipi.