In each of Camp Galileo’s whimsical weeklong themes, campers tackle engaging hands-on projects, irresistible outdoor games and an immersive environment crafted to capture the imagination.
Here’s what campers are exploring this week in the Galileo Olympic Games theme.
Nebulas practiced being visionary as they created victory wreaths, envisioning three unique leaf shapes. They discussed possible shapes and possible paper cutting techniques, then planned their designs. After cutting their first leaves and arranging the pieces, Nebulas asked, “What other leaf shapes can I try? Where might I add more leaves? Do I need to adjust my cutting technique?” Then they made adjustments accordingly. Finally, everyone wore their completed wreaths to celebrate and get ideas for the future.
Stars created arrows to complement the bows they engineered earlier in the week. They began with the question, “How might we create straw arrows that fly the farthest?” After exploring possible arrow designs and discussing how length and weight might affect how their arrows travel through the air, they planned their first design and created their first arrows. To test, Stars fired their arrows with their bows they made yesterday, taking time to notice how far the arrows flew and ask themselves what other designs they might try. Then they designed a different kind of arrow and compared it with their previous ones.
Supernovas are going for the gold with a five-day project: engineering pneumatic judo bots. Each day has a different focus, and Thursday was all about testing. To get their bots competition-ready, campers discussed elements that could impact their bots’ performance, such as the sturdiness of the base or the design of the grappling arm. Supernovas then used these ideas to add elements to their design, then practiced giving and receiving peer feedback after a series of test matches. Campers used this feedback to further redesigned and refined their bots, ultimately sharing and celebrating with their teammates.
After constructing the main form of their go-karts, Meteors considered how they might create steering wheels that were both comfortable and in keeping with the overall theme of their custom speed machines. After sketching out a variety of possibilities, they chose their favorite option and got cracking on their final design. Meteors cut their steering wheel shapes from wood, then held their designs and pretended to steer to test how comfortable their wheels were to grip and maneuver. They asked themselves how they liked the shape and whether or not it was comfortable, taking time to notice what was and wasn’t working in their original design. After reflecting, they adjusted their steering shapes accordingly before moving on to adding paint and other decorative details to bring their ideas to life.
It’s not too late to sign up for one (or more!) of Camp Galileo’s three weekly themes: National Parks Adventure, Galileo Olympic Games, and Toy Makers Workshop. To get started, find the camp near you.
Postcards from Camp: National Parks Adventure 
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Helping Kids Navigate Post-Quarantine Transitions 