Wet and Wild with the Collinsville YMCA and Fieldale Community Center

The final week of MHC After 3 summer camp ends today, and we've had a full month of science fun and adventure! The students from the Collinsville YMCA were with me in the mornings this week, and the Fieldale Community Center in the afternoons. I'm posting some photos to highlight what we did this week:

Monday at Fairy Stone

The stream at Fairy Stone near the Allied Shelter

Testing water quality in the stream

Ready to catch a crayfish

Got one!

Tuesday at Philpott Lake

The "fish" attempt to go through the "turbine" in the Hooks and Ladders activity

This "fish" can jump high!

Playing bat-moth

The Collinsville YMCA group at the Philpott overlook

Looking off the dam-on the river side

A little bird that joined me for lunch

Wednesday at the Smith River

A free-swimming caddisfly pupa

Thursday at Fairy Stone Lake

Ranger Lee gives a casting net lesson

Seining in the lake

Due to a boat house delay, we had a few minutes to fill. So, the kids had an improptu sand castle contest. I challenged them to include a bridge in their castle design.

Getting ready to canoe

Wet and Wild!

HC After 3 students from the Bassett Community Center and the Martinsville Boys and Girls Club have been enjoying VMNH's "Wet and Wild" camp this week. I didn't have my camera for our trips to Fairy Stone or Philpott this week, but I had it today when we all went into the Smith River!

In the morning, the Bassett Community Center met us at the new Great Road Access Point (near CP Films in Bassett). It was a chilly 55 degrees in the water, but everyone went in to find some crayfish and macro invertebrates (see earlier posts for details on the bethic organisms). Here are some photos from today:

VMNH Youth Volunteers ready to help!

Looking for macro invertebrates

Sorting out the different species: mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies, etc.

Examining the bugs

Brian Williams (DRBA) shows the group a crayfish

Brandy (Bassett Community Center) picks up a crayfish

In the afternoon, students from the Boys and Girls Club joined us at the South Martinsville canoe access ramp to look for wildlife. Here are their photos:

Putting the bugs caught in the kick net into our viewing containers

Picking up rocks

More macro invertebrates caught!

Walking around the island

Showing the group how to use a kick net, and examining the macros and crayfish

PS- We always release all wildlife back into the stream, so they can continue to thrive in our rivers and streams.

Marvelous Messes!

The MHC After 3 group from the Virginia Museum of Natural History just finished up their week of the "Marvelous Messes" camp. Each day we did several experiments that involved getting messy and/or wet.

On the first day, the most favorite activities were definitely the baking soda/vinegar ones. When you combine baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid), a chemical reaction occurs that results in water, sodium acetate, and carbon dioxide. In our first experiment, that carbon dioxide blew up a balloon.

Then we used the reaction to create a cork rocket, which caused a lot of excitement! Everyone wore their safety goggles, just in case. Be sure to check out the video of our rockets!

Preparing the rocket

The cork rocket explodes (a little earlier than expected)!

And again!

On Day 2, we went out to Frank Wilson Park for some outdoor activities. First the group dissected owl pellets.

Then, everyone created a simulation of the ocean with an oil spill. Each group attempted to clean the oil out of the water with various materials. We also learned all about the current oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico.

On Wedesday the group headed out to the Smith River to look for macro invertebrates and crayfish.

Using a kick net to find macros.

Ariel gets a better look at a small crayfish

Water quality testing

Finally, on the last day, the students learned how to extract DNA from fruit. They also built boats out of cardboard and duct tape, and then tested them to see if they were "sea worthy". The most successful boat held 130 marbles before it sank.

Extracting DNA from strawberries, oranges, and tomatoes. 

Friday at Fairy Stone

On Friday, the Martinsville YMCA group headed to Fairy Stone. We used a seining net in the lake to see what we could find. We found a few bluegills, a froglet, and several other small fish. Park Ranger Sam Jensen showed some of the kids how to use a casting net to catch fish.

Seining in Lake Fairy Stone

Then we went canoeing on the lake out to the dam. Only one boat tipped over, and everyone had a great time paddling!