MHC After 3 campers investigated science and engineering concepts with VMNH educators this summer. Camps were held at the group's site or off-site at a local state park. The camps were designed based on student input gathered during the spring semester.

 In the Projectile Science camp, campers explored the engineering design process and Newton's 1st and 3rd laws of motion through several design challenges using common household items.  Students designed and constructed marshmallow launchers, medieval counterweight trebuchets, and balloon rockets to explore the forces that affect projectiles.

In the Food Engineering and Package Design camp, participants investigated food science engineering by creating ice cream and granola.  Campers explored several examples of packaging and were challenged to design the best package to store their food products.  Each package was tested to discover the most effective design.

The Trail Design camp explored the process and effects of erosion through designing trails with erosion prevention in mind.  In teams, they designed small model trails, tested whether they were "erosion proof" and then redesigned the model to reduce erosion.  They evaluated the hiking trails at Fairy Stone State Park to examine trail design and evidence of erosion.  They also explored the effects of erosion on water bodies, including a stream and lake.  Finally, they worked together to repair existing trails using erosion prevention methods. 





VMNH concluded the Spring '12 semester with a watershed education program designed to raise awareness of the Earth's most valuable natural resource, water.  Each afterschool site received programming that explored how we negatively and positively affect our watershed and how those choices not only influences the organisms that live in the water but will eventually affect us in the immediate and long-term future.  Also, VMNH partnered with the Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) to show students examples of macroinvertebrates (organisms that lack an internal skeleton and are large enough to be seen with the naked eye) that are used to determine the health of water. The semester culminated with students designing a storm drain stencil to convey the importance of water pollution prevention.





Students design their ideal community and discover that we all contribute to water pollution in some way and discover best management practices to reduce pollution.





Students explore the rate at which water absorbs and flows on different surfaces to investigate runoff.  Students tested three different surfaces:  pavement, mulch, and gravel.





 

Wayne Kirkpatrick, a DRBA volunteer, shows examples and explains the importance of macroinvertebrates.



Student designing a stencil slogan.



VMNH educators had a wonderful time working with our afterschool partners this year! With the support of the LEGO Children's Fund, we provided science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming to over 500 students over the course of two semesters!!

Take a look at some of our delightfully fun experiences. Enjoy!

Exploring the properties of water - mixing water and soap.

Measuring a bubble tower with a ruler.

Investigating the interaction of water and antacid tablets.

Anticipating launching our antacid tablet bottle rockets!

Designing our layout before building a rainforest tree.

Working together to build the tallest tree we can imagine!



Combining our trees to discover the layers of the tropical rainforest.

Designing the perfect parachute that will travel to the ground at the slowest time.

Displaying the finished product!

What a Drag!

Fieldale Community Center participants were challenged to use several common materials such as coffee filters, tissue paper, and straws to design and build a parachute that would drop a toy to the ground at the slowest possible rate. Also, participants discovered the importance of drag (a force that counters gravity) and how it affects landing time.

Next, we discussed different shapes of parachutes. Then, they sketched their designs and were given 10 minutes to construct the parachute.

After testing the parachutes, participants were asked to change one aspect of their parachute that would increase the landing time.

An example of the final product!

Adventures with Edventures

Fieldale Community Center participants explored mechanical engineering and the engineering design process through building with LEGOs. Over the course of four days, students investigated simple machines and discovered how simple machines make life easier.

Searching for simple machines in a cartoon.

Concentrating to build the perfect brick flipper (also known a lever).

After completing the brick flipper, the students were challenged to modify the lever to launch a Lego the farthest possible distance.

Building an inclined plane.

Making last minute changes to a cart and cart launcher before the race begins!

Design It!

Campers at the Fieldale Community Center investigated the world of engineering in this design-inspired camp! Civil engineering was the theme of the week as students were given several structural challenges that tested their ingenuity and problem solving skills.

Students visited Fieldale Park to observe the truss bridge before creating their own bridge from a single sheet of paper.

Using two bricks, a sheet of paper, and several pennies, students explored different folding methods to test the strength of their paper bridge.

Who knew marshmallows and toothpicks could be combined to form a sturdy structure?

Clearly, drinking straws are used for more than drinking!

The week culminated with the students designing and building amusement park rides.

Nature Photographs

Students from the Boys and Girls Club Teen Center explored Frank Wilson Park with VMNH on July 20th. As part of their week-long Photography theme, they participated in several photo-related nature activities. They acted as photographer and camera to view elements of the park ecology more closely, they reviewed their life science while completing a nature photo scaventer hunt with their cell phones, and they created framed artwork with materials from nature.

Photographers take nature photos with their human cameras

Getting a close-up with their cell phone cameras

They found a conifer!

This tree needed a hug

Frame complete, now for the art

Framed Nature Art

She found a dead butterfly in the leaves, a beautiful swallowtail