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Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #4

April 9, 2020 by Club SciKidz Dallas

EGGS-CELLENT EGGS-PERIMENT!

It’s that time of year….break out those hard boiled eggs and the food coloring!  What’s more fun than enjoying a vibrant egg to brighten up a meal or a snack? I don’t know about you, but eating a neon egg is slightly more fun than a plain white one. Either way, they’re delicious!

Have you ever stopped to think about the chemistry behind the process of dyeing eggs?  Probably not, but this year can be the year you impress your kids with a quick science lesson while waiting on the dye to take!

Never dyed eggs before?  This article has a great tutorial.  Once your eggs are in the dye, set the timer, and dive into your quick science discussion.  

For Younger Kids (4-10ish)

You can start by asking “did you know that you’re watching a chemical reaction right now?!?”  This might garner some shocked or confused expressions (depending if they’re familiar with the idea of “chemistry” yet!). If not, you could always use the term “science experiment,” or even just explain that chemistry is a type of science.  

If you have a magnifying glass, bust that thing out and have your child examine the egg in the dye.  They should start seeing tiny bubbles forming on the surface of the shell. Now is your chance to wow them!  Say something like “those bubbles are full of something called carbon dioxide, have you ever heard of that before?”  They may know that the air they exhale contains carbon dioxide. See where the conversation goes! Ask them if they know why the bubbles are ‘magically’ appearing on the egg’s shell.  This is where you explain that the vinegar you mixed with the water is an acid and it is reacting with the egg’s shell to break it down a little bit.  This allows the dye molecules to “stick” to the shell a little better. Pretty cool, right?

For Older Children (preteens/teens)

Challenge them with this question: do you think dyeing this egg physically changes the egg, or chemically changes the egg?”  The popular answer choice is likely “physical” because a color change can often seem superficial.  Kids often associate any change in an object’s color with being a physical change (like coloring on a piece of paper).  They don’t often stop and ask themselves if a new, different product has been created; or if the color change is a byproduct of a chemical reaction.  Unless they look really close on the egg, they may not see the signs of a chemical reaction. Surprisingly though, dyeing an egg is a chemical process!  You can point out those tiny bubbles on the eggshell and explain the reaction that’s underway. For a more in-depth look at the chemistry, you can check out THIS article. 

Another fun twist for older kiddos is that you can challenge them to invent their own natural dyes.  Have them look around your pantry, spice cabinet, fridge, or freezer to see if any items could be used (with your guidance) to naturally color an egg.  If they’re really stumped, let them search “natural food dyes” online, or just direct them to your fruits & veggies! 

The best kind of eggs….amiright?!?

No matter how deep you go with your chemistry lesson, we hope your eggs turn out beautifully and taste great.  We hope your family has a restful and joyous Easter weekend!

Filed Under: Science Blog, Experiments Tagged With: #clubscikidzdallas, #clubsci, clubsci2020

CAMP SPOTLIGHT: Jr. Meteorologist

April 29, 2019 by Club SciKidz Dallas

Has all of the crazy spring weather this month piqued your child’s interest?  Here in North Texas, we definitely see our fair share of weather excitement. We’ve had tornado warnings, threats of large hail, torrential rain, beautiful sunshine, extreme winds…sometimes all in the same day!  As a parent of a curious child, what can you do to make the most of this severe weather?

 

Utilize the “teachable moments!”

There are SO many things you can do at home to help your kids dig into the topic of weather.  Make a rain gauge using an empty water bottle!  Sketch clouds and discuss cloud types. Keep a family weatherboard and allow a different child to update it each day or week. Read age appropriate weather books.  Make a tornado in a mason jar. Watch weather forecast videos together and discuss how certain weather events can impact our daily lives. Allow your child to marvel at the power of nature!

Discuss your weather safety plan with your children.

This is best done when there is no threat of severe weather.  There’s definitely a fine line between preparing your kids versus scaring them into having nightmares about it, but you know your kids best.   You’ve probably identified your home’s safe room with them, which is ideally a storm shelter or lower level interior room. Have you taken it further to educate your kids about other protective measures they can do, in the event that your home is in the direct path of a violent storm? 

    • Always wear shoes (in case glass gets broken during storm)
    • Use a mattress (crib mattresses are easy to move!), heavy blankets, or sleeping bags to protect you from debris
    • Keep a “go bag” nearby with flashlights, changes of clothes, critical medications, nonperishable food items, and a basic first aid kit

Send your youngest weather watchers to camp Jr. Meteorologist this summer!  

We believe that even our youngest campers can start learning to be weather aware as early as age four.  In our Jr. Meteorologist camp, kids will learn about air pressure, weather forecasting, states of matter, anemometers, the water cycle, and many other things.  They’ll even build their very own weather station to bring home! Another favorite activity in this camp is playing with “snow” and learning about polymers. Campers wrap up their week of fun by making terrariums and making their own ice cream.  Who doesn’t love to eat ice cream on a hot summer day? Check availability for camp Jr. Meteorologist HERE.

We hope to see your future storm spotters at camp this summer, and we wish you luck in stayingsafe this spring with our unpredictable Texas weather.  Always keep an eye on the sky- things change quickly around here!

Filed Under: Science Blog, Summer Camp Tagged With: #clubscikidz, #summercamp, #clubscikidzdallas, #sciencecamp, #clubsci, #clubscikidzdallas2019, #severeweather

Top 5 Reasons Why Club SciKidz Dallas is the BEST!

March 6, 2019 by Club SciKidz Dallas

        

Shopping for Dallas summer camps?  Look no further!

Okay, so we had a hard time narrowing the list down to just five, but we are a little biased.  Read on for our favorite picks, in no particular order:

1. One Stop Shop for the Family!

If you are tired of spending HOURS each week figuring out which child needs to be dropped off where and when, and then planning your route between different Dallas summer camps to minimize traffic and carpool lane time….then GET EXCITED!  We offer camps for multiple age groups each week at all of our locations! Yes, that means you can drop off the 4 year old, 7 year old, and 12 year old TOGETHER at the same place, and they’ll be there all day! With 24 different science themes, there is definitely something for everyone.  

2. Competitive Pricing

Summer camp fees add up quickly, especially with multiple children and multiple weeks.  We are proud to bring you a high quality, one-of-a-kind camp experience for an affordable price ($245-$295 for Mon-Fri, 9-4).  We also have several discounts available.  We’ve shopped our competition, and many of them charge in the $280-$350 range for a week of HALF day camp!  Your wallet will love you for choosing Club SciKidz Dallas.

3. Leaders in the Camp Industry

Did you know that Club SciKidz was founded in Atlanta in 1997?  Our franchise here in Dallas opened in 2009, so this will be our 11th summer here (woohoo!!).  There are now also franchises in Houston, Kentucky, Maryland, and Virginia. Our company has a very successful history of bringing the BEST science camps to 75,000 children and counting.    

4. JAM-PACKED Camp Days!   

No matter which of our camps your child attends, he or she will do 4 hands-on science lessons per day.  The daily schedule also includes a fun science pep rally, team-building time, game time, and outdoor recess! Our days are specifically designed to foster social and emotional growth as well as the mental & physical aspects of science camp.  Before we know it, our campers are headed back out the door, projects in hand, ready to show everything to you.

5. Top Notch Curriculum

Each of our units are rigorously researched by science educators, with the help of teachers and children (the most important group of all!).  Lessons incorporate age-appropriate science process skills (measuring, observation, inference, etc) as well as the science content relative to the camp’s individual theme.  New camps are field tested by our Atlanta headquarters before we bring them to you. We like to say that we really focus on the “why” behind the fun science experiment!  

 

Additional questions?  Check out our FAQ’s page or give us a shout at hello@clubscikidzdallas.com.  See you this summer!

Filed Under: Science Blog, Summer Camp Tagged With: #clubscikidz, #summercamp, #clubscikidzdallas, #clubsci2019, #sciencecamp, #clubsci, #dallascamps, #summer2019, #dallassummercamps

CAMP SPOTLIGHT: Adventures in Minecraft Game Design

January 20, 2019 by Club SciKidz Dallas

Is your Minecraft-obsessed kid looking to take their skills to the next level?  Maybe your 1st or 2nd grader completed our now-retired “Beginner Minecraft Game Design” camp and is ready for a challenge?  Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at our newest Minecraft camp to see if it’s the right fit for your child!

Adventures in Minecraft Game Design is a camp designed for 1st-3rd graders who have experience playing Minecraft.  Each day of camp features 4 “labs” or lessons focusing on different Minecraft skills. At various point during the week, campers will get to play in Creative, Survival, and yes, even Hardcore modes!  Some of the new skills taught include building roller coasters, designing a drawbridge, and building & firing a TNT cannon using Redstone.  The toughest challenge comes at the end of the week, when campers take what they’ve learned and attempt to travel into The End.  This is the hardest place to survive in Minecraft, and once there, they’ll attempt to hunt the Ender Dragon.

The week wraps up with Family Day, when campers get to show off their worlds to their parents and family members.  This is the highlight of the week for the campers, as they’ve been working SO hard all day, every day.  In other words, your child gets to do some serious bragging on themselves!  

Don’t delay in registering, as this camp will likely go on waitlist very early.  We hope to see your Minecraft lover at camp this summer!  Have questions? Shoot us an email at hello@clubscikidzdallas.com.  Craft on!

Minecraft for Kids

Filed Under: Science Blog, Summer Camp Tagged With: #clubscikidz, Dallas Summer Camp, summer camp dallas, minecraft, #clubscikidzdallas, #clubsci2019, #dallassummercamp, #sciencecamp, #holidaydiscount, #clubsci

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Countdown to Summer Camp!

Opening Day June 15, 2020
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Recent Posts from the Science Blog

  • Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #4 April 9, 2020
  • Fresh List of Activity Ideas! April 6, 2020
  • Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #3 April 1, 2020
  • Weekly At-Home Science Lesson #2 March 22, 2020
  • Weekly At-Home Science Lesson March 18, 2020

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