The Explorers: Bubbles Everywhere! (From Magnets to Magic Mixtures)

Art Project “Bubbles Everywhere”: We all worked together and  painted a big piece of paper with watercolors and used only colors that represented the sky.  After finishing our sky, we used round objects that first were dipped into paint to make bubble imprints on the paper. 

Magic Bubbles: We went outside and created bubbles using different devices such as strawberry baskets, pipe cleaners and gigantic wands. Some of us tried to make huge bubbles, other tried to create many small ones. We used a self-made bubble solution created out of water (2 1/2 quarts), liquid dish detergent (1 cup) and light corn syrup (1/2 cup).






 
We also continued to practice taking over group responsibilities. We have a Clubhouse job chart with assigned jobs, e.g., passing out brushes to our friends during art, handing out juice boxes for snack, setting the table. We especially like being the prize boss: At the end of each Clubhouse session, the prize boss is responsible for handing out the prizes to everyone who has earned the three Clubhouse friendship tokens.

The Adventurers: Magnets (From Magnets to Magic Mixtures)

Small Group Project “Magnet Painting”: We worked in teams and created paintings using magnets, paint and paper: 

1. Place and tape a sheet of plexiglas (approximately 11x14) on two large wooden blocks so that there is enough room under the plexi to move hands. 
2. Tape a piece of paper onto the plexi.
3. Place blobs of paint (different colors work best) on the paper.
4. Place magnet balls (1 for each child) on the plexi.
5. Move another magnet (1 for each child) against the underside of the plexi. 

Magnet painting is not only a fun activity that lets everyone experience magnetism but is also a great project to promote teamwork and cooperative play. Here are some ideas:

• Students follow or chase each other, e.g., one student takes the lead by moving the magnet ball in one direction and the partner tries to follow.
• Students negotiate what patterns they want to create.
• Students let their magnets attract and paint as a team.

What attracts? We were split up into small groups. We experimented with different materials and determined what objects attract to magnets. One of us drew an item out of the bag and first we discussed as a group if we thought the item was magnetic or not. Then, we placed the object into a tray and used a magnet to see if the object stuck to the magnet. We placed the items that were magnetic on a green piece of paper and the non-magnetic on a red paper. Some objects were easy to determine such as items made out of wood, others were more tricky (e.g., a CD or stainless steel spoon).

The Explorers: Hot Lava and Volcanos (From Magnets to Magic Mixtures)

Music Time “Dance on a Volcano” (adapted “Freeze Game”): Volcanos were spread out on the floor and the students danced around the volcanos when the music played. We discussed that lava is very hot and that we can’t step on the volcanos. The kids then “froze” according to the song but needed to pay attention not to step on the volcanos.

Art Project "Lava Collage": We created a lava collage by painting a big piece of paper in the colors of lava/fire. We also added tissue paper in red/orange/yellow and paint. Some of us enjoyed painting with our fingers, others preferred the foam brushes.

Instant Volcanos: We also created our instant volcanos with baking soda, vinegar and Kool-aid (see 7/27/11 for specific instructions). We loved watching the "eruptions." 

The Adventurers: The Magical Liquid Water (From Magnets to Magic Mixtures)

 “Paper Marbling”: Everyone absolutely loved this project today. Paper marbling is a great activity to learn about colors, patterns the water surface and inks. We worked in small groups and used a Japanese Suminagashi kit (see photo). Here is how it works:

1. Fill a deep tray (bigger than letter size) approximately 2/3 with water.
 
2. Place the "float paper" that comes with the kit onto the water surface and let it soak.

3. Decide what colors you want to use and place a small drop of ink directly onto the "float paper." We took turns and used multiple colors. It is important to be gentle (great learning experience): If the ink bottle is squeezed too hard and too much ink comes out of the bottle, the ink will not stay on the water surface but will just sink to the bottom of the tray.
 
4. To create designs we gently stirred the ink on the surface with a brush. We also tried blowing.

5. Then, we placed a piece of paper onto the water surface. The paper picked up the pattern and voila, we our beautiful paper was created.

Some tips: 

• The water has to be changed once in a while. When the colors start to look pale on the paper, it's time to change the water.
• The inks go a long way and are absolutely non-toxic but don't wash out of clothes easily. 
• If the ink gets on fingers, baby wipes work well to get hands clean again,

 

“Leaking” Relay Race: We were divided into two teams. We placed two bins with water as well as two yogurt cups with a hole at the start line and two bins with a bottle at the finish line. We lined up at the start line. The first player on each team filled the leaky cup with water from the bin. The player then had to run as fast as possible to the finish line to fill the bottle. Then, the player ran back to the start line and handed the cup off to the next player. The game continued until the bottle at the finish line was filled with water. Before we began the race, we brainstormed what we cold do to compensate for the hole in the cup (e.g., run fast). We figured out quickly that it is hard to carry water when there is a hole in the cup.
 

The Explorers: Colors Everywhere! (From Magnets to Magic Mixtures)

Art Project “Balloon Painting”: Today, we experimented with colors and balloons. We decorated a paper by dipping balloons that were blown up slightly or filled with sensory materials into paint and then made an imprint on the paper. We tried different ways how to mix colors (e.g., first using a balloon that was dipped in yellow and then adding a second layer with a balloon that was dipped in red.). 

Water Balloon Relay: Since we love this game so much and the weather was great, we played it again today. We partnered up and went around obstacles holding a container with a water balloon in our hands. At the end of the obstacle course, we tried to hit a target by throwing our water balloons toward the target. We worked on requesting balloons in a certain color and handing the balloon container to a friend to indicate whose turn it was. 

  

The Explorers (Summer Outdoor Fun): THANK YOU!!!

Today was our last Clubhouse summer session. But not to worry, we will only have a very short break and then we will see our Clubhouse friends again. It has been a fun summer session. We would like to say THANK YOU to our dedicated staff. They played and laughed with us and helped and supported us whenever we needed it. We are very fortunate that Andria, Jessica and Sara will be part of or fall Clubhouse crew.

 

Andria

Jessica

Sara

And a big shout out goes to Noelle. She volunteered during the summer session. Thank you so much for your hard work, your patience and for making a difference in our lives.