Congo Camp 2010

The Ice Cream bags in the middle of shaking.

The Congo Chemists began the last day of the session by making a tasty, terrific treat: Ice Cream!

Adding a little salt to milk, the campers then used some manpower to shake the bags to ensure the ice cream was well mixed.

After they shook for ten minutes, this treat was completed and they could prepare to eat their homemade ice cream. 

All of the campers were excited to finish the ice cream and couldn't wait to experience their vanilla flavored deliciousness!

The Lava Lamp made by Congo Chemists.

In Congo Chemists, the campers had the chance to make larger lava lamps today.  With some oil, water, and alka seltzer, the Congo Chemists got to see a lava lamp in action.

As the alka seltzer was dropped in by the counselors, the bubbles started to flow.  They raised and dropped just as in a real lava lamp. 

The Chemists were excited to see this experiment in action and are anxious to get their lava lamp home to keep it on their desks!

Congo Chemists tested chemical reactions as they saw CO2 form by mixing baking soda and vinegar.

To see the formation, they placed vinegar into a plastic bottle and then added baking soda into a deflated balloon.  Once the baking soda was added, the reaction started.

The balloon was connected to the top of the plastic bottle and then the baking soda was sifted into the vinegar.  As the two chemicals met, the gas formed and helped the balloon to inflate.

All of the Congo Chemists were excited to see the reaction and to see some of the balloons explode.  Later today they will be making lemon soda and we can't wait to taste this delicious treat!

Three different liquids after Red Cabbage Water was added.

What do you do when you run out of pH-testing strips? Red cabbage, of course . . .well, Red Cabbage water. 

Red Cabbage was boiled in Congo Chemists and the excess water was then added to various liquids, such as vinegar, to test the acidity level. 

The results were then observed by the Chemists so they could determine whether the liquid was a base or acid.

Congo Chemists have been enjoying the many activities and experiments they have done over the past two weeks and are excited to continue these over the next three days. 

A smiley face made from the Jelly Balls.

Congo Chemists started off their morning by playing with Jelly bouncing balls.  These balls started off as small pellets last week and then were left to sit in water.

Over the weekend, these balls soaked up water and enlarged to the size of marbles.

The balls were jelly-like and all of the campers had fun this morning playing with the creations.  They all had different colors and were excited to see how high they could get their balls to bounce without popping!

The ingredients to make an exquisite bouncing ball.

The Congo Chemists made their way through the rainy day by making Bouncing Balls.  From a simple solution of borax and water, the bouncing balls came together pretty quickly.

Each ball was made of a different color and each of the campers had to figure out exactly how large they would make their ball.

After they were finished with the ball making, the campers then played with their "soft marbles" which were a demonstration of a polymer. 

The "soft marbles" sat in water all morning and soaked up the enough water to become larger.  Now, each of the campers will have their own set of marbles to enjoy over the weekend. 

One of the diapers our Congo Chemists tested.

Now, few of us have ever actually asked this question, but our Congo Chemists did and they were able to explain the science behind those wonderful creations.

As they studied polymers, they learned that diapers are an excellent demonstration of a polymer. After seeing how much water a diaper could hold, they then cut open the diapers to see the actual powder that resides inside of them.

This powder is what makes a diaper work: it can soak up liquid and then creates a bond that prevents the liquid from leaking.  Our Congo Chemists had fun exploring exactly how the diapers were effective fluid holders and are excited to do their next project: making snow!

Campers and their test tube beads.

The Congo Chemists learned about density today by creating test tube bottled beads. These beads were placed in colored water and demonstrated exactly how density works.

Every time the campers flipped their test tube, the beads floated to the top. They explained how the less dense an object it the more easily it floats.

They finished their exploration of density by watching Ms. Jennifer, their counselor, so how oil always floats on water. Later this afternoon, they will be making lava lamps to see other ways that density is shown.

Some of the slime made by our Congo Chemists.

Slime!  Today, the Congo Chemists created slime as they learned about how matter can mix together.

Creating the slime was simple, the campers mixed some water with borax and shook it up in a ziploc bag.  As the bag was shaken, the ingredients slowly started to thicken and then the food coloring was added. 

After it was finished, the campers each got to start playing with their gooey creation.  These chemists have definitely been getting their hands dirty as they make their way through learning about chemistry.

Campers' hands in Oobleck.

Our Congo Chemists campers started off their week with two very fun and unique activities to introduce them into the world of Chemistry.

The first activity they completed was creating atoms out of clay.  These atoms had to have their nucleus and all of the rings to ensure that they were realistic representations of real atoms. 

The second activity was that of creating oobleck.  Now, the name may sound unusual but the campers enjoyed making and playing with this substance. 

Made from corn starch and water, oobleck can be both solid and liquid and a great gooey bit of fun.  We hope these Congo Chemists had fun on their first day and we are excited to see the other activities they do throughout the two weeks of session 5!