A Sneak Peak at Summer Camp

Curious about Adventures in STEM Summer Camp at the Science Mill?

Our STEM Career Immersion Camps offer five days of action-filled adventures. To be victorious, you’ll have to drop some STEM knowledge on these challenges. By the end of the week you’ll have new friends, new skills and new goals for your future!

Here’s a look at some of the activities and connected STEM careers:

Apocalypse Now… What?

To get ahead in a post-apocalyptic world, you need to build tools that can move with you. Engineer portable protection pods by manipulating the powers of air, water and pressure. Then put your skills to work combining textiles and circuitry to design “smart” accessories and wearable technology that help you stay mobile in a haywire, apocalyptic world.

Engineering is not just for buildings and bridges. Engineers develop the everyday products we use, and they keep people’s needs in mind when designing them. In a Hunger Games-like world, many things threaten everyday safety. Students will learn about being an industrial designer, become a part of the Hunger Games plot while working as a team to meet the potential needs of people surviving in the districts. Complete the task by designing a fashionable wearable technology (or technology enhanced) accessory to meet one of the needs of life in the districts. 

Robotics to the Rescue

You and your team are going to need some help getting out of this apocalyptic mess. Complete a team-based rescue challenge by designing a one-of-a-kind robot and then developing a mobile app to control it.

Today, robotics is a booming field, with an expanding role in manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and a wide range of other fields, including jobs too hazardous to be performed by people. Explore the field of robotics by taking on a rescue mission too dangerous to be done by mankind. Tackle a dynamic course to overcome challenges in this post-apocalyptic world of falling buildings, caving structures, shattered bridges.

Zombies!

Just when you thought you had things under control, there’s a zombie outbreak and you’re infected! You know zombies, they’re always losing limbs. Can you bio-engineer your way out of permanently losing an arm or leg? Design and build a prosthetic limb before it’s too late!

Explore osteology, kinesiology, and bio engineering, all sciences needed to understand bones and movement, allowing scientists to develop and build prosthetic limbs. Become a STEM entrepreneur along the way as you learn how to best design, develop, and market your unique limb to your target customer. Campers will also learn about epidemiology, the study of diseases and how they spread. They will become disease detectives!

Did You Know…

Our Johnson City-based camps offer optional FREE round-trip transportation to the Science Mill from Burnet and Marble Falls.

Pre/post-camp care is also available in Johnson City: 8am-9am ($25/week) and/or 4pm-5pm ($25/week).

Limited scholarship funds are available, based on financial need.

Fit Kids, Fit Brains: Guest Post from Marathon Kids

Why is physical fitness so important for children?

Globally, physical inactivity has reached pandemic proportions. The first 10 years of life are game-changing; these years provide a critical window for creating a lifelong commitment to physical activity. Research shows that kids need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day. However, only one in five kids currently reaches that minimum.

Physical inactivity and poor food choices cause all sorts of problems, like diabetes, problem behavior, low self-esteem, heart disease, mental health issues, liver disease, and poor school performance. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends active play as the best exercise for younger children, including running. Kids are designed to move and run, and it’s an activity that is easy for them as well as fun. If they are interested in participating in other sports, running provides the physical foundation to move; and if they are not, movement of any kind increases their coordination and mental focus. 

In fact, physical activity has multiple, far-reachingeffects that last into adulthood. For example, the physical training in a typical soccer practice helps reduce the risk for depression while the strength training in that same practice will increase long-term skeletal health. 

Science tells us that kids who create healthy habits of physical activity and eating well are sculpting both their bodies and minds in a positive way; this sets children on a positive path that will influence the rest of their lives. Frequent and consistent movement is associated with better grades, attendance, and behavior while in elementary school, and as they grow, this will become a trajectory that results in upward mobility for both themselves and their own children, later on. 

According to DesignedtoMove.org, research shows that physical activity can positively impact everything educators are trying to achieve. “When children move regularly in school, behavior, attention, attendance and academic performance often improve. In the future, these children will have better income prospects, improved physical and mental health, and higher productivity.”

What can we do to get kids moving?

Coach Maria Mendez, a K-5 PE teacher at Freedom Elementary School in Southside Independent School District (approximately 20 miles south of downtown San Antonio) is a lifelong runner herself and decided to start a running club with her 4th graders. 

“[Our running club] has really inspired my students to become closer to one another, and to me. It has taught them responsibility, given them stamina, courage, and a love for running. It has made me become a better role model for my students. They always know what days we are running, and if certain circumstances arise, and they can’t run, they aren’t very happy.”

https://marathonkids.org/turning-opportunity-action-coach-mendez-freedom-elementary-marathon-kids/

For more information on how you can start a run club in your home, school, or neighborhood, visit the Marathon Kids website. If you want to get kids moving, we're here to help! 

Cami Hawkins is the CEO of Marathon Kids, a non-profit based in Austin, Texas. 

For another great way to get the whole family moving, join the Science Mill for the second annual Science of Sports on Saturday, April 14! For one day only, Science Mill visitors can test balance, measure reflexes, improve focus and more at eight specially designed stations. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of the scientific principles behind movement, plus great tips for improving your performance. Record your family's or group's highest score at each station for a chance to get on the Science of Sports Leaderboard. The highest scoring team of the day will win a Family Membership to the Science Mill!

Pardon Me, Is That a Parasitoid on Your Pupa?

It’s pollen season, and that means everything outside has a lemon-lime colored coating and you may be sneezing more than usual. It also means butterflies and other pollinators are busy doing their thing.

On Earth Day at the Science Mill we will be talking about butterflies and the role they play in ecological health. We recently talked with a friend of the Science Mill, Dr. Carl Stenoien, who is a post-doctoral associate with the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota, where they have a Monarch Lab dedicated to better understanding the biology and natural history of monarchs. 

Dr. Stenoien’s specific focus is not on monarchs themselves, but on parasitoid wasps that attack monarch butterflies. You’re not alone if you’re thinking, “Para-what now?” 

Parasitoids, like parasites, need a host to survive. Unlike parasites that invade a host without killing it, parasitoids are lethal - and plentiful.

“There are way more species of parasitoid wasps than all of the mammals, fishes, birds, reptiles and amphibians combined,” said Dr. Stenoien.

During his graduate work, Dr. Stenoien studied a parasitoid called Pteromalus cassotis. Not a lot is known about these tiny wasps, but scientists like Dr. Stenoien are starting to discover just why parasitoids are so important on an ecological level.

“This species seems to be a specialist on milkweed butterflies, like monarchs, queens and soldiers, and is known to attack monarchs across much of the US, including Texas”

— Dr. Stenoien

Scientists studying the monarch population consider parasitoids just one piece of the puzzle.

“We don’t know how much it contributes to population declines, but it is probably a smaller factor than any of the following: breeding habitat loss, overwintering habitat loss, climate change, and insecticide use”

— Dr. Stenoien

He went on to explain that we might look at butterflies and moths very differently if it weren’t for parasitoids and other predators.

“Pretty much every species of insect is attacked by at least one or a few species of parasitic flies or wasps,” said Dr. Stenoien. “Butterflies and moths are wonderful, beautiful, and fascinating animals, but part of what makes them special to us is that most are not overpopulated pests. This is partially due to the control exerted by their natural enemies, including parasitoids.”

Visit Dr. Stenoien’s YouTube channel for videos of parasitoid wasps, or watch this webinar for a more detailed discussion.

Get to know Dr. Stenoien a little better! Read profiles from his graduate student days here and here. Dr. Stenoien is now a post doctoral researcher, and is still working on parasitoids, though not currently with butterflies. Instead, he’s working on a couple of species that may attack an agricultural pest, the soybean aphid.

Looking to learn more about monarch butterflies or start a classroom garden? Visit the University of Minnesota’s Monarch Lab for K-12 curriculum ideas.

Bouncy Houses Are Fun, But So Overdone!

The only thing better than watching your children have fun is watching them play and learn at the same time! As a parent, I’m constantly on the hunt for things to do and places to take my child that will provide a safe and highly enjoyable experience. If I am able to find something that is safe, fun, and educational, I’ve hit the trifecta, and it can be challenging to find a place that meets all three of these needs. The Science Mill is a refreshing destination that quenches parents’ thirst for a way to span the gap between fun and education. The museum shows kids that it is possible for an experience to be simultaneously intellectual and enjoyable! Children have an amazing capacity for learning and an innate curiosity about their world. Why not foster that desire to discover on their birthday? Bouncy houses are fun, but overdone. Celebrate your child’s milestone by giving the gift of exciting learning!

The Science Mill offers three birthday party options to suit your child’s interests. In addition to our standard party package, our deluxe party packages are themed and include three facilitated activities. Learn about nature and what makes our unique planet so amazing in our Nature Extravaganza party, or experience the fascinating, prehistoric world of the dinosaurs in our Prehistoric Party! First, the kids are able to get hands-on as they make take home gifts in an activity led by a museum staff member. Whether it’s building a birdfeeder or forming a fossil, each child will leave the party with a special souvenir. Next, the children will do some scientific sleuthing as they use exhibit clues to solve a puzzle in a scavenger hunt through our museum. Finally, a thrilling sensory experience awaits party-goers in our 3D movie theater where they will watch a private showing of a movie that defies two dimensions! In addition to the facilitated fun, party attendees have ample time to free explore our 40+ interactive museum exhibits and customize their own avatars!

Birthday parties are a way to celebrate another year of life, be thankful for the experiences that helped us grow, and look forward to the experiences ahead. Make the first experience of your child’s next year amazing at the Science Mill!

To learn more about our birthday parties and reserve a date, please follow the link below:

http://www.sciencemill.org/birthday-parties/