Week 6 Recap - Australian Outback Expedition — Boys and Girls Club Vista CA

Crikey! It’s the middle of July and the end of another week of Summer Camp here at the Boys & Girls Club of Vista. Here’s what you missed!

In the Art Room on Monday, the Club kids learned about Elenore Binge preserved tales of indigenous culture by painting symbols in her artworks. The kids had to think of a pleasant memory and come up with symbols to tell the story behind the memory visually. For the first field trip of the week, the Teens went to Bowlero. Everyone put on their bowling shoes and headed to the lanes to see who could score the highest overall. In between turns, everyone ate slices of pizza and drank soda. Afterwards, everyone went to the Bowlero Arcade where they played the crane game, raced each other on Mario Kart, and tested how long they would last in the world of Jurassic Park in Jurassic Park Arcade.

On Tuesday, the 2nd -5th graders went to Invasion Laser Tag and broke into two teams, Red and Blue, to see which team was the best at Laser Tag. After the game, everyone went to the arcade and saw who had the strongest punch on the arcade machine Boxer, played Dance Dance Revolution, and air hockey. Even our staff took turns on the arcade machine Boxer! Mr. Jose had the highest score of 855, followed by Mr.Mike with a score of 820. Back at the Boys & Girls Club of Vista, for STEM, Ian handed out popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and plastic spoons to make their version of a catapult that launched marshmallows across the room. However, there was a twist. They had to do this without instructions during their first attempt. Everyone had to try to use their engineering skills to try to make a catapult. On their second attempt, Ian then gave them instructions on how to make a catapult. In the Teen Room, our Teens baked and frosted Funfetti cupcakes. For music, three girls from Ms. Sandra’s group played music together. One played the drums, the other two played the acoustic guitar and bass. Later in the day, one of our Club kids learned how to play the beginning of the main theme of the Disney Pixar movie Inside Out on the piano. For art, our Club kids painted on rocks. Some painted animals while others painted flowers on their rocks.

For their Career Launch field trip, our Teens visited Palomar College and California State University San Marcos to tour the campuses and learn about the endless possibilities that higher education brings. Back at the Club, Miss True challenged our kids to sketch outdoor landscapes and Australian animals in under 2 minutes. Miss True described the challenge as if you’re traveling the Australian Outback on a Jeep. At around noon, the kids got to ride skateboards in the Gym for the Summer Skate Jam courtesy of our friends at the Vista SkatePark Coalition. Later in the day, the kids got to show their singing talent by doing karaoke in the Art Room. Miss True, along with a group of kids, sang along to the song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears.

On Thursday, the Club kids went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park where they saw tigers, giraffes, and Rodrigues flying foxes (“a fruit bat”). At the Boys & Girls Club of Vista, for Art, the kids grabbed string and beads and made Beaded Lizards to hang off their keyrings or backpacks. One of our Club kids hung her Beaded Lizard on a stick and waved it around “like a princess.”

For the last day of the week, our Teens went to the USS Midway Museum where they experienced being fighter pilot in a flight simulator. They also went on a tour in a ship where they learned what it was like being a mariner during wartime. For those didn’t go on the field trip, the Club kids in the Art Room made artwork similar to Daniel Crooks photography. In the STEM lab, the kids conducted an experiment where they learn that oil and water don’t mix because water is heavier than oil. So, when they put the oil in their cups of water the oil sat on top. Then, they placed water-based food coloring into their cups and watched the droplet sink to mix with the water. During the middle of the day, everyone got to cool off from the heat by sliding down the Slip N’ Slide that was set up in the field. They also tossed water balloons to each other to finish their time in the field.