There is always something for youth in Riverbank to do during the summer like the Mad Scientist Summer Camp that was hosted this past week at the Teen Center. There were 23 kids that attended the day camp from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., ranging in age from five to nine. Not only did these mad scientists do experiments during the week, they also got to do some swimming at the community pool in the afternoon.
There were three program specialists working the summer camp, Dulce Piceno, Violeta Reyes, and Claire Nakano. The campers spent part of the day doing experiments like on Monday they kicked off camp making their very own Spinning Tops out of old cds that they decorated. Each day the campers made their way to the community pool from 1 p.m. to about 3 p.m. where they engaged in some water games.
The experiments continued each day like the bouncy egg, lava lamps, magic potion, square bubble and water beads. The magic potion was done with milk and food coloring.
“Camp is going great,” stated Piceno. “We had a lot more experiments that were hands on. The spinning tops, the egg drop which was a success for all three groups, and bouncy egg were some of the favorites.”
They also had a visit from a Science storyteller that put on a skit for the kids and showed them how to do certain experiments on their own. This was a highlight for the youngsters as well, Piceno noted.
Parks and Recreation Supervisor Julia Petit explained that they changed pennies into ‘gold’ and attempted to make an egg bounce which got messy.
Friday the tried and true Mentos and Coke explosion happened which got quite messy so it was best done outdoors.
The City of Riverbank’s Parks and Recreation Department offers a number of camps and activities for youngsters to thrive, learn, and have fun.
There are a few more day camps in July including Happy Camper Summer Camp held at Jacob Myers Park next week and Myth Busters Summer Camp the following week held at the Teen Center.
For more information on the activities hosted by Parks and Rec, call 209-863-7150 or visit them online on the City of Riverbank website.
