News & Stories

Our Clubs pride themselves on coming up with new and exciting ideas for programs or “clubs” that keep the kids entertained but are also learning opportunities.  Ian, our Club Coordinator at McCauley, shared an awesome story with us about their science club.

The McCauley science clubs came to an explosive end. Our youth have developed patience and commitment as they tried to create the most earth shaking volcanoes during our Monday night science club. Each week kids learned about tectonic plate movement, pressurized magma, and more as our wonderful volunteer Brad Quinn shared his knowledge on volcanoes to help the children build their own versions.

During one of our sessions, one of the kids grabbed an encyclopedia for guidance. The group of boys quickly found the page showing a volcano erupting.  The boys not only wanted to be part of a team building exercise, but they also were excited to learn something new. Then one of the kids wouldn’t let us all forget that it’s only called Lava if it’s flowing outside of the volcano, otherwise it’s called Magma. Their willingness for self-guided exploration of this subject was inspiring!

The end came when we had the opportunity to learn about exothermic reactions. The explosion was not as climactic we typically see in movies,  but there was still an abundance of learning. The youth dove their hands into the bubbles to observe the warmth of the lava as it had just undergone an exothermic reaction. They watched the bubbles ooze from the tops of the volcanoes as the solution reacted and expanded. Even though this three week long project is over, there were lessons learned even outside the realm of science that I’m sure will continue!

We are always looking for volunteers to share their skills and interests with our kids, click here to learn more.  You never know what awesome things the kids will be able to learn from you!