Day 17: Math, Reading, and Mind/Body Tricks

Day 17 was another great day at Team Taekwondo Summer Camp.  We started the morning with Box Ball. Next, the Tigers continued their week long reading challenge. They also practised homophones and their impromptu speaking skills.  The Dragons worked on their addition and subtraction facts, as well as spent time reading stories to the counselors.  Master Sky led another hard work out and add in some fun and games. After lunch, the middle school group worked on their Algebra program, while the rest of the campers watched a movie. For Hands On Science, we learned a few mind/body tricks.  First, we tried a few mind-boggling optical illusions.  We also tried to stand up from a leaning position on a wall after taking four steps backwards ---can't be done because the shift in one's center of gravity is too great.  Last but not least, we tried the trick of holding someone down with only a piece of thread across the person's upper lip.  The upper lip is very sensitive!  We also had plenty of free time to play on the computers, build with Legos, play Blokus and Othello, and play on the Kindles.

Week 4: Day 16 Reading, Math, Lots of Training

After taking a week off to compete at the 2014 USAT National Chmpionships, camp has resumed.  Several of our campers made the medal stand at Nationals.  Gabriel Mora won a bronze medal in Forms and a silver medal in Breaking.  His brother, Michael, won a bronze medal in Forms.  Sergio Paez won a silver medal in Finals.  It was a great week of competition, but we are all happy to be back at camp.  On Monday, the Dragons practiced their math and reading skills using a program called "Zoo Whiz." The Tigers practiced their writing and math using Sumdog.  Kevin Botbol and Johnny Walker earned medals for their top scores in last week's math contest.  Valeria Chica won the first place ribbon for today's 30-minute reading challenge. The Tigers also spent time doing independent reading.  For Hands On Science, we did the classic experiment with milk, food color and Dawn dish soap. We watched the colors swirl on their own due to the reaction between the fat in the milk and the dish soap This week we are studying the human body.  The Dragons had the opportunity to look at their favorite foods and determine if they are proteins, grains, dairy, fruits or vegetables. Both Tigers and Dragon had a hard work out with Master Sky.  It is good to be back!

Days 14 and 15: Reading, Math, Polymer Spheres and Field Trip!

Thursday and Friday of Week 3 were excellent.  We spent our time practicing our math on Sumdog.  We placed 6th out of 94 schools in the US Math Competition and several of our students placed in the top 100 students. Congratulations to Kevin Botbol, Sergio Paez and Johnny Walker for their excellent work.  Ten campers completed the 1000 questions, and our campers as a group answered over 17,000 math problems over five days.  The Dragons worked on some math problems from our Critical Thinking Co. books and excelled at combining their arithmetic and critical thinking skills. The Tigers tested their critical thinking skills trying to solve several difficult toothpick problems.  Both groups spent time reading and several students managed to finish their summer reading assignments from school.

During science we looked at polymer spheres, also known as super absorbent jelly marbles, that absorb over 300 times their weight.  We did an experiment with them to see how they would respond if placed in chocolate syrup, yogurt, Gatorade, and laundry detergent as compared to our control set that was soaked in tap water.  The ones soaked in Gatorade and laundry detergent increased substantially in size but far less than those soaked in water.  The ones in the chocolate syrup expanded the least, followed by the ones soaked in yogurt.

Physical fun with Master Sky is always a camper favorite.  The Tigers got a great workout with a new medicine ball drill and both groups had plenty of time to run around.  Roses Are Red/Violets Are Blue, Four Corners and Jail Break continue to be the most requested free time games, along with box ball.

On Friday, we went to Matheson Hammock armed with nets to explore the marine environment.  Unfortunately, high tide and excess seaweed and debris forced us from our normal location for catching marine life, but a we still managed to have fun exploring in the lagoon.  Afterwards, we had a picnic lunch and then played soccer and football before returning to the taekwondo school.

We are off next week as Master Choi, Master Sky and Ms. Dana will be in San Jose, California for the 2014 USAT National Championship.  Master Sky, Gabriel Mora, Michael Mora, Sergio Paez, and Camila Perez will representing Florida and Team Taekwondo at Nationals.  Go Team!

Day 13: Sumdog Math Contest, Reading, and Homemade Bubble Gum!

Wednesdays are always fun.  We started our day with free time.  Many camper helped assembled the 100 Lego mini figures to add to our 8000+ piece Lego collection. Others played chess or Animal Jam.  The Tigers started the morning off by competing in Sumdog's U.S. Math Contest.  Team TKD is currently ranked 5th in the country and Kevin B. is ranked in the top 100 individually!  After Sumdog, the Tigers got comfortable and settled in to read.  The Dragons spent their morning practicing math facts with Master Sky, working on their addition skills with Miss Sophia and Miss Christine, or working on some challenging critical thinking worksheets.  After that, they did Sumdog reading and got to try an new program called Zoo Whiz.  The National competition team worked on their competition forms before and after lunch with Master Sky.  Also, we have a growing group of campers (Roberto, Ryan, Patrick, Christian, Joshua, Chica and Johnny) that are taking part of their lunch hour to work on their summer packets from school or summer workbooks to get ahead for next year.  After lunch, the middle school team hit the Algebra books, while the rest of the campers watched a movie.  Hands On Science was a lot of fun and a little messy (again!) today.  We made homemade bubble gum and learned about the history of bubble gum and what three factors make gum good for blowing bubbles.  Check out our photos below!

Day 12: Reading, Math, Color Changing Beads, Touchable Bubbles, …What A Day!

Day 12 was a good day.  We had plenty of free time in the morning playing box ball, making bracelets with the Rainbow Loom, playing chess, and of course, playing Animal Jam.  The Dragons started their day practicing their reading skills, while the Tigers had a chance to work on their summer reading.  The Tigers also continued the U.S. Math Competition on Sumdog.  Both Tigers and Dragons spent time working out hard with Master Sky today. I did not get a chance to take photos of their workout, but let's just say it involved a lot of squats, ladder drills, and kicking.  After lunch, there was time for a movie and for the middle school group,  Algebra class. As for Hands On Science, the Dragons tried out the touchable polymer bubbles and then made bracelets using beads that change color in the sunlight.  The Tigers also experimented with the color changing beads and then used their brains to figure out some challenging toothpick puzzles.  We finished our day pretty much the way we started it.

Week 3: Reading, Math and Slime!

Week 3 has begun!  Both the Tigers and the Dragons had time for reading today and for Sumdog Math.     The Tigers ended the day 4th in the country out of 634 teams.  I can't wait to see what they do tomorrow! The Dragons had time to do some scratch art projects before lunch.  Back by popular demand, we made homemade slime today during Hands On Science using glue, water, Borax and food coloring.  Both the Tigers and Dragons had a great time and we only made a moderate mess!  The Nationals team spent time working on their forms and breaks during lunch hour.  After lunch, while the campers watched a movie, the middle school team finished up Unit 2 of Transition to Algebra.   Of course, there was plenty of time to play box ball and jailbreak, two camp favorites.  And, during the last hour of camp, many campers played National Geographic's Animal Jam, while others played chess, Blokus, Othello, Stare, and Apples to Apples.  It was definitely a great start to another awesome week!

Day 10: Fun Friday!

Friday is field trip day, and we had an amazing time at the ice skating rink.  All of our campers got on the ice and had a good time.  When we returned from our field trip, we had plenty of time to play box ball, computer games, and board games.  And of course, we also watched some World Cup action. You know it has been a good day when the parents arrive and the campers beg to stay longer!