This summer we had the stellar opportunity to bring space exploration to Southern Arizona. In a partnership with NASA, our council launched five camps across five cities; Tucson, Sierra Vista, Casa Grande, Yuma, and Safford. These camps were so cool because we were able to involve both adults and kids alike! Most of the counselors for NASA Camp were volunteers – both parents and members of our community!! Girls who had completed second grade all the way through those completing fifth were invited to join in our adventure! It was soooo neat to teach the girls some of the coolest things about space like figuring out what helps a rocket lift off better. We all launched film canisters comparing alka-seltzer and water to baking soda and vinegar so we could determine which propelled at a greater height! We also simulated the experience of puffy face chicken leg syndrome that astronauts experience from the lack of gravity! On the last day of each camp all the girls made water filtration systems to determine which filter worked the best. Lastly, we orbited our galactic projects doing other cool camp crafts like no-sew pillows in Sierra Vista and tie dye in Tucson! The camps were definitely a blast!
