We have been fueling the bus literally and figuratively! Our kids continue to surround themselves with good things and Big Blue is cruising all over.

Last week our kids hit a Sounders Game on Saturday and five girls who had been helping out with our morning camp attended a Seattle Storm VIP party at Redhook Brewlab.

Several young ladies have used their leadership skills and passion for the club and kids to assist with our morning camp program. They help younger members with their craft projects and generally assist staff as they navigate breakfast, lunch and the changing of activities.

They were rewarded with a trip to Seattle Aquarium, the Great Wheel and lastly dinner and fun at the Storm’s VIP party. For a couple girls this was their second trip to see the Storm and some really great relationships are forging.

Natasha Howard, a guard for the WNBA team, in true competitor fashion swooped up Cadence in a celebratory hug as her team won the shuffle board competition among the ladies.

Thanks to a partnership with True Value and Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), once again our club is getting a paint refresh. Rotarians are coming forward to help spruce up the outside. Club director Dave Miller and a handful of members picked up 20 gallons of paint and kids will return to the club after summer break to a nice fresh coat of paint in several of our classrooms. Outside we have the help of Rotarians planned to do a much needed striping of the parking lot and all around clean up with safety improvements.

Junior Rangers

The trek was not so far west this time but rather distant by way of elevation. Our bus and kids made their way up a mountain on one of the beautiful days we had last week and the views were spectacular. Typically they see wildlife but this visit there weren’t many, perhaps too hot.

They did hear about the Olympic Marmot that lives at 4,000 feet and is indigenous to the Olympic National Park and only lives in Washington state. Park rangers showed the kids a section cut from a tree on the ridge and compared it to one that grows at lower elevation. One was considerably larger in size so when the junior rangers were called upon to guess which was older they enthusiastically replied the larger. The park rangers shared that the smaller tree was actually older. (Trees that grow at higher elevations go dormant and don’t grow in the cold weather, and therefore had more compact rings to depict their age.)

The park rangers handed out workbooks to the participants. They used their time at the park to fill in some of what they have learned over the summer. To earn their certificate of completion and junior ranger badge they will need to complete their book.

Brain Gain

The project based curriculum provided by BGCA was set aside this week and time was made for some special presentations. Our science and robotics Club flourish at the Club thanks to the dedication of Mike Becker, long time club volunteer. Mike’s love for science and patience with the kids makes his visits a favorite by many of the club members.

Rian Adkisson, a fourth-grade member, has a passion for science and enjoys her time in the two clubs facilitated by Mike and staff. Rian approached Mike asking to lead last week’s session. Rian put together her own powerpoint presentation on mold, prepared a worksheet for her peers and presented to the group.

Then club participants embarked on a mold growing experiment by placing two honeydew and cantaloupe melon pieces and bread into a dish. One set was placed in a dark place and the second set left exposed to lighting. Over the next couple weeks the group will check in on their mold and discuss their findings.

It is wonderful to see the desire for science ignite in Ryan and we hope to help her carryout more experiments and foster more opportunities for her in and out of school.

Morning Camp

The young group of morning campers explored seasons last week. Each day they focused on different season, with snow ball fights, leaf art and campers were able to share which season was their favorite and why:

Noah: “Summer, so we can have water balloon fights”

Kalea: “Spring, because of baby birds and baby bunnies”

Adrian: “Fall, because of family visits for Thanksgiving”

Xavier: “Winter, because of sledding.”

On Friday, after exploring all four seasons, they took a field trip to Webster Woods to look at the outdoor art gallery embedded in the forest attraction.