B&G campers take in sunshine, rain forest

“Wacky Weather Watch” was our theme for week 7 of Brain Gain. Our members this week discovered why and when hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes and other wild weather events happen.

Brain Gain

“Wacky Weather Watch” was our theme for week 7 of Brain Gain. Our members this week discovered why and when hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes and other wild weather events happen. They researched the effects humans have on weather and the effects the weather has on humans.

We also learned to be better prepared for weather emergencies. The students spent time on the computer this week building their research and technology skills and in small groups developed reports which they presented to each other. We’re working with them on developing their presentation skills and it’s fun to watch them develop.

Morning Camp

‘Swimming Up Stream’

We are more than half way through the summer and find ourselves prepping for back to school. We are very proud of our morning campers who have put in some hard work all summer long.

We’ve had about 40 campers week to week and they have not only been crafting, exercising and traveling but also keeping fresh on their academics. Summer slide is typical for youngsters and we are doing what we can to combat it. The morning session includes a minimum of 30 minutes of reading or math for the participants and hopefully their teachers will notice all the hard work they have been putting in this summer.

After they completed their required study time this week, the members spent some time making the most amazing kaleidoscopes. We all enjoyed looking through each member’s unique creation.

Falling in line with the weekly theme, the boys and girls made jellyfish hats out of bowls and streamers — it was hard not too smile or laugh as they wore them around the club.

Junior Rangers

Our young rangers visited the Hoh Rain Forest this week exploring one the Olympic National Park’s most visited attraction. With a more than two-hour bus ride out west the rangers were anxious to get moving once they arrived. After enjoying their picnic lunch on the Hoh River, they explored the forest trails covered in moss and ferns.

The young rangers learned the forest receives 140-170 inches of annual rainfall contributing to this lush canopy of cover. The kids were blown away to learn that that is 12-14 feet of rain.

Weekend of Service

Maybe you saw us out and about this weekend; it was packed with fun. On Saturday both clubhouses had staff and members out at big local events.

In Sequim we shared a booth at Clallam County Fire District 3’s centennial celebration. You likely saw us out there sharing information on membership and doing some face-painting and button-making.

In Port Angeles, our advisory board along with staff delivered a Kids Pavilion out at the ESP Sprint Boat races all day Saturday. The crew provided on-the-spot fun with race guests and offered rain gutter boat races to the youngsters. This event was sponsored by Keeping Identities Safe for Kids and helped the club promote its services and to raise money to support the local club programs.

Lastly, on Sunday our leadership team and Rotarians Mary Budke and Sara Maloney rallied the support of our Teen Club to help Rotary members with their local fundraiser — the salmon bake. It’s always a pleasure to work with our community and supporters and this weekend was no exception.