Week Five’s theme was Summer Fun!

This was the last week of camp, which was bittersweet, but we made sure it was filled with tons of fun!

The whole group had plenty of time in the sun with visits to their favorite local parks to swim and play.

The Middle Schoolers wrapped up their series on Electricity & Inventing with Steve Birth by finishing their homemade boomboxes.

Students finishing their boomboxes

They got to take these home with them after all their hard work. Thanks so much to Steve for visiting every week!

Students with their completed boomboxes

The Elementary group spent some time doing yoga with instructor Axel. They tested their flexibility and balance, and learned some breathing techniques. They definitely felt zen afterwards!

Students practicing different yoga poses

Both groups got to do some more robotics with STEMBuilders. They coded the cars to do all sorts of cool tricks, like responding to clapping and avoiding obstacles.

Robotics with STEMBuilders

On Wednesday, artist Jared Hanks (who worked on the murals for the GMCC building) took the whole group on a mural scavenger walk around Lake Street. They discussed the different kinds of murals and what they liked about them.

Lake Street mural walk

Then, they got to make their own “murals” with collage materials. This was a great way to highlight the importance of creativity and local art. This activity was part of Lake Street Council’s Placemaking grant.

Students with their mural collages

The whole group also spent time with visitor Tony Paul, who taught them African drumming styles and let them practice on real drums.

Camp staffer Juan’s mom, who is an educator, talked to the students about anti-bullying and making new friends this school year.

For our final field trip, we went to Maple Grove Rec Center! We had fun in the indoor playground called the “Maple Maze” and splashed around in their pool which has a climbing wall, rope swing, and water slide.

   

The Maple Maze indoor playground at Maple Grove Rec Center

And finally, to celebrate our time together these past five weeks, we had a big party on the last day and invited parents! One parent brought us free catering from Raising Cane’s, which we had with popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, chips, and cupcakes.

Students, parents, and staff sharing a meal to celebrate the end of camp

We displayed some photos taken during camp and artwork by the students for parents to view. There was also a free book giveaway and exit surveys for the students and parents to fill out.

Artwork and photos displayed for parents to view

Although we were sad to say goodbye to all these wonderful students, we are so happy they got to participate in our summer camp and find their genius. We hope to see them again in the future!

I wish I could stay here forever!

– 9 year-old participant

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see more photos from Genius Labs and to hear news about future programming.