It's a Wonder We Didn't Learn More

  It's probably the most popular week of our 4-H Summer Fun Program each and every year.  That's right it's Biotech day camp!  This year we are calling it 4-H Bio-tech 4 the Quad experiment.  It is a week full of new and exciting opportunities based on science!  For those of you not familiar with this award winning program, the premise is quite simple.  Youth from four counties (10 youth from each) get together to go to the science experts.  This is not a lecture series.  Everywhere we go is full of fun, hands on opportunities, and the chance to learn how things work in everyday life so they can use that knowledge to build on for their lifetimes.
  Our first day this week started with a very early morning and a trip to Wonder Works in Myrtle Beach, SC.  It was very exciting as we entered the topsy turvey building to begin a day of exploration.  After making it through the spinning walkway we walked into a severe weather room.  There was a hurricane shack where you could try to stand up to gail force winds, stick your hand in the freezing waters that surrounded the titanic on the night it sank, and even check out how rain falls, or does it?
     After being whipped around by the weather it was time for our youth to do a little whipping up of their own, in the sports fields.  You never really know how much science is behind anything until you see something like this.  From measuring the speed of a baseball pitch to playing virtual air hockey the science principles where everywhere.  They learned about their ability to jump and how to measure it, the kinetic energy involved in playing basketball, how levers and pulleys can make life easier.  Then the X-factor kicked in.  Our youth had the chance to get on two person cycles and pedal to turn them in a complete 360 degree circle, essentially turning themselves upside down.
    After wearing ourselves out on the first floor we climbed the steps to increase our level of hands on fun and excitement.  On the next floor there were mirrors, a bed of nails (that yes they actually laid on) lessons on probability, electromagnetism, mind control, and convex as well as concave curves and how they can change your visual impression.  Our youth had the chance to experience a virtual roller coaster and even check out the bubble room making bubbles that were truly larger than life.
   After all of that fun and excitement we headed to the party room for lunch.  We sat down to enjoy some pizza for lunch and made friends with all the folks from the other counties.  We also plotted and planned our next moves becuase we only had two hours of fun left at Wonder Works.
   After lunch we hit floor two (for those who were not finished) and floor three.  Floor three had a lot of space and aircraft simulators.  It also had space suits and the opportunity for our youth to become pilots.  the biggest attraction on the top floor, the ropes course.  This isn't a wall that you climb up and down, this is an entire floor of its own, except it doesn't have a floor.  Confused?  So were we.  Our youth got harnessed in and walked up to a course that was made of steel beams and ropes, walking up and down and all around while holding on to a safety rope that moved with them.  It was amazing as they maneuvered from one end to the other and back again.
  After testing their muscles, including their brains, it was time to load up and head home.  We hit the trail and  headed home, so we could have another day of fun tomorrow.  Wondering what our business will be tomorrow?  Stay tuned this is only going to heat up and get better.