Why Kids LOVE our Summer Camps (According to them)

During summers at High Touch High Tech We travel to different schools for fun science exploration with kids, who are excited for the break from writing and rules. Though writing and rules are a major part of science, summer camp is all about experience and exploration. Our goals is to ignite a curiosity of science that sticks with them for life.

We don’t have to ask how the Science Summer camps are going because our campers enthusiastically let us know!

This is a popular response I get from children. Invoking this response is what it’s all about! I like to imagine that years from now, I will be reading about this child as they are interviewed in a science article about their latest invention. Maybe they even go into detail about what inspired them, and maybe, it was Science Summer Camp!

I suspect she returned home to her Mom and siblings and retold the story of it all. I could understand why! The day was amazing for me as well. In fact, I look forward to doing experiments with them that I know will encourage squeals of excitement from them. The children love an especially messy experiment. Sometimes Science is messy!

Art is a major element to Science and this experiment is a great example of that. EXPLODING COLORS is a fan favorite and never fails to amaze! Not only do they learn but it’s imaginative and fascinating.

I don’t think he will ever forget how mesmerized he was once he figured out the technique of creating the perfect tornado inside our Tornado Tubes. Tornado Tubes are my favorite experiment to bring for them to try at the end of the day. Everyone has FUN with them! Summer Camps have ages ranging from 6 to 11. We find a way to make it all interesting and memorable for everyone. I take time to visit with each group to answer questions and hear their thoughts an ideas.

There couldn’t be a better testimonial as they were exploring chemical reactions. We aim to INSPIRE, ENGAGE, and EXPLORE every time we visit a facility!

If you aren’t familiar with what we do at High Touch High Tech please visit our website. We love Summer Camps, but we also have curriculum based programs, which we provide for grade K-5 in the form of in-school Science field trips!

Rover Wheels!

Scientists are curious people. They question every part of a subject so they may form a hypothesis and essentially theories and/or solutions. When designing the rovers for Mars scientists had to consider all the aspects of the launch, travel, and eventually exploration of Mars.

Mars
1. Fourth planet from the sun
2. Martian solar day is called a sol and is equal to 24.6 earth hours.
3. A year on Mars is equal to 1.88 Earth years.
4. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos.
5. It is the second smallest of our solar systems planets with a diameter of 6,779 km (4,212 mi).
6. During the year, the average surface temperature swings between −78.5 °C (−109.3 °F) to 5.7 °C (42.3 °F).
7. Earth has an axial tilt at 23.5 degrees and Mars at 25 degrees.
8. Mars has a rocky, sometimes sandy surface with tall mountains.
9. Mars appears orange because the soil has a high amount of iron.

Also, when transporting something in space scientists had to think about the extreme temperatures of space and the cargo load of the items being transported. In this case it is the Mars Rover Perseverance. Perseverance was launched on July 30, 2020, at 11:50 Coordinate Universal Time. Perseverance landed on February 18, 2021, at 20:55 UTC. As of 31 March 2025, Perseverance has been active on Mars for 1462 sols!

So, one thing very specific scientists had to think about was the wheels of the rover. Curiosity and Perseverance wheels are composed of aluminum with titanium spokes making them extremely durable and light. The Perseverance wheels are a bit thicker, they are narrower, and the tread is different in hopes they will stay intact longer than Curiosities has. The robust wheels have served their purpose well but now scientists are thinking about the next exploration vehicles having more flexibility. This would allow any components onboard to endure less abrupt movement. The new wheel prototypes have a metal that can flex and return to its original shape! Not only does it flex but each time the movement causes the metal to heat up. Each time it returns to its original shape it will then cool down. This new metal is an alloy composed of nickel and titanium.

Many technological advances have been made concerning space travel that have been used here on earth and this alloy is one of them! Imagine airless tires that return to their shape each time as they traverse the rocky surface. These could be used for our vehicles here and in fact are already being tested for bicycles!

What other thoughts or question could you think of concerning space travel?

References:
https://www.nasa.gov/
https://www.cnet.com/science/new-photos-from-mars-show-nasa-rover-has-holes-in-its-wheels/