Pongos Learning Lab

Learn. Have Fun. Repeat.

chemistry

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School is Out Mini-Camp – Fall 2017

Schools are closed for the day, and by popular demand, we will be open! We don’t have a set schedule of lessons for these mini-camps, and will choose activities based on the interests of the kids who attend. Some activities we have done in the past include:

  • Play Minecraft and other games on the computers and tablets
  • Enjoy a rousing game of Monopoly, Uno, Life, or one of the many other board and card games we have available
  • Experiment with STEM toys, like Snap Circuits, littleBits, Dash & Dot, and more
  • Watch music videos and have a dance party

This camp is appropriate for kids in grades K through 8.

Important: Camp is held from 9am-4pm each day. We will add before (8-9am, $10) and/or after (4-6pm, $20) care if we have enough requests for it, so please let us know in the order notes if you need it. Food is not provided at camps, so please make sure your child has lunch, snacks, and drinks for the day.

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Simple Slime

Let’s craft some slime! This is a fool-proof recipe for making your own slime. It will never fail. We promise!

Download a printable PDF with these instructions.

Materials

  • 1 plastic cup
  • 1 popsicle stick
  • 1 plastic bag
  • tablespoon(s)
  • water
  • glue
  • borax solution
  • food coloring
  • mix-ins

Procedure

  1. Add 1 pump (about 1 tablespoon) of glue to the cup.
  2. Now add 1 tablespoon of water to the cup, and stir with the popsicle stick. This is the glue solution.
  3. Add 1-2 drops of food coloring to the glue solution, if you wish.
  4. If mix-ins, such as glitter, are available, stir some into the glue solution.
  5. Add 1 tablespoon of the borax solution to the glue solution, and stir. Keep stirring until it gets thick. Your slime is done when you can pick up your popsicle stick and most of the slime comes with it! If that doesn’t happen, carefully add a bit more borax solution.
  6. Once the slime is nice and thick, pull it off the stick, and knead with your hands. It should get less sticky.
  7. When you are done kneading, place the slime in a plastic bag for safekeeping.

To scale for a full bottle of glue (4 oz) use 4 tbsp water and 4 tbsp borax solution, and mix in a bowl instead of a cup.

We make large batches of the borax solution by mixing 4 tablespoons of borax with 2 quarts of hot water in a plastic container. Shake the container until the borax dissolves, and you’ll have enough borax solution to make a LOT of slime!

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Summer Camp 2017 – STEAM Explorers

Join us for a week of STEAM Exploration. Over the course of the week, kids will have an opportunity to:

  • Play with polymers, by creating several types of slime
  • Program robots
  • Design and print 3D structures
  • Learn about chemical reactions through a variety of (safe, fun, and sometimes gross) activities
  • Plan and build gizmos and gadgets with Snap Circuits and littleBits
  • Compete in Minecraft and LEGO build challenges
  • Create pixel art with a variety of media
  • Plan and record a stop-motion animation

This camp is for kids who were in grades K through 7 during the 2016-2017 school year.

This camp is Monday through Friday, 9am-4pm. Before care is available for an additional cost.

Approximately 12 days before camp, you will receive an email with information about materials for some of the activities that we will do for this camp. We try to keep all of the materials we ask you to bring in under $20. If you wish to purchase your materials sooner, you can check the Camp Materials page. We will add the materials lists for specific camps about 2 weeks before each camp.

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Spring Break STEAM Explorers Camp – 2017

AACPS is closed for the week, but we will be open! Let your kids join us for a day, or more, of fun at Coder Kids Club. This year’s spring break theme will be: STEAM Explorers. Over the course of the week, kids will have an opportunity to:

  • Play with polymers, by creating several types of slime
  • Program robots
  • Design and print 3D structures
  • Learn about chemical reactions through a variety of (safe, fun, and sometimes gross) activities
  • Plan and build gizmos and gadgets with Snap Circuits and littleBits
  • Compete in Minecraft and LEGO build challenges
  • Create pixel art with a variety of media
  • Plan and record a stop-motion animation

This camp is appropriate for kids in grades K through 7.

Important: Camp is held from 9am-4pm each day. Food is not provided at camps, so please make sure your child has lunch, snacks, and drinks for the day.

Before and after care are available for this camp. You will receive an email with a link to sign up for it after your camp registration is complete, or you can just go to the sign-up form at your leisure.

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Maker Mondays

Make something with STEAM! Each week we will use Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and/or Math to make something fun, which kids will take home with them, along with instructions for making more. We’ll include some experimentation, when appropriate. The cost includes materials, unless otherwise noted. Please see the weekly schedule for the topic and take-home.

This class is appropriate for kids in grades K-5. We will meet on Mondays, 6-8pm, January 30-June  5, with no class on February 20, April 10, April 17, May 29, for a total of 15 sessions. You may register for the entire series for $450, or individual dates at a cost of $40/session (if any single-session spaces are available). The cost includes most materials, but we might request a few extras from home, such as shoeboxes, jars, and bottles.

Topics and take-home activities are subject to change.

Date Topic Take-Home
January 30 Polymers Slime
February 6 Non-Newtonian Fluids Ooblek
February 13 Density Rainbow Columns
February 27 Immiscible Liquids Lava Lamps & Paintings
March 6 Absorption Moon Sand
March 13 Chemical Reactions Volcano
March 20 Chemical Reactions Bath Bombs
March 27 Polymers Diaper Plants (EWW!)
April 3 States of Matter Ice Cream
April 24 Vibration & Sound Creeper Caller & Box Guitar
May 1 3D Printing 3D Print
May 8 Electricity Light-up card (for mom?)
May 15 Electricity Squishy Circuits
May 22 3D Printing 3D Print
June 5 3D Printing 3D Print

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2017 Classes and Camps

We have several exciting classes and camps starting in January 2017! Save 10% on any of them with the happynewyear discount code. The code cannot be used with other discount codes or vouchers, and it expires 1/15/2017.

Drawing Workshop – Five Nights at Freddy’s

School is Out Mini-Camp

Minecraft Club – Spring 2017

Open Play

YouTube Star – Part B

Advanced Animation: 2D Computer Animation

Introduction to Programming – Spring 2017

Modding Minecraft with Java – Level 1

YouTube Star – Part A

STEAM Explorers

 

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