This week at EAPS, our campers turned into curious creators and wild inventors, colliding art and science in the most hands on, colorful ways.
We kicked things off by creating ceramic geodes, painting layered rings into organically shaped dishes and adding glass frit to mimic sparkling crystals. Campers learned how real geodes form under pressure and heat—and how the kiln mirrors that same magic.
Next, we erupted into one of our biggest projects of the week: building volcanoes from clay. Campers began by designin a unique landscape base, some created lush islands while others imagined mountainous terrain. We explored how different types of volcanoes form in the real world, then used slab-building techniques to construct our own hollow volcano structures. Some were tall and steep, others wide and rumbling. Everyone added details like lava cracks, rocky textures, or even tiny trees and creatures along the slopes. It was an impressive fusion of geology, storytelling, and clay engineering.
On Day 2, things got beautifully unpredictable with neurographic art, a meditative drawing process. Each camper was given a small round jingle bell and a marker. As the bells rolled freely across the paper, campers followed their paths, never lifting their markers, never knowing where the bell would take them. The room became calm and focused, the usual buzz replaced with silence and the gentle jingling of bells. Afterward, campers painted inside the interconnected shapes, creating neuron-like designs bursting with color and flow.
We followed that up with a messy (and thrilling) slime lab, as we explored the science of chemistry, plus a bit of mythical medicine! Campers designed their own poison and antidote bottles, learning about visual clues that indicate danger, then concocted two types of slime to fill their custom potions.
For our grand finale, we went full STEAM: campers engineered glowing fireflies using real circuits, copper tape, batteries, and LEDs to bring their bugs to life with flickering lights.
We wrapped up the week by painting our dried volcanoes, mixing custom earthy tones with primary colors to mimic volcanic ash and soil, then gathered for the big moment: a foamy, explosive eruption powered by baking soda and vinegar!
It was a week of exploration and experimentation, and we’re so proud of all the young scientists who joined us. Can’t wait for next week’s adventures!
🧫⚡🧠
— The Earth Arts Team