Friday, August 17, 2018

Curtain Call in Somerset

Somerset Week 8

          As the curtain closes on another summer at Somerset we would like to thank the campers, parents, and staff who made this summer memorable. Their was so much gaga, park ranger, and knock out to play. We made great projects in graphic design, shark tank, and website design. We dissected brains and frogs in anatomy, and got to make fake blood. In drone, we completed challenge after challenge. As we say goodbye to friends, teachers, and counselors we know that it's only 45 weeks til we see you again!






Last Day at Short Hills!

Today is the last day of International Ivy at Short Hills! As the summer of 2018 comes to a close, we are looking back at all the fun we had during camp! This week we celebrated Pirate Day, learned a lot in our classes, and shared a lot of laughs!

On behalf of the Short Hills staff, we would like to thank everyone for an amazing summer! And we hope to see you again next year!!!

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Hungry for Knowledge in Paramus

It's late in the summer, but Paramus International Ivy campers are still enjoying their time at camp! They are keeping their minds active with plenty of problems to solve and experiments to conduct. When all is said and done, some will even have homemade ice cream to eat!

This week Mad Science visits International Ivy to offer two classes: Eureka! The Inventors Camp and Shocklingly Sticky Science. These classes have engaged our youngsters in problems pertaining to space exploration, flight engineering, and buoyancy.

Math Competition Training
Math Competition Training!
Campers were offered another session of Math Competition Training this week, and also Engineering with Ice Cream for the first time this summer at Paramus. Campers learn the science behind ice cream creation, make their own homemade ice cream, design flavors, and create a marketing plan for their favorite flavors.
Engineering with Ice Cream
In preparation for making ice cream, campers experiment with rice crispie creations.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Harry Potter Yoga

At Short Hills, many of our staff members joined the youngsters as they did yoga! These pictures, taken by our amazing counselor Matt, capture they enthusiasm that International Ivy has for Harry Potter-themed yoga. 


An Ode to Creative Writing

On Tuesday at Short Hills, the creative writing class worked on make their own Odes! These writers got to select their own unique topics! Once they finished, they shared their work with their class. Some creative writers even allowed us to feature their work below!!



Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Putting Pros at Short Hills

The Golf class at Short Hills spent their morning putting today! They set up different holes and practiced their accuracy. By the end of the morning, they all got hole-in-ones!!


Scotch Plains W8 - Youngster Programming with Dash & Dot

Afternoons are quiet here in Scotch Plains Week 8, but that isn't stopping these two campers from solving all of the Dash & Dot challenges that their teacher, Natasha, is giving to them! The two campers are working together diligently and are creatively programming the robots to match all of Natasha's challenges! We can't wait to see what else the two of them will program during the rest of the week!




Scotch Plains Week 8! Drone Programming & Youngster WeDo Robotics!

Our campers are busy this week with programming! In Drone Programming the campers are building devices to make their drones be able to fly and they are coding to make the devices work! They are all very excited to be able to take their drones home on Friday too. In the youngster WeDo Robotics class, the little ones are creating so many cool gadgets and characters like birds that can flap their wings and spinning tops! We are so lucky to have Natasha as our Youngster teacher for the second week in a row!!


Youngster WeDo Robotics
Drone Programming


Monday, August 13, 2018

The Chathamites Have Taken Over Somerset

Week 8 Somerset


       It is week 8 for International Ivy and with the closings of some sites, comes new faces turning up at others. The Chathamites minus one member: Nicole, Charlotte, and Dan have taken over Somerset. We have met great new campers and are excited to have a different experience. We are rounded out by Josh, Melissa, and Meagan as our teachers and are already having a blast. This morning because it was raining, Dan and Nicole ran a scavenger hunt for the campers. In Shark Tank, the kids have already pitched some great ideas. We can't wait to see what will happen as the week goes on.


The winning team in the Scavenger Hunt


The Shark Tank kids coming up with ideas.

Friday, August 10, 2018

Whipped Cream and Water!

Chatham Week 7


       Chatham has ended its run this camp season with our annual pie in the face and water day! Teachers got pied and got to pie some of the campers. Then, we had a water balloon fight and used water shooters. We had so much fun. It's the best way to end the camp season. 




Wee-STEAMers at Short Hills!

On Thursday at Short Hills, the Wee-STEAMers class learned about programming with their own Bee-Bots! The campers learned about how to make their robots move and had fun playing with the results!!


Thursday, August 9, 2018

Heroes and Villains @ Chatham

Week 7

            It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the Chatham campers! Watch out for the heroes and villains coming your way. We had campers dressed in marvel, DC, and star wars shirts. Pj Mask was also in the house as Owlette! Take a look at the video to see all of our campers. 


Burlington's Got Talent 2018

Music and martial arts filled the dining hall today as our campers showcased their extraordinary talent!  A beautiful Steinway piano was so conveniently available for camp today which excited all the pianists at Burlington.  We visited the music of Scott Joplin and Chopin and also learned about the glories of improvisation.  For a splash of diversity, another camper showcased his karate moves.  We congratulate all the campers on not only their talent, but their hard work and practice!  For without these, success is unreachable.   


The Best Websites @Paramus

Are you interested in basketball, guitars, or cheetahs? Our campers have some websites for you. In Website Design and Wordpress, the campers are making websites using the Wordpress platform. They are making websites on their favorite topics and these sites look amazing! The sites include images, videos, and articles about various topics and the campers are excited to showoff their progress.

Rockets and Rovers and Space, Oh My! @Paramus

This week our campers are scientists and engineers in our Engineering - Flight and Aerospace class. They are building rockets, rovers, and wind tunnels while putting their engineering skills to the test. They are planning, creating, and designing devices while learning about the challenges of engineering. Good luck future leaders!

Twinning is winning at Somerset week 7 Twin Day!

Two is always better than one and our students (and staff!) proved that on Twin Day at Somerset. Check out how twin-tastic they look!
Two of our students matching in their sky-blue t-shirts
Two of our staff members also participating in Twin Day
These students chose to participate in a group and show some International Ivy spirit at the same time!

Prepping, Planning, and Plotting

Week 7

       This week in Escape Room the campers are taking things very seriously. When asked what their plan was, I was told it was a "secret." Every time I come in, I am ushered out and a tarp is hung so that I cannot see what is happening. I have a feeling this is going to be the greatest escape room Ivy has ever seen. I was able to sneak a few photos with some counselors.


Creating a "dark space"


Getting creative with their planning.


Working as a team!

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

BRAINS



In Princeton's Anatomy and Surgical Techniques class, we're dissecting sheep brains!  First we learned about all the different parts of the brain and what they do, and we made ourselves brain hats.







Then we got to actually dissecting the brains!  We made different kinds of cuts to see what structures we could identify on the inside and on the outside of the brain.  It was a lot of fun, but it was a little smelly.

I. Am. A. Robot.


In Princeton's Youngster-WeDo Robotics class, our students are building and showing off their robots!



        

After they build the robot, they program them.  They can program them to have moving parts through a motor, and they can program them to make different noises.


My First Chemistry at Short Hills!

In the My First Chemistry class at Short Hills, the campers are learning a lot and having so much fun! They are learning important scientific techniques, including how to pipette and combine substances. The chemists perform new experiments everyday and understand new chemical concepts at the same time!

Bouncing into Engineering



Here in Burlington, the future engineers of the world are first tackling the task of creating polymers and bioplastics that serve a purpose.  In this case, their mission required immense patience as they sought to develop the perfect recipe for bouncy balls that could provide any child with hours of endless fun.  After much trial and testing, the best bouncy balls emerged from the messy concoction of wet glue, borox, and water.  Meanwhile, the campers learned of the amazing polymer opportunities that lie within these simple products. 


Meet Squishy--a failed bouncy ball...but excellent class pet!!

Scotch Plains Week 7 - Public Speaking and Youth Leadership!!

This week at Scotch Plains a lot of campers are learning new public speaking skills in Public Speaking and Youth Leadership! Today, day 3, they have started preparing for their final presentations which will take place on Friday. They have been doing several "mini speeches" so they can get a feel of what the final speech will be like and so they can receive some constructive criticism from their peers on how they can improve. The final speeches are all based on social issues and will range from deforestation to space exploration! We all can't wait to see their final speeches!






Hard working campers!