4
Secure and Tighten: Tie the tarp grommets to the ground stakes using simple knots. Tighten all lines until the tarp is perfectly flat and does not sag anywhere.
Drive ground stakes all the way flush into the soil. This prevents campers from tripping on them in the dark and increases the anchor's leverage against strong wind.
Gather small, dry twigs and leaves and scatter them inside the shelter to form an insulated "survival mattress" to protect you from the cold ground!
Camp Curiosity Explorer Card
DAY 3 • HANDS PILLAR
"Clay acts as the armor; seeds act as the future."
YOUR MISSION:
Mix natural clay, soil compost, and native seeds into protective growing spheres. Then, fold an origami storage box from recycled paper to carry your seeds safe until launch!
• Red pottery clay (powder or wet) • Potting compost soil • Wildflower seeds (native) • Thick wrapping paper or newspaper
1
Mix the Recipe: Combine 5 parts clay powder with 3 parts organic compost in your bowl. Stir in 1 scoop of wildflower seeds so they are distributed evenly.
2
Add Water & Knead: Slowly sprinkle in water (just a teaspoon at a time). Knead with your hands until the clay forms a smooth, moldable dough that doesn't stick to fingers.
3
Roll the Bombs: Pinch off grape-sized pieces of dough. Roll them between your palms into firm, round balls. Lay them flat on dry trays to cure and harden.
4
Fold Your Origami Box: Follow your leader's folding steps to turn a square piece of paper into a small, sturdy box. Place your rolled seed bombs inside and write planting labels.
Keep seed bombs relatively small (grape-sized). If they are too large, the centers won't dry quickly and the seeds may germinate prematurely inside the clay ball!
Find a dry, barren patch of soil around camp, your home, or neighborhood. Toss your bomb! Walk away and check back in a month to see what wildflowers sprout!
Camp Curiosity Explorer Card
DAY 4 • HEALTH PILLAR
"Harnessing rays to bake clean, delicious campfire treats."
YOUR MISSION:
Build a functional solar-thermal oven from a cardboard pizza box. Use the properties of light absorption and trapped infrared heat to melt chocolate and marshmallows without using any electricity!
• 1 Clean cardboard pizza box • Heavy duty aluminum foil • 1 Sheet black construction paper • Clear cling wrap & masking tape
1
Cut the Lid Flap: Draw a square on your pizza box lid, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Have your leader cut along 3 sides so you can lift a flap upwards like a window.
2
Foil & Seal: Wrap the inside of the flap tightly with aluminum foil to reflect sunlight. Open the box and tape clear plastic cling wrap across the window gap to create a sealed heat chamber.
3
Build Heat Absorber: Tape black construction paper to the bottom inside of the pizza box. This absorbs incoming light rays and converts them into heat energy.
4
Cook in the Sun: Put your s'more ingredients on a small foil plate inside the box. Close the lid, prop the foil flap open pointing at the sun, and watch the marshmallows melt!
Ensure the clear plastic wrap has absolutely no gaps or rips. The solar oven works like a greenhouse—even a tiny gap will let all the warm air escape into the wind!
Check the temperature inside! Use a cooking thermometer to see how hot your solar box gets compared to the outside air temperature. Can you crack 150°F?
Camp Curiosity Explorer Card
DAY 5 • HEAD PILLAR
"Purifying nature, one layer of earth at a time."
YOUR MISSION:
Design and build a multi-level gravity water filter using gravel, sand, and charcoal. Your goal is to turn thick, muddy water into clear liquid. Who can design the most efficient order of layers?
• 1 Clear plastic bottle (cut in half) • Fine play sand & pea gravel • Activated charcoal powder • Coffee filters & cotton balls
1
Setup the Funnel: Invert the cut-off bottle neck (the funnel) and place it upside down inside the bottom half of the bottle (which acts as your clean collection jar).
2
Create Neck Plug: Push 2 cotton balls tightly into the narrow bottle neck. Lay a coffee filter flat over the top of the cotton. This holds your filter ingredients inside.
3
Layer Materials: Pour in 2 inches of charcoal, followed by 2 inches of fine sand, and then 2 inches of coarse gravel. Think about which size particles each layer will trap.
4
The Filter Test: Slowly pour 1 cup of muddy water into the top. Watch the liquid work its way down through your filter. Check the color of the drops landing in the bottom cup!
Pour the dirty water very slowly. If you dump it too quickly, it will disrupt and mix up your carefully packed sand and charcoal layers, ruining the mechanical filtration.
Safety first! Remember that even crystal clear filtered water contains microscopic bacteria. Can you explain why we still have to boil the water to make it safe to drink?
Camp Curiosity Explorer Card
DAY 6 • HEART PILLAR
"Providing shelter for our smallest environmental allies."
YOUR MISSION:
Design and build a multi-chambered nesting structure ("Bug Hotel") inside a wooden box or can using natural elements. Provide hollow tubes and tiny safe spaces for local solitary pollinators to nest!
• 1 Wooden frame or metal tin can • Hollow bamboo stalks (cut to size) • Scavenged pinecones, bark, & moss • Rolled cardboard cylinder strips
1
Scavenge for Fillers: Go outdoors! Collect dry pinecones, lichen, tree bark chunks, and handfuls of soft moss. Solitary insects love nesting inside these organic textures.
2
Pack Hollow Tubes: Pack hollow bamboo stalks and tightly rolled cardboard spirals into your wooden frame. Solitary bees will lay eggs inside these protective tubes.
3
Apply Friction Fit: Fill remaining empty corners with pinecones and moss. Jam everything in tightly! The items should be wedged so securely that none slide out when tipped over.
4
Mount the Hotel: Hang your critter condo outside. Pick a dry spot near a garden or wild bushes, about 3-5 feet off the ground, facing the warm morning sun.
Ensure your hollow tubes are sealed at the back. Solitary bees will only nest in cavities with one open end because they want to feel safe from wind and rear attacks!
Be a Bug Detective! Take a magnifying glass and sit quietly 3 feet away from your hung hotel for 10 minutes. Record any small creatures that crawl in to explore!
Camp Curiosity Explorer Card
DAY 7 • HANDS PILLAR
"Using shadows and chemistry to capture nature's silhouettes."
YOUR MISSION:
Go on a botanical hunt to find leaves with unique, intricate outlines. Arrange them in a beautiful artistic layout on solar-sensitive paper and use UV sunlight to freeze their photographic prints forever!
• 1 Blue solar sun-print sheet • 1 Cardboard backing board • 1 Clear acrylic flat panel sheet • 1 Water rinse tray & clothesline
1
Harvest Leaf Patterns: Search for leaves with striking shapes (like lobed oak, star maple, or fringed ferns). Choose flat leaves rather than bulky, curled ones.
2
Compose the Design: In the shade, take a blue solar sheet. Arrange your leaves in an artistic composition. Place a clear acrylic panel over the top to pin them completely flat.
3
Expose to Sunlight: Move your arrangement into direct sunlight. Watch the blue paper change color! Within 1-3 minutes, the paper will fade to a light bronze-white shade.
4
Water Bath Development: Bring the sheet back into the shade. Remove the leaves. Submerge the sheet in water for 1 minute. The white areas turn brilliant blue and the shadows turn pure white!
Want to write words on your print? Write in black sharpie on a transparent sheet, place it on the blue paper in the sun, and the writing will transfer as bright white letters!
Find the names of the trees or plants you collected. Write their common and scientific names underneath your sun-print art once it's dry to make a real field guide!
Camp Curiosity Explorer Card
DAY 8 • HEALTH & CELEB
"Increasing crash time to protect fragile life."
YOUR MISSION:
Design and build a shock-absorbing protective capsule for a raw egg using basic supplies. Relay the capsule safely through a field course, then drop it from 10 feet. Will your egg survive intact?
• 1 Raw egg (be very careful!) • Paper straws & cotton balls • Bubble wrap & rubber bands • 1 Balloon (for parachutes/springs)
1
Protect the Core: Wrap your raw egg in soft cotton balls or bubble wrap. This initial layer absorbs the direct vibration of impact and cushions the fragile shell.
2
Build Crumple Zones: Build a structural outer cage around the soft egg wrap using straws and popsicle sticks. If the capsule hits the ground, these outer sticks bend or snap first, absorbing the kinetic energy.
3
Create Suspension: Use rubber bands to suspend the egg wrapper right in the center of your outer cage. This keeps the egg from knocking against the hard outer walls during impact.
4
The Great Drop: Tackle the obstacle relay as a team to deliver your egg capsule to the launch zone. Have your leader drop it from 10 feet up onto target tarps. Unpack and inspect!
Do not use heavy tapes to bind your capsule tight. Added weight makes it fall faster and strike the ground with much harder impact! Keep it as lightweight as possible.
Did your egg survive the 10-foot launch drop? Try climbing higher! Find a safe, secure tall window or high balcony to test the absolute maximum limits of your engineering!
CAMP CURIOSITY JOURNAL • HEALTH PILLAR Leader Stamp: ___________
CAMP EXPLORER:
DATE:
Day 5 • Head Exploration
CAMP CURIOSITY
Sketchpad
First Filter Layer (Top):
Filtration Speed (Fast/Slow):
Water Clarity (Scale 1-10):
1. Which layer caught the largest particles? Which caught the smallest dirt?
2. Why does the clear water from our filter still require boiling before drinking?
CAMP CURIOSITY JOURNAL • HEAD PILLAR Leader Stamp: ___________
CAMP EXPLORER:
DATE:
Day 6 • Heart Exploration
CAMP CURIOSITY
Sketchpad
Bamboo Hollows Counted:
Filler Elements (e.g. Moss):
Target Pollinator Insect:
1. What organic materials did you scavenge outside that worked best as tight corner wedges?
2. Why do solitary bees prefer tunnels with closed backs rather than open pipes?
CAMP CURIOSITY JOURNAL • HEART PILLAR Leader Stamp: ___________
CAMP EXPLORER:
DATE:
Day 7 • Hands Exploration
CAMP CURIOSITY
Sketchpad
Leaf Margins Found (Serrated/Lobed):
Sun Exposure Time (Minutes):
Water Developing Success?
1. What chemical reaction did you observe happen when the blue paper met the sun?
2. Why did the leaf's shadow prevent the paper underneath from turning blue?
CAMP CURIOSITY JOURNAL • HANDS PILLAR Leader Stamp: ___________
CAMP EXPLORER:
DATE:
Day 8 • Health & Celebration
CAMP CURIOSITY
Sketchpad
Relay Race Time (Seconds):
Launch Height (Feet):
10 Feet
Egg Status (Intact/Scrambled):
1. How did your capsule cushion the egg from the hard force of the collision?
2. What was your favorite camp-wide challenge from this 8-day expedition and why?
CAMP CURIOSITY JOURNAL • HEALTH PILLAR Leader Stamp: ___________
