Lava World - Day 5 - Week 4 (SF Day Camp)

So much happened today, it is hard to know where to begin!

We began the day knowing that there were a lot of tasks to do, and limited time because today was the last day of camp. It took a lot of patience and self-control to continue moving through the workshop slowly, carefully, and safely, keeping in mind our dedication to the tinkering process and not the outcome or the finished product.

That being said, it was marvelous to watch each project enter it’s final stages. Some (the drawbridge, elevator, and volcano), moved from disconnected pieces and half-finished projects to completed work in what felt like the blink of an eye! Others spent time focusing on detail work and offering themselves to other groups needing help.

Every tinkerer put their all into the work today, immersing ourselves in analysis, iteration, and creation.

By the end of the day, it was time for our volcanic eruption! With families and friends present, many of us clamored onto the various forts and bridges, safely off the ground in anticipation of the waves of lava that would soon cover the floor. Our catchment team was stationed on their vehicle, armed with claws, to traverse the area trapping and catching soaring lava balloons.

After a countdown from 10, the volcano rumbled, smoke (from a stealthily hidden fog machine) pouring out of it’s crater top. Suddenly, dozens of balloons shot up and out into the Palace of Fine Arts! Luckily we were safe, and the catchment team expertly caught and processed (a.k.a. popped) much of the lava.

Above: The volcanic explosion! Below: View from inside the volcano and during the launch!

The remainder of the afternoon was spent playing on the bridges and forts, testing the drawbridge and elevator mechanisms, wheeling around the space in our various small handmade vehicles.

Full-fledge catchment vehicle at work!

Until, the grand finale… deconstruction of all of our projects :) Surprisingly, this always takes a fraction of the time that the build takes. Within an hour, every project was completely taken apart and all of the materials back in their places, ready for next week’s tinkerers to build something out of new ideas.

Check out all of our amazing photos from today on our Flickr!