Ed Caballero, 30, and Sharon Mor, 33, spend their days mixing Alka-Seltzer and waterin film canisters and blowing the mini rockets into the rafters of the local elementary school gym.
While the rockets are exciting, Caballero’s favorite activity is making slime.
“We are trying to teach that science and art are happening all the time,” he said.
To reinforce this, Caballero uses all household materials for his projects. The slime, for example, is a mixture of Elmer’s glue, laundry detergent and water.
Caballero and Mor are founders of Camp Edventure More!, a nonprofit summer camp focusing on science and technology-based activities. In four years, Camp Edventure More! has grown from a pilot summer program with 65 kids to a year-round program with 3,000 campers and more than 100 staff memebers — who reach an additional 6,000 students through school-year classroom demonstrations.
This year the camp is also running a pilot program for older kids — Edventure Tech — a series of week-long sessions on platinum beats, clay animation comics and digital moviemaking.
“We wanted to create a fun place for kids to learn during the summertime,” Caballero said. “We wanted kids to get so excited about science and arts and recreation that they’d want to do it outside of camp — on the weekends and at night.”
Each day of camp, kids go home with a “Give Me More” sheet of activity ideas for further exploration at home.
“We try to give students the courage to pursue their passions,” Mor said. “It takes a lot of courage to pursue your passions.”
For kids whose families can’t afford camp fees, Camp Edventure More! runs the “Give Camp to Kids Fund,” which accepts tax-deductible donations on their behalf. Last year, the fund raised $15,000.
“We run an efficient business, but we also have fun,” Mor said.
“We are the lucky adults that still get to go to summer camp every year,” Caballero said.
In addition to summer camps, Camp Edventure More! provides curriculum support and demonstrations in schools aligned with the California State Standards.
Partnering with the California Academy of Sciences, MOCHA, the YMCA of San Francisco and the Exploratorium, Camp Edventure More runs programs in San Francisco, Mill Valley, Corte Madera, San Anselmo, Moraga and Alameda. Some sessions are still accepting students. Visit www.edventuremore.com for more information.
BUSINESS
New camp: Edventure Tech (fifth through ninth grade)
Ongoing camp: Edventure More! (kindergarten through sixth grade)
Number of e-mails a day: 70
Number of voice mails a day: 15
Essential Web site: www.edventuremore.com
Best perk: We’ve got the best party games and wacky experiments to “wow” our friends.
Gadgets: We know how to turn a pickle into a battery.
Education: Ed, Cornell University; Sharon, UCLA
First job: Ed, day camp junior counselor; Sharon, waitress at the Pancake House
Original aspiration: Ed, to own a summer camp; Sharon, radio show DJ
Career objective: To serve even more kids, families and schools with innovative Edmo programs
PERSONAL
Defining quirks: Ed hates backtracking and tries to plan his route so he’s always heading to his next destination; Sharon loves soggy cereal.
Hometown: Ed, San Francisco; Sharon, Haifa, Israel
Sports/hobbies: Ed, basketball; Sharon, drumming and dance
Transportation: Ed, Nissan Murano; Sharon, Acura Integra or her feet
Favorite restaurant: Ed, Abacus; Sharon, Little Bissap Baobab
Computer: Ed, Dell laptop; Sharon, Dell PC
Vacation spot: Ed, Le Blanc Hotel in Cacun; Sharon, Tulum, Mexico
Role Model: Ed, grandfather; Sharon, grandmother
Reading: Ed, “The Week”; Sharon, Entrepreneur Magazine
Worst fear: Ed, bees; Sharon, getting lost in a garlic field in Gilroy
Motivation: Laughter and success
