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Join the Youth Committee (Y-Com) to discuss Mensa issues and events from the youth point of view.

Mensans LOVE to game.  Game Night is a fun, casual chance to check out some new games, play some familiar ones, and have a casual good time hanging out with a fun group.  Bring your favorite game.

RSVP not required.

Join the Youth Committee (Y-Com) to discuss Mensa issues and events from the youth point of view.

Versailles State Park is a beautiful, lush park this time of year.  For many years, Central Indiana Mensa has had a tradition of “camping” (if we may use that term loosely since we stay in comfortable cabins and have access to all the comforts of home), relaxing, playing games, eating great food, and hanging out with some really smart people.

The best thing about this weekend is the traditions that we enjoy year after year.  Dr. Alan Schmidt, a Mensa member, leads a group hike in search of fossils and sinkholes.  We have our annual “deep thoughts” talk where a deep question is asked, and everyone discusses it.  At night we make smore’s using marshmallow peeps.  If you can get up early enough on Saturday morning, we’ll go on a walk to the base of the dam where we’ll find “mysterious bubbles” .  They are odd enough that they attract a crowd year after year.  You have to see them for yourself to understand.

There is a modest cost for this event to cover our own costs.  When you break it down, you aren’t going to get much of a better deal for five meals and two overnight stays.  The food is fantastic and the view is better than any five star hotel.

This event is for kids and kids at heart.  Mensans of any age are a lot of fun!

In recent years we’ve tried some activities that have been a LOT of fun.  One year someone brought liquid nitrogen.  On Saturday afternoon we used the liquid nitrogen to rapidly make ice cream.  Yeah, Mensan’s know how to have fun!

Another year one of our members came up with a way to make a hand-powered cotton machine candy from homemade parts, and it actually worked!  We launched water rockets, did Diet Coke and Mentos, tackle mountain bike trails (bring your own mountain bike), tell stories around the campfire, and SO much more.

Mensa rents an entire section of the park.  There is a main cabin where everyone stays to eat, talk, play cards, etc.  There are a bunch of sleeping cabins and a bathhouse.  In the past we’ve had guys-only cabins, ladies-only cabins, and family cabins.  There are ten beds per cabin, so you’ll probably be able to find another family to share a cabin with.

Join the Youth Committee (Y-Com) to discuss Mensa issues and events from the youth point of view.

Fun/Planning meeting for Y-Com members only.

Back by popular demand, and better than ever, it’s Summer Blast! School is about to start, but you want one last blast of FUN in a seriously smart way. We have the perfect getaway for your bright friends and family! Join us on a private family beach in Plymouth, IN as we camp in tents on the scenic bank of Pretty Lake (Yes, that’s the real name of the lake!)

Activities include: Sailing lessons, canoeing, rowboat, swimming, tubing, fishing (bring your own gear and bait),  smores and drama improv at the beach campfire on Friday night, nature hikes, outdoor games, outdoor science experiments, and PLENTY of hang-out time with fun, smart people!

Bring your own bikes, tent, tarp, sleeping bag, pillow, swimming gear, towel, lawn chairs, camera, fishing gear, change of clothes, snacks (if you want), and sunscreen.  Cost is only$15 per person to cover food.

PRINT THIS FLIER FOR YOUR FRIENDS:

Mensans LOVE to game.  Game Night is a fun, casual chance to check out some new games, play some familiar ones, and have a casual good time hanging out with a fun group.  Bring your favorite game or enjoy the ones we have.

PLEASE NOTE:  Todd Academy has moved to a new location at 2801 South Pennsylvania Street.  This is NOT the same location where we met last year.

RSVP not required for this event.

What’s more fun than super-cool hands on science?  As you ponder that question, let me tell you about a FANTASTIC opportunity that you’re not going to want to miss.  Julie Tennell, the Biology teacher at Franklin Community High School has a science lab with the latest high-tech gear.  Best of all, she’s letting us do some really amazing science activities in her lab.Unless you’re really lucky, you’ll probably never have a chance to put on a pair of gloves and dissect a real shark.  Does that sound totally gross but really cool?  We think so too, and that’s why it’s going to be so much fun!  We ordered enough sharks for everyone to have a chance to get the full experience.  Do you think you’re smart enough to identify all the parts?  There’s only one way to find out.

While one group is busy exploring the fantastic world of sharks, another group will be plugging in Lab Pro equipment to a computer.  We’ll be using real live computer bugs, crickets that is.  Using the sensitive probes, we’ll measure cricket oxygen consumption and CO2 production at various temperatures.

Don’t worry, everyone will have a chance to do both labs. We’ll have one group doing the sharks while the other does the crickets, and then we’ll switch.

As if that weren’t enough, we’re bringing in a special guest speaker that you’re going to truly enjoy!  We can’t give away all of our secrets.  You have to come find out who it is yourself.

If you’ve ever considered a career working with animals, the medical field, or any science, you’re not going to want to miss this incredible night!

We will be using sharp tools for the dissection. Parents are responsible for determining whether or not their child can safely handle sharp tools. There will be plenty of exciting hands-on action that doesn’t require using tools. You may want to consider having your child not wear their best clothes for this event.

In case this all sounds very familiar, it’s a repeat of what we did back in March of 2011 with a few new special features this time.  Check out the video from two years ago: