Chapter 7: The Rock Climbing Rebels of New York In the grand ol' state of New York, where skyscrapers scrape the sky and pizzas are as wide as wagon wheels, there exists a super squad of kids, known far and wide as the Rock Climbing Rebels. Oh, they're not your everyday, run-of-the-mill kind of children, mind you. They're a bunch of vertically-inclined adventurers, positively mad about climbing! Their leader, Captain Crimp, is a real hoot. Picture this - a nine-year-old in a bright orange helmet that’s two sizes too big, knee pads worn on the wrong side, and a cape made out of a curtain. A curtain, I tell you! But boy, can he scale a boulder like a squirrel on sneakers. Every day, at the crack of dawn, Captain Crimp and the other Rebels gather in the heart of Central Park. Their mission: to conquer each and every rock formation that dares to stand in their path. With their trusty climbing shoes, chalk-caked hands, and an unbreakable spirit, they scramble up surfaces as smoothly as a pancake sliding off a hot griddle. They climb not just for the thrill or the challenge, but for the sheer joy of it. For the feeling of the wind ruffling their hair when they reach the top, the earth far below looking like a jumbled box of toys. They climb because in New York, the city of giants, they too can touch the sky. So, if you're ever in New York and spot a group of kids defying gravity, don't be surprised. Just wave at the Rock Climbing Rebels, champions of the vertical world, and maybe - just maybe - you'll catch a glimpse of Captain Crimp, his cape fluttering in the wind, leading his team to new heights.
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All aboard the STEAM train! Here at Mad Science of Greater Salt Lake, we're not just about science; we're about making it grand and accessible. Our passionate team of professional educators, who double as entertainers, are here to guide your child on an exhilarating journey through the fascinating world of science. We're committed to making learning fun, interactive, and engaging, and we do this through our variety of programs that include after-school activities, workshops, and summer camps. Ready to put a unique spin to your child’s birthday party? We have got you covered! Our parties are far from ordinary, filled with thrilling science demonstrations, hands-on experiments, and captivating activities. We guarantee to turn any party into an exciting event that effortlessly combines learning and fun. We're committed to creating memorable experiences that will not only entertain your child but also instill in them a love for science. Here at Mad Science of Greater Salt Lake, our offerings don’t stop at parties and after-school programs. We also bring the wonder of science to schools and businesses through our educational assemblies, captivating shows, and interactive booths. Our vast experience working with children of all ages, from toddlers to tweens, makes us experts at nurturing your child’s natural curiosity. We firmly believe that introducing them to science at a young age can spark their imagination and fuel their desire to learn more.

Our programs blend literacy, imaginative play, and design thinking to increase reading interest and skill. Creation stories along with tales of conquest and cultural tradition provide the context for our after-school and summer camp engagements where we journey through stories to help children understand themselves, our history, and our world. Our story began with, well, a story. Challenged by fans of The Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series, we set out to create a real-world version of the fictional training ground for modern-day heroes of Greek Mythology; Camp Half-Blood. Armed with no small amount of courage we set out to create a space for the stories kids love to live rich, full lives beyond the pages of the books. Eight years and three programs later we have served nearly 3,000 children with our unique brand of reading enrichment. Expanding the boundaries of the creative class is an important part of our mission and must include kids from the widest variety of families and circumstances. Our latest project, The Daedalus Initiative gifts students in Title 1 schools with science kits and other materials to further their knowledge and interest in STEM.