Camp Invention: Students have fun learning

Published 1:00 pm Saturday, June 9, 2012

In an effort to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Valdosta State University hosted a week long summer camp that ended Friday.

“This is our first year to do this,” said Dr. Denise Reid, professor of mathematics at Valdosta State University.

Camp Invention is a program of Invent Now, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring and fostering invention and creativity. The camp takes in students entering grades one through six and engages children to discover their own innate creativity through a series of inventions, hands-on science projects and various crafts.

“It’s a lot of science and learning and we keep them active and keep them moving,” said Reid.

Reid divided the 71 children into four, color- coded groups based on grade level. From Monday, June 4 through Friday, June 8, the children rotated throughout the day between four teachers.

“They are learning constantly,” said Reid. “And it’s not pressure learning … it’s fun learning.”

Some of the projects the children engaged in included one called Saving Sludge City. The students built cities and even learned about the environment and how to stay green.

“It’s a lot of elementary science experiments,” said Reid.

Another project was called Problem Solving on Planet ZAK.

Essentially, the students crashed on an unknown planet and have to survive. A thunderstorm came — brought on by spritzing bottles of water and turning the lights on and off — and the children have to build shelter with desks and boxes. On Friday, the students finally escaped the foreign environment through rocket ships they had built.

“We’ve had a lot of messes,” said Reid jokingly.

The transformation that Camp Invention brought to Nevins Hall on VSU campus was refreshing. Rather than the horrible moans and sighs of students slugging through treacherous math exams or three hour long science labs, there was joyful laughter and bursts of excitement that echoed throughout the halls.

“There’s all sorts of games and creations,” said 9-year-old Callie Reid. “I’ve been meeting new friends.”

The camp was exciting for the four counselors as well. Counselor Alexandra Wang, a rising senior at Lowndes High School, has really enjoyed her time at the camp.

“I really like working with kids and being able to work with a wide variety of kids,” said Wang. “It’s a satisfying experience to see everyone working together.”

Aside from being exercised both physically and mentally, the children also learned valuable skills such as coordination and teamwork.

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