(SPS) -- From robotic sea creatures to gravity-defying Spacepacks, Holmes Park Elementary is buzzing with the creations of young minds this week.
The inventions are part of the week-long Camp Invention program hosted by Sapulpa Public Schools.
Camp Invention is a fun, safe, and open-ended experience for participating campers to learn hands-on STEM activities while helping them build their problem-solving skills.
“Camp Invention is a real-world application of STEM, but it's a lot of fun, too,” said Megan Cannon, Camp Director and Sapulpa Public Schools STEM Coordinator. “STEM lends itself to a student's natural curiosity and often it's not about a right or wrong answer, it's about working together to figure out the best solution to a real problem.”
Kindergarten through 6th-grade students participating in Camp Invention are learning lessons in teamwork and creative thinking.
Camp Invention 2022
The 2022 learning modules for Camp Invention include:
Make a Splash with Robotic Aquatics - Children dive into ocean research and adopt their own aquatic animal! They use their decision-making skills to make design choices, patent new aquatic plants and create a symbiotic best friend for their animal. Then they develop a unique, bio-inspired invention and hook investors at the fish market.
Blast Off for Spacecation - Inspired by real space exploration, campers create Spacepacks and Astro-Arm devices to help them with gravity-defying cooking, glow-in-the-dark lunar discoveries and erupting ice volcanoes! Before returning to Earth, they mine an asteroid and collect data on how animals can hatch and grow in space.
Spin Into NIHF's (National Inventors' Hall of Fame) The Attic - Art and STEM combine in this immersive and creative experience! Campers find out how inventions have changed the way people create as they experiment with materials science, chemistry and art, and they learn how to manage emotions that can come with engaging in the creative process. They even build their own robotic artist to help them make awesome spin art.
Get Rolling with Marble Arcade - Children zigzag through physics, engineering and gaming as they build a mega marble arcade! First, they use scientific principles like potential and kinetic energy to roll gaming spheres at different speeds. Then they boost their collaboration skills by working together to level up their designs through hands-on problem solving!
“It's important for students to experience learning in a fun way that keeps their mind sharp and stimulated,” said Cannon.
Keeping a student’s mind sharp is key in helping them during the two and half month summer break before they head back to school.
Camp Invention is one of the
many enrichment programs Sapulpa Public Schools offers to students during the summer.
The camp concludes Thursday with an inventors’ showcase. Parents are invited to come in and see their student’s creations.
A special thank you to the Edward E. & Helen T. Bartlett Foundation for providing a grant which helps reduce the registration fee for our students.
More photos on Facebook.