The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Camp Invention engaging students in third year
Young minds of Elyria City School District students who will attend grades 1-6 were tested with science, technology and engineering at the week long summer camp, Camp Invention.
Kathy Koepp, coordinator of the camp and teaching and learning coordinator for the district, said 220 elementary students became young creators while participating in the camp’s third year.
Camp Invention was held during normal school hours at Elyria High School from June 18-22.
Each day, the campers participated in different activities.
Some of the projects were ob-to-bot, a mini mansion of the future activity made out of scraps donated by parents; and a robo petvet, where students use self created tools to see if their pets are sick.
Students could perform some of the activities as teams and individually, Koepp said.
The youngsters also had the option to take some of their projects home.
All of the modules have a curriculum provided through the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Koepp said.
Because there were so many campers, the staff worked with two separate groups of youngsters to evenly work through all modules.
Students were grouped by their ages.
Instructors were assisted by high school and middle school student volunteers while working with the younger children.
These student volunteers had the opportunity to collect hours for community service while guiding students in the camp.
All early engineering, math and science activities introduced to the campers students created an opportunity for them to explore different interests at an earlier stage, Koepp said.
She stopped asking children what they wanted to be when they grow up because things can change and more opportunities come about, she said.
The camp also is special to students because it can create new relationships with other students, Koepp said.
Some of the camper’s faces change throughout the course of the camp, she said.
Some may be nervous or timid at the beginning, then excited and ready for more in the end, Keopp said.
Michael Burke, a father to campers Jayda, 10, Natalia, 9, and Julian, 7, said this is the first year his children participated in the camp.
Burke said all three are having fun creating different things they normally don’t have the opportunity do make.
“It’s a good atmosphere for kids, so their creativity can continue to flourish,” he said.
Burke recalled that children can lose information over the summer and the camp can help them maintain or gain the knowledge.
The camp is all about the children, Keopp said.
“I’m trying to get them excited about school, math, engineering, design and science,” she said. “I wanted them to have a good experience. So, when they come back in the fall and into the high school someday, they’ll remember they had a good experience.”
Koepp said the camp has been around at other schools for some time and she is blessed to have an amazing opportunity provided for Elyria students.
She said without the financial help of Lorain County organizations and officials, the cost of the camp decreases the cost of $225 per child to $10.