Parents always cringe when their kids groan ‘I’m bored? over the long summer months.
This summer might be different, though’at least for one week.
The National Camp Invention summer program will debut in Oxford from June 26-30 at Clear Lake Elementary.
Created in 1990 by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, Camp Invention is a summer enrichment program that promotes creativity, teamwork, inventive-thinking skills and science literacy.
Children in grades 1-6 will spend 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at various modules at the school where their creativity and imagination will be tested.
Julie Adema, a second grade teacher at Clear Lake Elementary, is the director for Oxford’s Camp Invention and said she signed up because it ‘sounded like a whole lot of fun.?
Children will get to use various recyclable items, like egg cartons and toilet paper tubes, to create their inventions throughout the week.
‘Camp Invention, as a rule, discourages a lot of pencil and paper work,? Adema said.
One module, called Problem Solving on Planet Zak, challenges the children to adapt to a changing environment on an alien planet, all while creating a device to try and leave the planet.
In the Spills and Chills module, children will create prototype cars as well as develop safety restraints for them.
Imagination Point gets the children to create their own amusement park ride, learn about Sir Isaac Newton’s law of motion, momentum and inertia.
The Amazing Games module, which will take place outdoors, emphasizes teamwork and creative problem solving.
The I Can Invent module challenges the children to take apart a small home appliance and create their own fantasy invention.
‘They also then learn about the patent process,? Adema said. ‘They’ll try to market their inventions to one another.?
At the end of the week, friends and family are invited to attend the camp where the students will perform a skit and will get to show off their inventions.
Teachers from the school district will serve as camp leaders, but parent volunteers are also needed.
Adema said the camp is already half full and needs 110 campers total.
If children sign up with a friend before May 31, each child will receive $20 off the registration fee of $199. The camp is open to students from any school district.
Adema believes the camp will be beneficial to children because of its creative approach.
‘At the rate the world is changing, you have to be ready to think in ways that maybe you never had to think before,? she said.
To sign up as a volunteer or for more information on the locations, contact Kathy Gualtieri at (248) 879-9535 or visit www.campinvention.org.
Parents can pick up a registration form in the office at Clear Lake Elementary (2085 W. Drahner).