Mineola Middle School is currently hosting Camp Invention, a national summer enrichment day camp program sponsored by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Throughout the course of Camp Invention, students in grades 1 through 6 learn different aspects of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) using hands-on tactics. Each section of the program is broken up into two modules. The first week’s module (which took place last week), was called Epic, where students took classes called I Can Invent: Maker Studio, a section in which students utilize reverse engineering by taking apart projects and inventions to create a new product; CrickoBot, where students learn how to create and manipulate solar-powered crickets; The Lab: Where Pigs Can Fly, where students make binary coded bracelets out of initials and learn about marine biology while exploring a squid; and a class called Epic Park where children play eco-friendly games using resources from the park to find gems and minerals in a blowup marsh and examine them. This week, students are designing a small, motor-powered vehicle to race, inventing bionic gadgets and igniting a spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship through personalized video challenges presented by National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees.
The camp allows students to not only be educated in different, hands-on ways, but to have fun at the same time. Dana McDonough is serving as director of the program for the third year and believes that Camp Invention is important for a student’s education. The atmosphere of the camp is extremely relaxed, allowing the children to enjoy themselves and learn simultaneously.
“The students are learning by actually doing things,” McDonough said. “They are talking to one another and coming up with these ideas within their small groups. It is a lot of fun.”
Meagan Fabiitti was the instructor in charge of the CrickoBot class. She challenged students to work together and brainstorm ideas.
“A main focus is their group work, collaborating with one another, exploring ideas and being inventive throughout the activity,” Fabiitti said, adding that students learned to respect each other because they had to listen to one another while coming up with designs.
Students learn something new each day of Camp Invention. Christina Castello, instructor of Where Pigs Can Fly, believes that “when we are teaching science to younger kids, the best way to do it is with hands-on materials so they are all engaged. The students are all interested and they love it.”
The Mineola camp drew 89 students from all over Nassau County. One camper, Rachael, said she loves coming everyday and learning new things. When asked about her favorite module, she said “They are all pretty great.” The best part about coming to camp everyday, Rachael said, was “being with my friends.”
To learn more about Camp Invention and find out about future sites, visit www.campinvention.org.
