Curiosity, creativity and hands-on discovery took center stage as students in the West Hempstead School District celebrated a week of innovation during the district’s annual Camp Invention program, held Aug. 10-14 at George Washington School.
Designed for students in grades K-6, Camp Invention gives young learners the opportunity to explore STEM concepts through engaging, hands-on challenges that encourage them to think like inventors, engineers and problem-solvers.
Throughout the week, students rotated through a variety of interactive stations, where they designed and built four-wheeled robots, crafted sailboats and tested their ideas through experimentation and teamwork.
One activity transformed campers into forensic investigators. Using simulated tomatoes and a variety of throwing angles, students studied the resulting splatter patterns and analyzed the evidence to determine the direction from which the tomato had been thrown. The investigation blended science, observation, geometry and critical thinking, demonstrating how patterns and evidence can help investigators reconstruct an event.
Adding another layer to the camp experience, students from West Hempstead Secondary School volunteered as counselors, working alongside younger campers and helping guide them through the week’s activities.
With opportunities to build, test, investigate and collaborate, Camp Invention provided West Hempstead students with an exciting summer learning experience while encouraging them to ask questions, embrace challenges and turn their ideas into action.
