Camp Invention encourages children to explore learning with fun activities
By ERIKA BAYER-POLAK VIEW STAFF WRITER
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Eleven schools in the Las Vegas Valley will be hosting the week-long Camp Invention programs this summer.
The camp, a summer program sponsored by the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, is an enrichment program designed for children entering first through sixth grades.
During the session children increase their understanding of science, math, history and the arts through fun, yet educational, activities.
The activities include five hands-on-oriented components where the children use their imagination, work in teams, partake in inventive thinking exercises and work on problem solving.
One of the main exercises in Camp Invention is to create something from an old household appliance, such as a toaster, fan or blender.
Annette Phillips, former Clark County teacher and Camp Invention director, serves as the regional coordinator for the camp, and her 7-year-old daughter Kaylee attended the camp last summer and plans to attend again this year.
"I made a robot and it could do anything you told it to," Kaylee said. "And I made a book out of paper and stuff and it looked like a beetle. And we learned a lot about the sky and we raced roly-polies and played a water balloon game."
Phillips said her daughter ended up making a robot from the material that was once a hair dryer, which teaches the children to be creative and self-confident to the point where they know they can create something, basically, from nothing.
"It's fun for them, but it's also educational," Phillips said. "They learn so much and they get really involved and inspired."
The camp, introduced to the valley in 1999, was created in 1990 in Akron, Ohio, and the programs now are offered in 44 states and in 800 locations.
"The camp is a quality experience, it promotes better thinking and creativity," Phillips said. "And there is a low staff to student ratio at about one to eight and all of the teachers are certified and the curriculum follows state and regional requirements."
Each camp session is limited to 110 students in order to keep the student-to-teacher ratio low.
The camp will be offered at Alamo, Bilbray, Richard Bryan, Hummel and Iverson elementary schools the week of June 12; at Dooley, Gibson, Glen Taylor and Tobler elementary schools the week of June 19; at Lummis Elementary School the week of June 26 and at White Middle School the week of July 17.
The registration fee is $199 which includes daily snacks and a T-shirt before Wednesday, and $209 after Wednesday. There is also a bring-a-buddy program where each of the two children receive a $20 discount.
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