Jim Thorpe’s Camp Invention offers challenges, fun

Jim Thorpe Area School District’s Camp Invention celebrated another year of fun, hands-on challenges for young minds last week.

The program, inspired by the Inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, presents students with several opportunities to explore elements of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an approachable manner.

“It was a five-day camp, all hands-on, where they created four big projects by Friday by on science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” Coordinator of Academic Resources at Jim Thorpe Area School District Katherine Doll said.

“STEM is the way of the future for these kids. It’s 21st century learning, everything, when you look around, is STEM-based. That’s the way of the future right now for education.”

For five days, more than 50 students worked with counselors and the camp director to explore the wide world of science with various approachable activities developed for the youth.

Those projects included the creation of a robotic pet dog, which allowed the kids to learn about the inner workings of the mechanical creatures and their equivalent organ for a real dog.

“My favorite part was playing with the puppies. I had to make his fur, and I learned the body parts,” camper Rylee Reese, 7, said.

Campers also developed their own accessories to go along with the robo-dogs, such as a miniature playground set and a cozy bed.

In another robotics-oriented project, students worked with Optibots — self-driving miniature vehicles that can travel along special tracks developed by the kids.

“They had to create and name their Optibots, and design different pathways for the projects, to get in and out of tunnels and under bridges,” Doll said. “There was a lot of teamwork, a lot of trial and error, and everything was hands-on.”

Customization allowed the students to make the bots their very own, and learning the ins and outs of developing tracks for the little creations helped hone problem-solving skills.

“I like doing the Optibots, because you could make your own design for a robot. You could make a track, and you could do any kind of obstacle,” camper Cole Harwood said.

Another project entailed constructing a model mansion that ran on alternative energy, including hydro and solar polar.

Each day at camp, students would rotate through different stations, constantly keeping the crowd engaged in exciting learning opportunities.

“It hit all the modalities, so whether they were visual learners, hands-on learners, kinesthetic learners, each station that we rotated to touched every kids’ modality the best way. I think it was really important for the students.”

As even STEM camps require a bit of physical activity, campers spent some time outdoors — though Camp Invention worked in some education as well.

“We played a hockey game, and we made our own sticks out of recycled materials,” camper Landon Kline said.

Kline said that he plans to one day combine his love of sports and STEM for a career, and with his early education at Camp Invention, it looks like he may be on his way.

“I want to be a scientist. I want to create new objects, and I want to create new sports with more technology,” he said.

Counselor Jason Chiulli, who plans on becoming an engineer, said that he loved working with the young science enthusiasts, especially when it came to the robot-based projects.

“It was quite the experience. I personally enjoyed teaching kids about technology and molding them into young adults,” he said. “There were challenges regarding both of them, which was pretty fun. I think the kids enjoyed both of them,” he said.

By the end of the week, campers had built up a substantial knowledge of STEM concepts, piquing the interests of the budding scientists, and hopefully motivating them to pursue more education in the field.

“I think they did great,” Doll said. “With their projects, they met all the criteria, and I’m very pleased with them. I couldn’t be more happy with my staff, the way it all ran. It was probably our best year yet.”