Camp Invention held in Batavia

The Batavia Middle School hosted the imaginative Camp Invention program for kids last week.

This is the first year that the school district has hosted the camp, which is a national program, and 50 students in grades one through six took the opportunity to participate.

“The five-day camp is an inquiry-based science program where the kids use their imaginations on different scenarios and situations and then invent something to help,” said program coordinator Cindy Jacobs. “They use discovery-based and fantasy-based scenarios all in an effort to give the students a love for science.”

One imaginative group of nine-year-olds, after crash-landing their spacecraft on Planet Zak, built a storm shelter to protect them from glitter and candy storms; another group tested automobile safety features using eggs as passengers – if the egg cracks, it’s back to the drawing board.

In an effort to encourage environmental responsibility, the Camp Invention students were required to use all recyclable materials in the construction of their fantasy inventions and complex machines.

Camp Invention, a program of Invent Now Kids, teaches the children problem solving and inventive thinking skills, Jacobs said.

"We hope the kids learn and take away from the camp a love for all things science and a desire to investigate things on their own," Jacobs said. "It is about life-long learning, but also a chance to create and do things not necessarily offered in the classroom."

Nine-year-old Lucas Herron said that the camp was one of the most fun things he has ever participated in.

"We all inspired each other while working on our project," an enthusiastic Herron said. "I love science and we have learned a lot."

Which Jacobs said was the whole point of the camp.