by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
Camp Invention, a week-long summer day program for students entering grades one through six, is coming to the College of St. Benedict this summer.
A program of the non-profit” Invent Now,” the camp is part of a an elementary-enrichment program that encourages children to discover their own creativity through hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
At the camp, children use creative thinking to solve real-world problems. The camp encourages engaging children’s brains to help prevent loss of learning, while providing hands-on fun during the months that students are not attending regular school classes.
Susan Clarke, the regional consultant in charge of programming in Minnesota, said the program has been in St. Joseph for seven consecutive years; there are 40 camps in Minnesota this summer.
Four different curriculums are used in the different locations for camps. Last year, more than 2,800 students were involved in the camps.
Children will work on a series of challenges, building projects both individually and in a group setting, allowing them to use their imaginations and to build teamwork skills. They brainstorm ideas and make group decisions when testing, evaluating and revising those ideas.
Camp participants rotate through four different classes each day.
The camp offered at CSB will be directed by Missy Tellinghuisen, taught by qualified local teachers and will have a one-to-eight staff-to-student ratio. High school and college students will help lead groups through the four daily classes.
Clarke said the students at the St. Joseph camp will be able to work with the power of magnets and build a magnet-powered city to scale.
New to the program this year is the counselor-in-training program, an option for Camp Invention “graduates” who are too old for the program. These counselors will assist leadership interns with tasks and help mentor participants and will be able to leave the camp with volunteer experience to bring with them when they enter high school.
The camp offered at CSB is scheduled for the week of July 9-13. The base price for the camp is $225, with a 15-percent discount available to children who register before the end of May.
To register for Camp Invention, call 800-968-4332.