There are unique opportunities in STEM summer camps for students, keeping them engaged with hands on activities.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, a two week summer program at Tulsa Community College has inspired students entering high school to pursue projects and never give up.
In one project, campers built a catapult from Popsicle sticks and rubber bands. The also built a tower from drinking straws that withstood wind and shaking like an earthquake.
“I had to learn from my mistakes,” said 13 year old Josiah Clayton. He explained the process of putting his tower to a test with a fan. “We had braces to make our tower stand up, and once that fell down, we had to figure out what’s wrong with our tower, and we had to fix it.”
“Hopefully that was something that they go away with,” said Drew Smith, leader of the math activities at the program. “Each project that we did, there was always a test phase, and there was always a redesign phase. So that just reinforces the idea that you build something, but it’s not over. You see what you can do better.”
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