STEM Program coming to Versailles

Camp Invention®, a nationally recognized, nonprofit summer enrichment camp program, is coming to Southside Elementary School the week of June 10-14. Regional program sponsors include The Jochum-Moll Foundation, Dow Corning Foundation and H.B. Fuller Company Foundation.

A program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF), in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Camp Invention challenges children in grades K-6 to find their “inner inventor” by learning the process of innovation. Using hands-on activities, Camp Invention promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning; builds confidence, leadership, perseverance, resourcefulness and problem-solving skills; and encourages entrepreneurship - in a fun and engaging environment.

Each year, the program features a new curriculum inspired by some of our nation’s most world-changing inventors - the NIHF Inductees.

This year’s Supercharged™ curriculum features several video challenges from these Inductees encouraging children to be confident in their ideas and explore their innovativeness. These hands-on activities include:

• Innovation Force®: Campers team up with the Innovation Force (NIHF Inductees as superheroes) to battle the evil Plagiarizer, a supervillain who is out to steal the world’s greatest ideas. As children create a device to retrieve the stolen ideas, they learn about the importance of intellectual property and the U.S. patent system.

• Deep Sea Mystery™: The children embark on a research adventure at sea to dig up fossils. Using lessons and advice from NIHF Inductees, they invent island-survival tools and underwater equipment.

• Farm Tech™: Campers are put in charge of managing their own farm as they learn the basics of running a business. With the assistance of the Bot-ANN-E robot, they learn fundamental coding techniques to maximize their time and profits. Children also are introduced to

DNA syntheses, where they perform their own mock experiment to check the health of their newly purchased cattle.