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Camp Invention comes to Boone
By Caroline Monday
There are a few spots left for Camp Invention 2008, hosted by
the Office of Conferences and Institutes at Appalachian State
University.
The camp, which will run from June 23 to 27, is holding spots
for students who are eligible to receive scholarships and attend
the camp for no or reduced cost. These spots will be held for
a limited time only.
Camp Invention is a nationally acclaimed day camp created by the
National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation. It gives children
the opportunity to learn about math and science while having fun.
It is open to children who are currently in kindergarten through
the fifth grade. The base fee is $205, and the program runs from
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m each day.
Teri Reddick, of the ASU Office of Conferences and Institutes,
said the camp is inquiry based. “A child at the camp may
ask ‘What would happen if I did this?’ and the teacher
says ‘Well I don’t know, let’s try,’”
she said.
Reddick said the hands on approach of this camp model is one of
the things that attracted her to the camp and inspired her to
make it available locally.
At the day camp, children will be able to participate in activities,
such as creating model roller coasters and disassembling household
goods to create something else.
Local science teachers are recruited to run the camp and are selected
for their abilities to excite and motivate the children. One such
teacher is Gail Bastarache, who will be serving as camp director.
“For Camp Invention, we are looking for children interested
in exploring the sciences,” Bastarache said in a press release.
“Really, for this age group, that would include almost any
child, as young people are naturally curious.”
“There’s lots of research that shows that children who
are introduced to math and science at an early age are more drawn
to it as a career,” Reddick said.
Scholarships are being made available to eligible campers. ASU’s
Math and Science Education Center is offering scholarships to
girls and boys of any age. Families qualifying for the free or
reduced school lunch program are automatically eligible. However,
Reddick said she would like families of all income levels to apply.
The American Association of University Women is offering several
scholarships to girls in the High Country who would like to attend
Camp Invention. The AAUW’s mission is to advance equity for
women and girls through advocacy, education and research. To qualify
for scholarships from the AAUW, girls must have an interest in
exploring science, engineering or math and express a financial
need.
For additional information and to learn if your family qualifies
for a scholarship, contact Teri Reddick at (828) 262-2530, or
email her at reddickct@appstate.edu. Reserved spaces for scholarship
students will be available for a limited time only.
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