Students got to flex their creativity in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) through Shawnee Mission School District’s (SMSD) Camp Invention.
The week-long program provides an opportunity for students to learn and grow in a structured but pressure-free, academic environment.
Asher Berg, a rising fifth grader from Highlands Elementary, attended Camp Invention for the first time this summer and says, “It’s kind of like school but instead of math and reading, we’re making our own creative inventions.”
The camp day is divided into four different sections that students rotate through. The sections include a robot course where students work towards earning a patent on their “mimic-bot,” a pop-up venture where students learn how to start their own small business, “catching air” where students design their own skatepark, and “invention celebration” where the students have been able to build multiple items throughout the week.
“Camp Invention walks kids through the invention process,” explained Paul Sluga, an SMSD teacher and one of the Camp Invention counselors. “This program allows them to make things in a guided environment and then extend it and make some additional things on their own.”
Dominic Bell is a first-grade student who found the “mimic-bot” section to be the most fun. “The mimic-bots say what we say but in a really high-pitched voice and it’s really funny,” said Bell.
But the value of the program isn’t only in the academics and activities.
“I think there are multiple takeaways,” said Sluga. “One would be just getting together with their friends over the summer and then meeting kids from other schools. So, maybe when they get to middle school, they’ll run into some kids they met at Camp Invention. I also think it’s just a really positive school environment where there’s no pressure to perform, they just get to foster creativity. And that’s really important.”
The program is open to all students in kindergarten through fifth grade and hosted at 4 different SMSD elementary schools across the community.