PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Friday marked the finale of the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Camp Invention, the nation’s best known summer enrichment day camp program that schools across the country host every year.
UMPI hosted the week-long camp, which ended with an Inventor’s Showcase in the Pullen Hall art studio. Campers from Aroostook County schools in grades one through six got to show off the inventions they made throughout the week to parents and family members at their own table and explain how their inventions work.
Camp Invention focuses on the S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum. Children who attended the camp spent each day doing various activities that challenged their creative thinking and problem-solving skills. This included the Kartwheel module where students built their own race cart using skateboards, cardboard boxes and other items, then participated in a race course.
Other activities included the stomp rocket, in which students created, built and launched their own rocket from a launch pad, and a video game module in which students took apart unused or broken appliances to create their own video game model.
Elaine Hendrickson, local educator and the 2001 Maine Teacher of the Year, directed UMPI’s Camp Invention activities. She believes that Camp Invention is unique from other summer camp programs because of what it offers for its young campers.
“It allows the children to be creative, to think outside the box and decide what they want to make for inventions that are going to help the world become a better place,” Hendrickson said.
Those inventions were on full display during the children’s Invention Showcase. Camper Evan Dow, 7, of Presque Isle proudly showed his invention “Everlasting Pig” to his mother and grandparents.
“It opens and the bacon doesn’t have to be washed or cooked,” Dow said. “It’s already cooked in there and it’s already washed. And the pig’s skin grows back.”
Dow’s mother, Nancy Dow, said that she recommends Camp Invention for other children.
“It really expands on their minds to create new things with just things lying around the house,” Dow said.
Bella Sleeper, 8, of Caribou, talked about her inventions “Instant Food,” “Wireless Wash” and “Instant Fire” that she made to help people who are outdoor campers. Her mother, Tanya Sleeper, enjoyed seeing all the children’s inventions.
“I always love programs in which children from across the county can come together and work together,” Sleeper said.
Working together is one of the many skills that Camp Invention instructors strive to teach. Audra Kirk, a teacher at Fort Street Elementary School in Mars Hill, was one of the Camp Invention instructors. She said that learning teamwork and communication skills was a big part of the activities.
“They had to work in numerous groups and really listen to the brainstorming ideas of their peers and they had to get to an end result together,” Kirk said. “I definitely think that in school, when they’re put into groups, they will benefit from that.”
The camp also involved local high school students who served as Leadership Interns. Presque Isle High School senior and intern Liam Daniels praised Camp Invention for allowing students to do fun, creative activities without realizing that they are learning.
As we get older we kind of lose that childhood creativity that we all start off with,” Daniels said. “We have a lot of creative minds here and by being there to help stimulate that, I think it’ll help carry that with them for years to come.”
