Campers enjoy hands-on learning

Camp Invention teaches math, science, history and the arts to youth.

HUDSON, Ohio (AP) — The team of 11-year-olds wanted to launch an egg into a frying pan, but not the conventional way. Instead, they decided to build a catapult — using parts of dismantled home appliances and electronics.

Such ingenuity is typical at Camp Invention, a program run by a subsidiary of the Akron-based National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation. The camp features a hands-on curriculum that combines science, math, history and the arts taught by local elementary school teachers.

But this week, 10 of the program’s 52 participants at McDowell Elementary School in Hudson, about 12 miles north of Akron, took part in a special pilot project linking science and entrepreneurial skills.

The class was taught by Junior Achievement, an international organization that teaches business principles to young people. Organizers hope to expand the partnership to other local Camp Inventions next year.

“The goal, I think, from both organizations is that we can extend it nationally,” Camp Invention spokesman Michael Schwabe said.

The egg catapult — which involved a golf ball, a tube and part of a VCR — took more than two days and 50 tries before the children got it right.

“Bryan had a good idea about putting dominoes on,” said 11-year-old Kevin Von Bokkelen of Hudson. “And then me and Billy had a good idea about putting this tube down for extra speed, and Ben built the catapult.”

On Thursday afternoon, two girls were designing “Lauren and Angela’s Vet Shop.”

Lauren Kane, 9, and Angela Liu, 8, both of Hudson drew pictures of dog walking and washing as they learned to create their own veterinary business.

Earlier that day, the campers — who range in age from first through the sixth grades — had learned how a superhero’s DNA might look and the science of flight and safe landing.

The Burton D. Morgan Foundation of Hudson funds both Camp Invention and Junior Achievement through annual grants. Camp Invention has local programs across the country.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame was founded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the National Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations and has inducted more than 300 members since 1973.