Middle School

Description: Fun and Educational Hands-On DIY technology workshop for kids 7 to 12! CAUTION! Prepare to experience science! Do you like taking things apart (and putting them back together)? Then this workshop is for you! We all like toys, right? Yes! But do we really know how they work, inside? Uh, maybe. Like for instance that R/C car…or that drone. Or that bubble blaster…or that robot. Get the idea? If it’s put together with screws, we want to take it apart! And other things that might be around, like an old, battery-powered radio. Or an old, battery-operated cassette player. What makes them work? What’s really inside? Come to this workshop and find out! (Battery-operated only! NOTHING PLUG IN) Students are encouraged to bring their own toys and toys for hacking will also be provided.

Description: How would you like to build your very own mini wind powered generator and then measure the energy it creates? Or what about a solar powered walking mechanical robot? Each participant will learn the science and the inner workings of three cool alternative energy gadgets. If you like gears, motors and wires – or would love to learn – this workshop is for you! Build, test, modify and compete! Then they’re yours to take home! Great STEM projects for kids…and lots of fun!

Description: In this hands-on STEM workshop, campers will construct their own salt-water powered car—no batteries required. Using just a few drops of salt water, participants will activate a fuel cell that converts chemical energy into motion, bringing their custom-built vehicle to life. Along the way, students will explore the science behind renewable energy, electrochemical reactions, and mechanical engineering as they assemble a multi-part vehicle with working gears, drivetrain, and motor systems. By the end of the session, each participant will not only take home their own functioning car but also gain a deeper understanding of clean energy technologies, problem-solving, and how science powers the world around us.

Description: Participants will be divided into teams and told that their team is part of a company that creates amusements and games for carnivals and fairs. Their goal in this class is to design, build and demonstrate a fantastic, new amusement or game that people will want to pay to play, using recyclable materials (excluding glass and potentially sharp metal). Each team will be given the same budget in imaginary “Innovator Dollars” to spend on the materials (buzzers, LEDs, battery holders, jumper wires, motors, gears) and tools that they’ll need to complete their invention. Each team will present their creation to the other teams at the end of the session for their feedback.