We put on an awesome STEM Camp this two summers ago! We had a group of 35 kids and we taught them about flight, architecture, electricity, space, and water.
On the first day, we taught the kids about the four elements of flight: Lift, Drag, Thrust, and Weight. The kids made paper airplanes with straws and strips of paper, rockets with wide straws and erasers, and helicopters that could actually fly! The helicopters could fly by the use of craft sticks and rubber bands.
On the second day, we taught the kids about architecture. They drew blueprints of their own imaginary homes. One girl even included a water heater! They made small transparent houses with tissue paper squares glued onto them. Some of the kids put tea-lights into the houses and the light made pretty squares of colored light! They also made structures out of popsicle sticks and clothespins. We also played a really fun game that was very much like “red light, green light.” We called it “statue, skyscraper, bridge.” The person who was “it” would call out to the players, “statue, skyscraper, or bridge” and the players would have to react accordingly.
On day three, the kids learned about electricity. We showed them how to make pepper stick to a balloon using static electricity. We also taught the kids how they have a small amount of electricity in their bodies, by having one of our team members hold an energy stick in one hand, and then having the kids hold hands with him or her, which made the stick light up. They also made electricity run through lemons as a science experiment.
On day four, the kids learned about space. They made Mars Rovers out of recycled materials, which was a real ‘blast.’ They also learned several constellations and the Phases of the Moon. They even made a glow-in-the-dark Phases of the Moon sheet!
On day five, the kids learned about water. They made paddle boats with foam fins and rubber bands. They also made aluminum foil boats and challenged themselves to see how many pennies their boats could hold before sinking.
