This week’s group of 6-8^th graders, lead by MiaSci camp veteran Richard Cheney, is building a series of levers and pulleys to create elevators and other devices in the Crazy Contraptions class. Mr. Cheney is a 4^th grade teacher at Oliver Hoover Elementary, but for the past 11 years he has been a MiaSci camp instructor. When asked what keeps him coming back, he exclaimed: “Look around you! Campers are able to participate in hands-on activities by building things.”

Nathan Moreno-Mendelson, a 13-year-old who will be an 8^th grader this upcoming August, said that his favorite part was getting “The chance to build and be creative. They’re not that strict about what you do on each day. I built my trebuchet on slope day!”

Nearby, 11-year-old Damien Richmond was building a catapult with an elevator using the techniques he learned earlier in the week. His favorite part of camp is “Building new things and coming up with new ideas.”

These campers are also getting a special treat: chess! Mr. Cheney leads the chess club at Oliver Hoover and says: “Sometimes the kids need a break from what they are building, so they free their mind playing chess or doing other things inside the classroom.” No wonder Mr. Cheney has been back to camp so many times, he knows how well kids can express themselves building crazy contraptions all while having fun learning.

For additional information about MiaSci Summer Camp, please visit http://www.miamisci.org/summercamp/classinfo.php or call Karlisa Callwood at (305) 646-4233. Summer camp consists of eight one-week sessions from June 20^th through August 12^th, for campers in Pre-K–Fifth Grade. Camp hours are: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Before and after care are available.

A group of 4^th and 5^th grade mini engineers, led by John Morrissey, took over the MiaSci Shark Gallery for a week to learn, play and build. Strong Structures introduced campers to general engineering concepts as they built structures out of foam and wood blocks and then placed them on tables to simulate the effects of an earthquake to test the theories they were learning. What materials or building techniques help houses stay strong enough to withstand hurricanes in Florida? Javier Taboas, a 10-year-old going into 5th grade said that Mr. Morrissey “told us about building techniques…we learned triangles are very good.” His camp classmate Diondre Richmond said that they were learning that they “need things to keep our buildings strong.” Mr. Morrissey’s assistant, Stephanie Albright, a senior at FIU, also mentioned that the kids would be making support beams and testing their maximum weight capacity later on in the week. Talk about a crash course for future engineers!

Mr. Morrissey has been a camp counselor at MiaSci for 14 years. During the school year, he teaches 5^th grade math. Mr. Morrissey keeps coming back to teach at MiaSci summer camp because he enjoys the “hands on learning” and sees the “joy in the kids.” Mr. Morrissey says that it’s an effective way for children to learn independently because “it’s not teaching to the test…science components make them think they’re having fun but learning at the same time.”

For additional information about MiaSci Summer Camp, please visit http://www.miamisci.org/summercamp/classinfo.php or call Karlisa Callwood at (305) 646-4233. Summer camp consists of eight one-week sessions from June 20^th through August 12^th, for campers in Pre-K–Fifth Grade. Camp hours are: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Before and after care are available.