Creations come to life at school

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Future scientists and inventors dropped marbles down water pipe insulation sleeves transformed into roller coasters, dodged acid rain on Planet Zack and assembled inventions at Hornung Elementary School last week.

School is out, but Camp Invention took over the Genoa Township school last week and brought it to life with students scurrying from one project to another. They took apart computers, hair dryers, VCRs and other household items and used those pieces to create their own inventions. They also worked in group settings to solve problems.

"I thought it would be cool if you could zap it at somebody and send them back in time," said Lauren Coughlin, who was creating her invention from an old hair dryer.

The Lindbom fifth-grader, wearing goggles, said she, of course, would only send people back in time if they wanted to go.

"I like taking things apart and seeing what's inside," she said.

Sophia Garner, camp director and a first-grade teacher at Hornung, said 109 children in grades 1-6 participated in the five-day camp that ran from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily.

The camp concluded Friday with each student showcasing an invention he or she made.

Garner said students rotated among five classrooms each day and worked on different tasks. They designed and created a roller coaster, built cars and tested them for safety using eggs as passengers, and were stranded on an imaginary planet and had to figure out a way to leave.

Garner said she's impressed with the students' problem-solving, working together and using their critical thinking.

"It's really interesting to sit and listen to them and how they should create these things," Garner said.

Sarah Hively, a Lindbom fifth-grader, decided to make an iPod with a computer.

"I like it here because it's so fun and it's not boring," she said.

Camp students C.J. LeClair, Connor Gordon and Riley McMahon sat at a table strewn with pieces of a computer and VCR.

They were building a "comoky," a computer and karaoke invention.

"I like taking stuff apart
and putting it back together," C.J. said. He took apart an old computer and was impressed with how complicated its interior was.

"It's amazing that somebody actually knows how to put something together like that," he said.

Press & Argus - www.livingstondaily.com - Livingston, MI

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