LAYTON -- Six-year-old Adam Harding would not shift his focus from the old VCR machine he was disassembling. Steadily, he turned the screwdriver to loosen a screw so he could remove another part from the old appliance.
But was the screw finally loose?
"I think it is, maybe I can pinch it out," said Adam, of Layton. "Nope."
So he loosened the screw a little more and pulled out the video head. He set that part aside and went back to work.
Adam and close to 40 other kids at Camp Invention got the chance to take apart old household appliances and use those parts to build a new invention. The camp, taking place all week at Mountain View Elementary School, is designed to focus on science, technology, engineering and math, also known as the STEM subjects.
"Part of the mission of the camp is to get kids excited about science, technology, engineering and math at a young age," said Patrice Laurence, regional coordinator for Camp Invention. "Studies show that if the kids are not excited about those subjects by the fourth grade, they will not choose a career in those areas."
The camp students rotate through three modules during the morning and two more after lunch. Morning modules include "W!ld: Wondrous Innovations and Living Designs," where the kids explore innovative survival traits of animals; "The Curious Cypher Club," a time when they work to crack codes as well as build clubhouses made of PVC pipe; and "Bounce! An Atomic Journey," where they investigate polymer science and create their own bouncy balls to take home.
In the afternoon, the campers take part in "Game On: Power Play," where they participate in high-energy games that challenge their minds and bodies. After lunch is also the time for the "I Can Invent: Edison's Workshop" module.
During that time the kids disassemble those old appliances to invent their own creation. The goal is to make a device that will have four chain reactions, with the last one raising a flag. Younger kids' inventions will have two chain reactions in order to drop a ball.
Adam also brought in his dad's old radio, which he said he found and then asked for his dad's permission to take apart at camp.
"It gets you brainstorming and makes you have more knowledge," Adam said about inventing.
Kaira Hagen, 7, of South Weber, had a blast building a clubhouse with her group, called Aliens, during the "The Curious Cypher Club."
"I put down the floor all by myself, and there is a tower so you can easily stand up, and there are windows at the top," Kaira said.
There is also a spot in the clubhouse for a snack jar and a place to connect to another clubhouse. But the clubhouse was not yet complete Wednesday morning.
"We're going to put an old bottle cap in a plastic cup, and when you slap it, it will be like a doorbell sound," Kaira said.
There is one common thing in each of the five modules, and that is to put the kids in situations where they need to use their problem-solving skills.
"It's a very hands-on camp, and kids get to use their imagination and creativity while learning science and math," said camp director Myndee Moulton.
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