Hub88 and Nokia are sponsoring a weeklong STEAM camp. The camp is divided into nine different modules, each geared toward a different aspect of STEAM education, STEM plus the arts, emphasizing creativity and teamwork.
“You can even see the little fourth-graders in there. You know, I tell them this is how you build a catapult. This is just a generic, small simple one – take it apart and now I want to see your imagination,” said Regina Mattern, director of programming (K-12) at Hub88. “I want to see what you can do, how can you build this better, how can you improve this concept?”
Students learn basic engineering principles by building Legos and connecting them to motors; and making those miniature catapults with nothing more than tongue depressors, a few rubber bands, a wine cork and a spoon.
“I’ll stand out there and say ‘Okay, how far can it get? Can it get as far to hit me?’” said Mattern. “And they really want to hit me, too; so you know, we try to make it fun, we try to make it as fun as possible for them.”
They also took their turn at a digital turntable, mixing music with the software Logic Pro X to create their own song.
“We made an electronic-type song; and then we made a traditional Chinese and trap mix,” said camper Tyler Johnwick.
Through the week, the kids work through every module, which includes coding practice and “Minecraft Redstone” activities. They also get the chance to experiment and work with a giant robot.
Hub88 also plans on putting together STEAM-related after-school programs in the fall. But, right now there is still time to sign up for the summer camp, which runs through July 20 for kids 8-15.
Naperville News 17’s Peter Medlin reports.
