Mad Science
Making can be done at any age. In the summer of 2017 I worked for Mad Science of Austin. Mad Science provides STEM related after school programs, summer camps, and birthday parties for students ranging from K-6. As a Mad Science instructor I led groups of Mad Scientists for week long summer camps with various themes including Eureka! (inventors camp), rocket camp, moving with science, and science explorations.
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In Eureka!, or inventors camp, students learned all about some of the most famous inventors such as Leonardo DaVinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, The Wright Brothers, and Archimedes. This camp was all about designing and creating original inventions. There were various challenges throughout the camp such as designing a sled using only plates, popsicle sticks, tape, and wax paper to teach students about friction forces. Another challenge presented to students was to build a Rube Goldberg Machine that could ring a bell. This wasn't an easy task and took students many attempts, but after much trial and error many of them succeeded!
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One of the days at Eureka! was spent shipwrecked at sea. Students had to design and build the necessary tools for survival. They build ships, shelter, bridges, and more. Students were challenged to design these things in mind with the intention of being able to survive through wind, rain, and earthquake tests. There was no right or wrong way to build any of these structures and students were able to make changes if their original design didn't survive a test.
Rocket camp gave students the chance to become rocket scientists and engineers. They learned about the importance of aerodynamics by designing and building their own paper airplanes to learn which shapes were the best. To decorate the room students created their own space themed decorations using any of the supplies available. There were satellites, planets, moons, and rockets all of which were unique.
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As a fun challenge, students were given supplies to build their own rocket. The only requirement was to build it around an empty pill bottle. Once students built the rocket, they could add water and alkaseltzer tablets to power their rocket. Many of them modified their rockets a few times so their design was light enough to be powered by the alkaseltzer engine. This was a lesson I did with them on payload.
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Reflection on experience
My experiences at Mad Science taught me that there is not only one way to be a Maker. Every student had different interests and a different background that they brought, which helped them in these different maker lessons. There is a lot of agency in this sort of instruction since students can design their own artifact and also choose how to create it. I've also learned that there is no age restriction for making. The camps were created for students K-6 and students were not divided into age groups. Despite these age differences, all students were able to participate and collaborate with one another. Making is universal and can appeal to students of all ages.