Snow in July is a rare occurrence, but students learned that anything is possible – including making their own snow in the classroom – during another successful edition of Camp Invention at Pope Farm Elementary School.
Camp Invention is a week-long summer camp organized by the National Inventors Hall of Fame to engage students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Pope Farm Elementary School hosted MCPASD's 12th year of the camp from July 7-11 under the guidance of Kristin Pavelec, the school's Math and Advanced Learning Specialist. She loves witnessing the enthusiasm students have for the activities.
"Each year, the program is new and different," Pavelec said. "One of my favorite parts is seeing kids' energy and excitement about what they are learning."
This year's camp theme, "Discover," guided students through five rotating stations each day: Penguin Launch, Claw Arcade, Illusion Workshop, In Control, and Games. Activities included:
Studying the snow and ice of Antarctica and developing penguin-saving prototypes
Exploring hands-on physics lessons to create personalized claw machines
Inventing props based on the science behind optical illusions in art
Building transmitters, receivers, and control panels to navigate through road trips
Creating personalized hockey sticks from upcycled materials
Camp Invention 2025 brought together 237 students from MCPASD and the greater Madison area. 48 students across the middle school, high school, and college levels served as Leaders-in-Training and Leadership Interns. Ten instructors, six parent volunteers, and two assistant directors also made sure the camp ran smoothly.
"Developing relationships with kids and instructors from year to year is another one of my favorite parts," Pavelec said. "So many return that it is fun to see kids grow over the years."
While Camp Invention is held nationwide, MCPASD also had an exciting personal touch this year: the Middleton Public Library's Bookmobile. Library staff ran the Bookmobile outside of the school towards the end of the camp sessions July 7-8. Students checked out books inside, and picked out free books to take home from selected carts.
Congratulations to all of the young inventors for expanding their horizons and showing how fun it is to explore the STEM fields! A special thank you also goes to all of the students, staff, and community members who volunteered for Camp Invention this year.