A chorus of oohs and aahs rang out among students huddled over a “hurricane” destroying houses right before their eyes.
It wasn’t a real storm. Homes actually were sugar cubes situated on a plate full of water. Winds were created with a hair dryer that pushed water inland and consumed coastal structures in the process.
“I want a house,” a wide-eyed participant said.
“No eating houses,” an instructor replied with a grin.
Next door to the storm, other students sampled honey and watched 2,000 live honeybees wriggle around an observation hive. Across the hall, students took turns remotely maneuvering Clawbots — a beginner’s robot kit in the VEX Robotics system.
Plenty of learning was happening Wednesday morning at E.B. de Silva Elementary School in Hilo, and yet class wasn’t in session. In fact, it was the middle of Fall Break — a week off for most Hawaii public school students.
This year, however, a Hilo-based nonprofit called the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum debuted its first-ever “Fall Break Science Camp” — a five-day program for students in grades 3-6 that enables keiki to continue learning during the break.
The 55 students enrolled this year spent the week learning directly from experts. On Monday, students got a rundown of “the science of crime fighting” from the Hawaii Police Department Forensics Team. On Tuesday, they learned about electricity from employees at Hawaii Electric Light Co. Today, students will learn about the solar system courtesy of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.
“We’re trying to reinforce the lessons they’re learning during normal school days with more hands-on activities and visual things they can see,” said camp organizer Christian Wong. “We try to make it as hands-on as we possibly can.”
Camp operations were funded this year through donations along with a tuition fee, Wong said. Most students hailed from Hilo-area schools but some traveled from a bit farther. Nanea Kaina, 9, said she lives in Honokaa. Nanea said she most enjoyed a lesson about volcanoes and learning about nature.
“It’s kind of fun,” Nanea said. “They’re very nice and helpful, and you learn a lot. To me, when they teach it, I understand it very well.”
Camper Lia Kuo, 8, agreed. She said social studies is typically her favorite school subject. At camp, however, she enjoyed learning about robots.
“I like following the instructions and then putting it together,” Lia said. “There are so many pieces. It’s fun.”
Hawaii Science and Technology Museum, which formed last year, is “dedicated to (science, technology, engineering and math) education on the Big Island,” Wong said. It currently operates as a mobile museum and hosts exhibits throughout town — for example, at public libraries. Eventually, the nonprofit hopes to raise enough money to build a permanent facility, Wong said.
The museum also hopes to continue offering the camp in future years.
“We’d love to continue doing outreach programs like this,” Wong said. “The kids have a really great time and the parents like it as well. (By) having enrichment activities during the break, they know their kids are learning and having fun at the same time.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
