Postcards from Camp: Toy Makers Workshop -

Each of the weeklong themes at Camp Galileo features engaging hands-on projects, irresistible outdoor games, and an immersive environment crafted to capture the imagination.

Here’s what campers are exploring this week in the Toy Makers Workshop theme.

Nebulas (Pre-K – K)

Project Spotlight: Kites

Starting with the question, “How might we create a paper kite that can float in the air as long as possible?,” Nebulas discussed potential ways to fold and tape paper. With these ideas in mind, they planned their design, then folded their first version of wings for the kite. To test, Nebulas ran with their kites, taking time to notice how the kites were flying. They used these observations to determine how they might adjust the wings of their kite or their flying technique, then redesigned accordingly. Finally, everyone flew their kites together to celebrate and to get ideas from their fellow campers’ designs for future kite-flying sessions.

Stars (1st – 2nd grade)

Project Spotlight: Imaginary Vehicles

Stars created fantastical toy vehicles of their own design. Working within a set of creative constraints, Stars brainstormed ideas for how they might use paper to design a custom vehicle. They discussed 3D paper construction techniques and generated ideas for vehicle features inspired by different environments. With these ideas in mind, campers planned their design and created paper forms for the first elements of their vehicle. After arranging their pieces, they asked themselves what they liked about their vehicles so far and what else their vehicles still needed, then continued to build accordingly. Finally, Stars shared their vehicles with their teammates to celebrate each other’s design elements and get ideas for the future.

Supernovas (3rd – 5th grade)

Project Spotlight: Head Games

Supernovas created original games that use their heads—literally! Their challenge: “How might we invent a game where players use their heads to achieve a goal?” To start, campers created and used a swinging ball headpiece to get ideas about possible ways to incorporate motion and hardware into a game. With this information in mind, they planned their initial game design and created the first version of their idea. During the first round of playtesting, Supernovas attempted to play through their invented games, asking themselves throughout whether their games were working as they had hoped and considering what tweaks might make their games even more fun. Equipped with these reflections, Supernovas made adjustments to their original design, ultimately sharing their redesigned games with their teammates.

Meteors (6th – 8th grade)

Project Spotlight: Water Blasters

Meteors are tinkering up a storm with a five-day project: DIY water blasters. On one day in particular, campers focused on creating a unique theme for their blaster. With the main frames of their blasters well underway, Meteors considered how they might use craft foam to transform their creations into something cohesively themed and easily recognizable. Using a mix-and-match brainstorming technique, they generated ideas in different categories and combined elements to generate ideas for potential themes. After selecting a theme, campers planned design elements to bring their blaster theme idea to life. They created the first elements out of foam, taking time to notice what was and wasn’t working in their design after arranging these elements on their blasters. From there, Meteors made adjustments to existing elements and added new ones.

It’s not too late to sign up for one (or more!) of Camp Galileo’s three weekly themes: National Parks Adventure, Galileo Olympic Games, and Toy Makers Workshop. To get started, find the camp near you.