Michael Tannebaum/Journal Scene

During Camp Invention, children work together to craft a land sled capable of powering through an obstacle course. From left: rising Beech Hill third-grader Collin Radlein, rising Drayton Hall first-grader Jacob Owens, rising Beech Hill third-grader Casey Dorman and rising Beech Hill second-grader Jordan Singleton.

Michael Tannebaum/Journal Scene

Rising Beech Hill fifth-grader Daniel Campbell tests his strength with the help of Beech Hill teacher Shannon Ingram during Camp Invention.

Running around the grassy field outside of Beech Hill Elementary School, the children chucked water balloons at one another while trying to keep themselves as dry as possible by using handmade shields they carried with them into battle.

Afterwards, it was apparent that some of the shields were more effective than others as about half the children looked as if they’d just jumped out of a pool, while the other half were perfectly dry.

About three-dozen children from six different schools took part in Camp Invention, a camp affiliated with the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation.

Staying dry wasn’t the only incentive the children had when ducking and dodging water balloons being hurled their way. Those who remained the driest were awarded points to “buy” materials for a project they were working on in groups of four or five.

Each of the half-dozen or so teams had to build a land sled that could be navigated through an obstacle course featuring cones, speed bumps and water balloons being tossed by opposing teams.

The land sleds were created using materials such as duct tape, aluminum foil pans and glue, which groups could acquire by successfully competing in activities like the water balloon toss.

The Land Sled X-Treme module was one of five modules that the children participated in during the weeklong camp.

All of the modules began on the first day of camp and culminated on the last day. Each of the modules enabled the children to explore different areas of science through a series of hands-on activities, many of which required teamwork, creativity and quick thinking.

In another module, children learned about the science behind their favorite comic book heroes as they were taught about topics such as aerodynamics and Newton’s laws of motion. They also had the opportunity to test their own superhuman powers in a variety of exercises that tested their strength, reaction time and speed.

Contact Michael Tannebaum at 873-9424 ext. 215 or mtannebaum@journalscene.com

Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!

• Santee Cooper announces 2012 refunding bond sale
• Santee Cooper announces organizational changes in operation and finance departments
• Santee Cooper employees pitch in on Day of Caring
• Aerial herbicide treatment on lakes under way
• Santee Cooper Board Authorizes Rate Study
• Santee Cooper announces refunding bond sale
• Santee Cooper, Florida Municipal Power Agency enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units
• Santee Cooper, Duke Energy Carolinas enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units 2 and 3