Despite having to take place virtually due to COVID-19, this year’s Zone for Imagination, Innovation and Inspiration (Zi3) Summer Camp offered the same opportunity for students to engage in fun, educational lessons during summer break.
As part of the camp, students were tasked with a number of projects, including making yarn octopi, pebble snakes, model biplanes, and s’more solar ovens. The camp, which took place the week of August 17, was conducted through Google Classroom, allowing students to interact and access written instructions and helpful videos and photos. 
There were three virtual meetings. The first provided students with tips on how to access and follow instructions properly. The second gave students directions on how to add their project pictures to a digital “Padlet,” or virtual bulletin board. For the third meeting, the “Padlet” was used to create a “Gallery Walk,” a way for students to share and talk about their projects amongst each other.
Mrs. Davis, Zi3 coordinator and who organized the camp, says it was an adjustment to do the camp virtually, but it was still engaging and worthwhile.
“I hope all the students had fun creating their projects and the camp gave them something to look forward to this summer,” Mrs. Davis said. “From learning about solar energy to making s’mores, the camp really is designed to learn in a fun way.”
Eighteen students in grades 3-6 participated in the camp. As always, there was no registration fee, but small donations helped cover the cost of materials.
“I enjoyed seeing and talking to the students, even if it was virtually,” Mrs. Davis added. “I missed the kids!”
The Zi3 is hosting its annual Halloween Family Night on October 22 at 6:00 p.m. The event will also be held virtually. For more information, and to register, click here.