March 29, 2024

Young people learn about ‘things that fly’

DMACC programs engage youth for various skills

Not everyone thinks bottle rockets are safe.

However, the type of bottle rockets some young people were allowed to launch at a recent day camp with a Des Moines Area Community College program were hardly the type sometimes seen on the Fourth of July. In fact, the rockets were made of actual two-liter pop bottles.

This is the fourth year the DMACC’s Jasper County Career Academy has offered the Kids College — a series of short workshop-type day camps at the academy that teach incoming sixth- through eighth-graders a rare set of skills.

The rockets and birdhouses were made as a part of a “Things That Fly” two-day camp that taught young people about all things airborne. Other camps, held within the past couple of weeks, included crime scene investigation, body works/first aid and a kitchen camp devoted to cooking. The camps were only $25 each this year, and many participants took more than one.

“We try to vary the types of courses, but it’s sort of limited by the availability of instructors,” said Terry Norton, the academy’s director. “We have to cap them (the CSI class was the largest this year, with 20 students), because we don’t want the instructors to be spread too thin. But we’ve always gotten quick sign-ups and a lot of turnout.”

In the “Things That Fly” camp, young people were able to learn about carpentry, aerodynamics and more. Plus, as Norton said, there are few things young people enjoy as much as launching a rocket into the sky. “I’m not sure exactly what altitude they reach, but they shoot really high up,” Norton said.

For the fee, participants get about six hours of instruction at each camp. A light snack was provided at some camps, and each camper receives a T-shirt and some supplies related to the camp, and can take home whatever project was created, Norton said. Norton said it’s important for the Kids College to leave each participant with some new skills. However, it’s a set of fun camps — not lecture classes — so keeping it fun is a priority as well.

“I’m impressed at how much these kids can pick up in such a short period of time,” Norton said. “But, most importantly, the kids really seem to enjoy it.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com