Children in the nearby communities are invited to soar to new heights at the 2016 Aerospace Camp, held for three weeks in August at the Flying W Airport in Medford. The camp was held this past week, and will continue to be held Aug. 8–12, and an advanced session limited to students who had completed one of the first two introductory camp weeks on Aug. 15–19.
“It’s really interesting because the kids are very intrigued when they see the planes come in and out,” said Maggie Lau, 26, a New Jersey certified school teacher and teacher of the camp. “For many of the first-time campers, they haven’t been this close to see them take off before.”
Evolving from a Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H youth development-based program called “Blue Sky Below my Feet,” a program that offers area schools a 45-minute hands-on program focusing on the principles of flight, the resulting Aerospace Camp now helps to continue the focus on aviation education during the summer months.
With the goal of alleviating summer learning loss, the camp involves many principles of science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.A.M.) as well as encourages reading practice and the memorization of the phonetic alphabet. While another goal of the camp is to empower the youth of tomorrow to take F.L.I.G.H.T. — standing for fearless, leadership, imagination, gratitude, honesty and tenacity — the camp nevertheless aims at simultaneously having fun.
“Because of the learning loss that takes place over the summer, our camp promotes aviation activities through real, hands-on experiences,” Nancy Lucas-MacPhee, the director of the camp, said. “This prevents learning loss and lets the kids come out with so much more knowledge. Parents want camps to be fun, but also educational.”
At this camp, students collaborated with experts in the field of aerospace education while flying alongside “E.A.A. young Eagles,” members of a program launched in 1992 to give interested people ages 8 to 17 the opportunity to go flying in a general aviation airplane. Campers also learned how to build rockets and airplanes, operate the Flyit Simulator, explore instrument and navigation incorporating mapping, direction and compass rose and participate in a variety of hands-on activities including an introductory flight, weather permitting.
“I loved building the Wright brothers’ plane because it was fun and I got to build something,” 8-year-old camper Kyle Meriwether of Evesham said. “It’s been a long time since I got to actually build something.”
“I like the airplanes because when I grow up, I really want to be an airplane pilot,” 7-year-old camper Taylor Krauss of Medford said. “Right now, I’m learning about the different parts of airplanes and how they work, so I’ll know how to fly them better someday.”
Based on the belief that all students learn by doing, Aerospace Camp welcomes the opportunity to introduce each child to the world of aerospace and the endless possibilities available in the field — and in the sky. For more information on the camp, visit www
