INVENTION CONVENTION DAY ONE

I don't know about the kids, but I had a great time! They all worked together well and the older kids helped the younger ones. Most of the planning was done when the older ones came in the Spring, so preparation consisted mainly of providing the materials for them to invent with! I had put the word out that I needed milk jugs, tim cans, and cardboard tubes and boy did I get a generous response!

Addie came the night before to make a

sign for the house and to help me
organize MY thoughts!

I pulled a lot of stuff out of my MacGyver room
hoping to clear it out

When you are encouraging creativity
you have to supply the materials!

When the kids arrived, we invented a new monster or animal from the 2 google eyes that were on a plain paper. We also had a snack so that everyone would be on the same eating schedule. Except the older boys wha are never full!

We are fortunate to have an art gallery not too far away that has a great water "invention" in the middle court. W e were lucky to have camp the same time as an artist was displaying "creatures from the Junk Pile".

 

Lunch was at the park, It was HOT so we had to check out the splash pad and see how this COOL "invention" worked!

When we got back to Grandma's we were Mad Scientists! We tried to"invent" pop rocks but it did not work! I don't think we cooked it long enough. It was a good opportunity to teach them that inventors sometimes fail and have to try, try again.

Dinner was macaroni and cheese with various mix-in ingredients. Each child "invented" their own, adding bacon, broccoli, ham, or hot dogs.

TIME FOR INVENTION CONVENTION!

Last Spring I had the older grands over for a planning session and was able to insist, coerce, get them excited about the theme I have wanted to do for several years: INVENTION CONVENTION! I have some very creative kids and they are getting older so I thought they deserved a camp that would help them shine a little more. As they get older (High school) they tend to loose interest. I hope this camp will ignite some interest and creativity. I have an overflowing craft room that I affectionately refer to as my MacGyver room(you never know when that handy 'stuff' will be needed!) I have since asked friends, church members, and coworkers to save me random items that will be used this weekend. I was hoping to empty the room somewhat but I have a feeling that I just added to it! Each of my helpers are in charge of at least one project. This year the ratio of helpers to campers is almost one on one. One of the campers is proud to say he is all the way potty trained and can now sleep at "Grandma Camping". Many of the ideas came from Family Fun Magazine. Some from Pinterest, and still more from the kids own imaginations. We will guide the little ones toward 'inventing' the projects. We will be creating new food, games and toys. Camp is this Friday and Saturday. The parents will be challenged with a project (a bag of random supplies)when they come to the dinner to pick up the kids. We will have a convention to show the parents what we have done and also tell about how modern conveniences came to be. I can't believe it is finally here! I will post picts and details soon!

GLOW IN THE DARK STRING

Since I mentioned (clapped my hands, shouted from the rooftops, squealed with sheer delight) that we used glow in the dark string at Super Hero Grandma Camp, I have had requests for the directions. It is a top secret formula that only those empowered with Super Hero talents can know (aka: Grandma's!). I used craft paint and water!  I used Folk Art Brand glow in the dark craft paint. Yes, it really is called that! Tulip also makes glow in the dark paint.

 

I diluted it with two parts water to one part paint. I used a plastic butter spread tub to mix it and then unwound the garden string into the water/paint mixture.

Next I pulled the string from the paint and squeezed out the excess. Your hands will get messy but it is for a good cause!

And then laid it out on a plastic tablecloth to dry. It takes a few hours to dry and will be stiff. I rolled it into a ball to take down into the family room where the villain was setting a trap with a hostage. I knew that laser pointer lights would be a little more difficult to use with the kids bouncing around, so this was a cheap and easy fix. I had the kids take turns entering the family room so that I could have a few minutes of light exposure to "recharge" the string.

This was so cool that I was absolutely giddy in anticipation of having the kids and their parents enjoy it. The picture really was taken in the dark, but I am SO GOOD with my camera, especially in the heat of the moment, that the flash was on. My adult son climbed through the 'lasers" so I would be happy and to show his 2 year old that Dad is fun.

I hope you can use this string idea in one of your Grandma Camps, I know it will be used again sometime at my house.  Enjoy!