Innovia, Center for New Directions help fund Gizmo summer camp

COEUR d'ALENE — Markers. Motors. Batteries. Red Solo cups.

Check.

"Let's test!" an enthusiastic Griffin Montour, 7, of Post Falls said Wednesday as he excitedly popped off the marker tops and switched on the scribble bot he crafted at Gizmo-CDA.

Eureka! It began to buzz and move on the table, scribbling as it went on its little robot way.

"Mine just keeps going almost only straight," he said, inspecting the markers and making slight adjustments so the scribble bot would go in a circular rather than linear direction.

Griffin is among just over 20 kids ages 6-12 who participated in a summer camp at the nonprofit makerspace on the North Idaho College campus the past couple weeks. Funded by a $13,000 Innovia Foundation Community Grant at the request of the Center for New Directions, the camp was free for children of NIC students to fill the time between Aug. 13 — when college resumed — and the day after Labor Day, when K-12 public school begins.

“I was curious and wondering what I was going to do with my children for that two-week gap before they started school," mom and elementary education student Amanda Maki said. "I was kind of really panicked."

With camp starting at 9 a.m. and her classes starting at 8 a.m., she thought her two boys wouldn't be able to attend.

"But they absolutely accommodated me," Maki said. "I was baffled — not that many people do that these days. It’s such a blessing to have somebody who wants to help you."

The Gizmo campers have enjoyed a multitude of educational activities and guest speakers while attending the day camp, from retired engineer Ross Welburn's Mr. Wizard-esque lessons in electricity to building and testing toy cars, discovering facts about Leonardo da Vinci, making T-shirts, crafting and coding musical instruments and learning about the history and traditions of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe.

Gizmo founders Marty and Barb Mueller have been on site throughout the two weeks. They led the scribble bot project Wednesday, sharing scientific insight as they helped the campers.

Barb Mueller said the camp has been all about creativity.

"Every day we've featured an artist or a designer," she said, adding that one such featured artist was Alexander Calder, who was famous for making mobiles and huge kinetic sculptures.

"The whole time has been a treasure trove of ideas that suit all different kinds of kids, yet they all took part of it," she said.

    Gizmo founders and student campers join North Idaho College leaders Wednesday in celebration of the $13,000 grant the Innovia Foundation awarded the NIC Center for New Directions to pay for a two-week day camp to keep K-12 students busy with fun, educational activities at Gizmo as their parents get their college semester started. K-12 public school resumes Tuesday.  

    Retired engineer Ross Welburn shows Gizmo campers how confetti interacts with static electricity and a Van de Graaff generator Wednesday morning.
  

    Griffin Montour is excited to try out his scribble bot Wednesday morning during a day camp at Gizmo-CDA.