Campers Learn ‘Green Engineering’

By Eliza Hallabeck

Some of the Ferris wheels behind Hawley Elementary School were chucking their riders from their seats as the Lego constructions of Parks & Recreation’s Green Engineering summer camp students spun in reaction to the sun on Tuesday, July 28.

The solar-powered Lego Ferris wheels, and Lego riders, were part of an exercise in learning about solar energy for the Green Engineering camp, held at Hawley Elementary School from Monday, July 27, until Thursday, July 30. Green Engineering instructor Cathy De Carli with Computertots/Computer Explorers, said the campers, who attended the camp from 9:15 am until 12:15 pm each day, had spent about an hour building their Lego Ferris wheels before bringing them out into the sun to be tested.

As the constructions were brought out behind the school, they began to rotate immediately.

Ms De Carli said the Ferris wheels were constructed using one of Lego’s educational kits.

The first day of the camp was spent discussing the different green engineering concepts, according to Ms De Carli. Other creations the students created during their four days of camp include a wind-powered car made out of paper plates, and other Lego constructions, like a solar-powered car.

After setting the Ferris wheels up behind the school in the bright sun on Tuesday, Ms De Carli had the students count the number of rotations their Ferris wheels could make in ten seconds.

“How can we count it when it is going so fast?” Green Engineering camper and 9-year-old Charles Romano asked.

In ten seconds one of the Ferris wheels rotated 27 times.