We are always impressed when kids figure out how to do things with the simplest items you find around the house.  Shattuck-St. Mary’s summer Crane Camp in Faribault, Minnesota, brought together kids from the area to learn about and build small, wooden cranes out of Popsicle sticks.

The kids started learning all about cranes and how they functioned. Then, the camp put them to the task of trying to build their own. Not an easy task for many of us.

The instructor, John Blackmer, did not give them any instructions on how to build them. He let creativity and science knowledge lead the way. The only requirement was each crane was at least three Popsicle sticks tall and the engineers used elements they learned in class.

Students were able to test the cranes by seeing how much weight their projects were able to lift and support before collapsing. Many of the students built their cranes out of Popsicle sticks because they can be used in a variety of different ways. The amount of creativity these students had was impressive.

In the end, the students built everything from the expected crane structure you would see on a site, to crawler cranes that swivel back and forth, as well as tower cranes. If you have any photos or stories about building cranes when you were a kid, or from your own kids, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

If you are interested in learning more about Shattuck-St. Mary’s summer camps, they have a few different activities they hold each year including Camp Voltage, Catapult Camp, Crane Camp and Copter Camp. You can view their website by going to http://www.s-sm.org.