CEDAR FALLS - From racing boats to cooking hot dogs, the power from natural energy sources was on display Friday.
An energy carnival at Price Laboratory School celebrated the ending of the weeklong summer camp, Summer Investigations.
Kids from across the Cedar Valley showcased the projects for family and friends.
The first camp put on by the University of Northern Iowa and Price Laboratory School focused on math and science enrichment and was opened to children from kindergarten to fifth grade. The energy theme was used to teach the elements of wind, water and solar power.
Kindergartners and those in first grade did demonstrations on aerodynamics inside the school. The second- and third-graders, who focused on water energy, presented and raced their solar boats.
Paige Canfield, 9, said it took her one day to make her boat, "The Blue Streak."
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"My favorite part has been when we got to make and race the boats," Canfield said.
Racing alongside Paige was 7-year-old John Cannon's boat, "The Show Stopper."
"My favorite part was getting to play games in the gym," John said.
Mary Stichter, program director of Summer Investigations, said that the curriculum used engagement, exploration, explanation, extending and evaluation, or the five E's.
"With all this, they were able to gain a real understanding of energy," Stichter said. "You're not just lecturing and telling them facts, we're posing situations and questions and that's something the department of education (at UNI) is really pushing."
UNI President Ben Allen, also commented on the importance of math and science taught in the program.
"This kind of experience broadens the opportunity for all children in the Cedar Valley," he said.
On the playground of the school, the fourth- and fifth-graders were making delectable treats on their solar cookers.
Surrounded by his mom and siblings, 11-year-old Ahman Shehata was showing how to cook a cheese tortilla using only the light of the sun.
"I learned there's other energies you can use besides burning coal and that the sun can help in many ways," Ahman said.
Joe Christensen said the GPS navigation his group had done earlier in the week was his favorite. He made hot dogs with the solar cooker he built out of pizza boxes.
"You could cook a turkey in this thing," Christensen said.
Large jars were placed around different locations of the carnival to collect donations to send water purification bottles to families in Africa.
"Helping people in Africa makes me feel pretty good," Christensen said.
The water pasteurization bottles, or WAPI kits, are inexpensive and just one can purify the water for a family in Africa.
Cedar Falls Trees, an affiliate with Cedar Falls Utilities, helped sponsor the program and will be planting a tree at the Price Laboratory School.
Sponsors included Mid-American Energy and UNI's Center for Energy and Environmental Education.
Contact Molly Hottle at newsroom@wcfcourier.com.
