Posted at: 07/17/2012 4:54 PM
Updated at: 07/17/2012 5:14 PM
By: Dan Conradt
Print Story
Email to a FriendAustin Students Take Part in Kids College
(ABC 6 News) -- In the middle of summer vacation, dozens of Austin students are spending this week back at school. But they went back to class because they wanted to, and they're having a blast.
"We've got students in 4th, 5th and 6th grades," said Riverland Community College’s Peggy Young.
"This week at Riverland we are hosting kids college." It’s an annual week-long program that gives students a taste of something other than reading, writing and arithmetic.
“Most if it is very hands on, they get to build things, they get to take things home," Young explained.
"We've got a powered up class, where the kids build solar cars and they learn about solar panels and wind turbines and renewable energy."
Another group of kids stepped out into the heat to launch a model rocket on the school grounds.
“We have a theater class, we have a fire dynamics class where kids are learning first-hand about fire and the science behind fire. We have a weird science class, a simple machines class, we have a little bit of everything."
And it's no coincidence that it's held on a college campus.
"To help them realize college isn't a big, ominous building -- it's a place they can feel at home and take a class and be in the hallways and be learning in the college atmosphere," Young told us.
And this group of 45 4th, 5th and 6th graders will be college students before you know it.
“College is for everyone,” Young said, “and if we can get them here this young and get them acclimated to the college atmosphere, make them feel welcome, it really makes it seem attainable to them, and that's one of our main goals."
