The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."
Factoid: A junior high camp runs July 13-18, and a camp for high school students will take place July 20-25. For more information visit http://www.siu.edu/~kidarch.
Summer is a time when children spend their days sleeping late, watching television and playing outdoors; school is the farthest thing from their minds.
But when architecture professor John Davey asked his class a question early Monday morning, 12 eager hands shot into the air as the group of 9 to 11-year-olds beseeched the instructor to call on them.
Davey chuckled as he listened to each of their theories on architecture and how it affects their lives. Davey has been running Kid Architecture workshops and camps for 15 years on the SIUC campus and other locations nationwide, but he has yet to tire of the enthusiasm of the children.
"I just like dealing with kids," he said. "Each group is distinctly different in their cognitive capabilities and their emotional characteristics.
"It's really exciting for me to deal with bright young minds. It just happens to be they are shorter than usual."
While they were there, the children learned about the architectural legacies of Yankee Stadium and the Dome of Florence. They toured campus to learn the origins and history of its architecture and learned a computer program to design a house. They also unearthed the history of Egyptian architecture and hieroglyphics while making some sketches and clay tablets of their own. And that was just the first day.
Aided by his assistant, Nick Lock, 12, Davey guided the children around campus, pointing out the architectural "stories" told by each building.
Davey said the best thing about architecture is that it can teach just about anything, from physics and sociology to art, history and culture. He said this is a major reason for the success of the program.
"I think I've found a decent method of education," Davey said. "I own them for the whole day; I try to facilitate learning. I try to do the least amount of management and a great amount of activities. I bring a lot of enthusiasm to the program."
He added that the education process is often "tainted" by management in today's system and said he tries to help them think beyond the normal parameters and use skills beyond the mathematical and verbal skills that are emphasized in school.
Mark Rubelowsky, 11, was attending the camp for his third year and said he has every intention of coming back next summer.
"I like it here," he said. "John is nice, the projects are great and St. Louis is always fun."
Rubelowsky, who wants to be an architect one day, said he is excited about the bridge building challenge. He planned to take his experience from past years to build a cardboard bridge strong enough to hold a large watermelon.
Davey said the competition, which takes place Thursday, is always a favorite. The children also enjoy creating concrete blocks, in which they work with concrete and see how it is made.
Tiffany Chou, 11, said her family still has the block her brother made when he attended the camp, and she could not wait to dig into the mix herself.
Although concrete is used a lot in architecture, Davey said some people spend hundreds of hours designing buildings that use it but never touch it or find out how it is made.
His innovative teaching methods have brought students to the camp from across the nation. Davey has also had seminars nationwide including such locations as the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.
"Several of the students who have gone through the program have ended up applying for admission to the architecture and interior design program," said Terry Owens, chairman of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design. "It was not designed as a recruiting tool when it was created, but it has worked out that way."
First-time camper Alex Baker, 10, said he is considering attending SIUC.
"I've been wanting to be an architect for four years now, and I just saw a pamphlet about the camp one day and took it home," he explained as he etched a hieroglyph of the Egyptian goddess Hathor into a clay tablet. "It's been great so far, and I even got a scholarship to come."
Davey said several scholarships are offered through different agencies, made possible by the recognition the camp has received. It has also allowed him to work with disabled and at-risk kids.
The nationally honored program has won several awards including a Citation of Honor from the Illinois Council of the American Institute of Architects and an Illinois Connections Award of Distinction from the Illinois State Board of Education.
The last of two sessions for this age group ends Friday with a trip to St. Louis, where the children are exposed to the different architecture of Belfountaine Cemetery and the St. Louis Cathedral.
"You have to go to Italy to see better mosaics than in that Cathedral," Davey said. "Everything has a symbol and a story.
"No matter what the persuasion, it will knock your socks off and these kids love it."
