Looking at what makes a superhero tick sparks great creative writing. Just ask a bunch of kids who have been learning about the basic concepts of physics, DNA, and aerodynamics by studying caped crusaders.
An innovative summer workshop for kids called “Science of Superheroes” held a graduation ceremony on Thursday, honoring the more than 20 students ages eight to 12 who completed the course. The super scholars came from middle schools in Carroll Gardens and Park Slope to get tutored at the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co., the headquarters of the writing center 826NYC. Volunteer teachers at the storefront on Fifth Avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets work from a curriculum that pairs science experiments with writing exercises, all inspired by the stuff of comic books, according to a resident guru.
“When students are doing things with their hands and exploring, they retain information in a different and lasting way,” said Mariama Lockington, the director of 826NYC. The organization is a part of a national initiative cofounded by author Dave Eggers.
Over the course of the workshop, kids got to craft models of secret lairs out of Q-tips and rubber cement, learn about genetics, and make paper airplanes to understand the physics behind flight.
“It was really fun,” said nine-year-old Uma Cantone, a student at PS 39.
Cantone said that she brought her part human, part reptile superhero to life through poems.
The verse and prose that students wrote during the workshop will be compiled into a book that will be released in 2014, organizers said.
Reach reporter Natalie Musumeci at nmusumeci@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4505. Follow her at twitter.com/souleddout.
