Jace Crane has big plans for his future.

He dreams of playing in the National Football League, but he also has a passion for science. He was one of almost 150 kids at Broadalbin-Perth’s Camp Invention, a week-long STEM summer camp.

On a recent day, Crane and his friends learned physics and engineering by building a marble arcade. The camp focuses on giving kids hands-on learning opportunities, which they may not get a lot of during the school year.

“The final project, after all the hard work you’ve put in it, gives you so much adrenaline. It makes you so happy,” Crane said.

The kids participate in everything from science experiments to robotics. Many of the projects are trial and error. The kids learn skills that will help them in the future.

“It could probably help me for like, problem solving, because for like any class, if I get a problem wrong or something I already know, the right mindset to keep going,” Crane said.

One of the goals of the camp is to keep enrichment learning affordable for the majority of families. The camp day runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and it’s $30 for the week.

“Every student should have the opportunity to do everything that everyone else can in life, and it’s awesome to be able to have these kids get away for a little bit, come in and do the social aspect and be able to see their friends mid-summer. I feel like everybody’s out and about and doing stuff, and it’s awesome to be able to give everybody the opportunity to come back and socialize because socialization is a big part of a child’s life,” said Sierra Folts, co-director of Camp Invention.

Crane could see himself working in the STEM field when he’s older. He said if you love something, stick with it, because you never know where it may lead.

“Whatever your passion is, try to do it because you never know you could have like a career,” Crane said.