The Junior Campus at BMW Welt is the third biggest "vehicle builder" in Bavaria, ranked behind Bavaria's two world-famous automobile manufacturers. In its first year, 22,500 youngsters aged between 7 and 13 created a total of over 5000 small automobiles at the BMW Welt's unique learning and experience venue.
The BMW Welt's Junior Campus, which opened its doors to inquisitive young students on 17 October 2007, offers an innovative platform for learning all about mobility. It presents an ideal opportunity for experiencing the subject in a fun, active and creative way with others of the same age. The educational concept for this out-of-school learning environment is divided into three parts: discover mobility, understand mobility - and then build it. The Campus Portal sparks interest in the subject; then, in the Campus Laboratory, the children learn all about mobility in a fun way: for instance, about drive technology, energy and safety. In the Campus Workshop they apply what they have learned and, in small independent teams, build their own vehicles according to the task given to them by their instructor using all different kinds of materials. The "product line-up" features diverse models - from family cars to off-road vehicles to energy-saving city cars.
Building hydrogen-powered cars is highly popular - with blue and pink the favourite colours for the body. Over the past twelve months, the young builders used some 20,117 tyres, with diameters ranging from 37 to 60 millimetres; 363 metres of plastic tubing; and 26 kilograms of leather pieces. Most cars are made of sheets of rigid foam plastic, corkboards, chipboard or of foam rubber and corrugated cardboard. To complete their various tasks the budding engineers needed 395 rolls of duct tape and 5070 glue cartridges for their glue guns. The children finished by decorating all the vehicles with numerous accessories, including a total of 10,000 pearls. "We are delighted that the Junior Campus generates such enthusiasm for scientific and social topics among children and teenagers, and we are pleased with the positive feedback we are getting from teachers and parents," says Petra Niedermeier, head of the Junior Campus at BMW Welt.
Since it was opened, more than 430 school classes and other educational groups have visited the Junior Campus. Birthday parties were quite an experience for more than 280 children who celebrated an exceptional birthday with their friends.
Out-of-school learning venue encourages children to actively pursue knowledge.
The Junior Campus at BMW Welt is an out-of-school learning and experience venue for 7 to 13 year-olds and for school classes from grades 2 to 7. The active pursuit of knowledge makes scientific material easier to understand and to retain. The Junior Campus is made up of three areas in succession: The Campus Portal is free for visitors of all ages. This is where they can discover for themselves what the term "mobility" is all about. More detailed, age-appropriate workshops for children and teenagers take place in the Campus Laboratory and the Campus Workshop. This is where young engineers can carry out research, tests and experiments with a large number of exhibits. The Campus Workshop is where the small cars take shape. The focus here is on the social skills and teamwork involved in independently and creatively building an automobile. Selected vehicles made by the children are displayed on the conveyor belt that runs through the Junior Campus.
For reservations and registration for the workshops in the Campus Laboratory and Campus Workshop, as well as more detailed information on the Junior Campus, contact the Call Centre from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily at 0180 2 11 88 22 (6 cents per call from DTAG's landline network). On the internet the Junior Campus is found on the BMW Welt homepage at www.bmw-welt.com. Additional information for educators as well as professional teaching concepts and materials to prepare and review the visit, are available for download.
The BMW Welt's Junior Campus, which opened its doors to inquisitive young students on 17 October 2007, offers an innovative platform for learning all about mobility. It presents an ideal opportunity for experiencing the subject in a fun, active and creative way with others of the same age. The educational concept for this out-of-school learning environment is divided into three parts: discover mobility, understand mobility - and then build it. The Campus Portal sparks interest in the subject; then, in the Campus Laboratory, the children learn all about mobility in a fun way: for instance, about drive technology, energy and safety. In the Campus Workshop they apply what they have learned and, in small independent teams, build their own vehicles according to the task given to them by their instructor using all different kinds of materials. The "product line-up" features diverse models - from family cars to off-road vehicles to energy-saving city cars.
Building hydrogen-powered cars is highly popular - with blue and pink the favourite colours for the body. Over the past twelve months, the young builders used some 20,117 tyres, with diameters ranging from 37 to 60 millimetres; 363 metres of plastic tubing; and 26 kilograms of leather pieces. Most cars are made of sheets of rigid foam plastic, corkboards, chipboard or of foam rubber and corrugated cardboard. To complete their various tasks the budding engineers needed 395 rolls of duct tape and 5070 glue cartridges for their glue guns. The children finished by decorating all the vehicles with numerous accessories, including a total of 10,000 pearls. "We are delighted that the Junior Campus generates such enthusiasm for scientific and social topics among children and teenagers, and we are pleased with the positive feedback we are getting from teachers and parents," says Petra Niedermeier, head of the Junior Campus at BMW Welt.
Since it was opened, more than 430 school classes and other educational groups have visited the Junior Campus. Birthday parties were quite an experience for more than 280 children who celebrated an exceptional birthday with their friends.
Out-of-school learning venue encourages children to actively pursue knowledge.
The Junior Campus at BMW Welt is an out-of-school learning and experience venue for 7 to 13 year-olds and for school classes from grades 2 to 7. The active pursuit of knowledge makes scientific material easier to understand and to retain. The Junior Campus is made up of three areas in succession: The Campus Portal is free for visitors of all ages. This is where they can discover for themselves what the term "mobility" is all about. More detailed, age-appropriate workshops for children and teenagers take place in the Campus Laboratory and the Campus Workshop. This is where young engineers can carry out research, tests and experiments with a large number of exhibits. The Campus Workshop is where the small cars take shape. The focus here is on the social skills and teamwork involved in independently and creatively building an automobile. Selected vehicles made by the children are displayed on the conveyor belt that runs through the Junior Campus.
For reservations and registration for the workshops in the Campus Laboratory and Campus Workshop, as well as more detailed information on the Junior Campus, contact the Call Centre from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily at 0180 2 11 88 22 (6 cents per call from DTAG's landline network). On the internet the Junior Campus is found on the BMW Welt homepage at www.bmw-welt.com. Additional information for educators as well as professional teaching concepts and materials to prepare and review the visit, are available for download.
