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BLUE EARTH - Fifteen soaking wet children eagerly watched their teacher fling a ping-pong ball over their heads using a yard stick and egg-carton section Wednesday.

The lesson was about levers, and the students were watching the airborne demonstration in an attempt to identify the fulcrum. (It was the instructor's elbow.)

In the rear of the classroom, the floor was cluttered with plastic bags, bubble wrap, parts of home-improvement projects and other flotsam - items students were asked to collect from home and bring in.

These first- through fifth-graders are participating in Club Invention, a half-day program taught by local teachers for four days.

"On the first day I asked the students, 'Who brought in garbage from home?'" said instructor Roger Schoenfelder. "They all raised their hands. I said, 'None of you did. You all brought in treasures to build with.'"

Schoenfelder, a Blue Earth Area high school engineering instructor, along with middle school instructor Brian Kokos and ninth-grader Audrey McDonald are instructing students in three learning modules.

In the Land Sled Extreme module they learn the principles necessary to build a land sled that they will put through an obstacle course on their last day.

In Viking Treasure Trek: The Quest Begins section, they will learn how to use a compass, decipher Runic messages and learn about the history of the Vikings.

The third module is Recess Remix, and opportunity for students to get creative with some traditional recess games.

The students were wet because they were earning points for their teams by participating in a water fight. Kokos said the idea is to see who can be the least wet, although the fun of the game sometimes leads to the opposite.

Students discuss strategy used during the water squirting experience after the game, talking about what worked and what didn't. The points earned are used to "purchase" items from the land sled store, a table containing items that might be useful to their building projects.

Other games earn them prizes they may be able to use on their sled, such as ice cube trays, rope and sticks.

Everything the students learn during Club Invention is designed to prepare them for their task at the end of the week.

Schoenfelder said besides a first day discussion about what a land sled is and what the students will need it to do, the students are responsible for piecing together the different parts of their lessons to complete the project.

He said it isn't as difficult as one might think to watch the students attempt ideas that will not work for the end project.

"Some of the best things we learn are from failure," he said. "Failure is the best teacher."

He says the students aren't frustrated by their ideas that don't work, they simply figure out what will work by seeing what doesn't.