Construction Kids summer camp

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - On the second floor of a Brooklyn Navy Yard building, a group of kids are spending their summer days hammering away.

"The kids learn how to use real tools so they use hammers, drills, we give a saw lesson and they learn how to use tools safely," said Caleb Robinson, a lead counselor at Construction Kids, where the motto is "old school tools for new school learning."

Deb Winsor founded the hands-on building program for kids nine years ago.

"Most of the kids by the end of the week know how to use tools better than their parents do," Winsor said.

At this camp, there are no touch screens or keyboards in sight, and that's part of the point, Winsor said.

"Really what it's about is understanding how things work, how things get put together, above and beyond just putting a battery into something and turning the on switch," Winsor said.

The week-long summer program costs $500, and this summer about 1,200 kids ages 4 to 10 will participate in various sessions.

"It's just fun, you get to use adult tools and you get to build stuff with wood," said camper Sydney Stasic, 8.

"I actually like using the hammer, wood, nails," said Bennett Choi, 8. "I've learned a lot about building"

The goal is not to churn out construction workers or architects, but to make these little ones think outside the box.

"It's really about tactile, whole child learning, where they're using their hands, their heads and their whole bodies to think about projects, make projects," Winsor said.

The week-long summer program is offered at six locations across Brooklyn and Manhattan, and there are still spots for sessions later this month.