CALEDONIA, Mich. -- Record heat since last week was hot enough for some school districts to send kids home on half-days. One fourth grader in Caledonia got creative to help his class "beat the heat," their new motto.
At Kettle Lake Elementary, it's been nearly as hot outside as it is inside Mrs. Lacroix's fourth grade classroom. Tuesday the classroom temperature read 81 degrees.
"It just started to get super, super hot," said Kelly Lacroix.
"The kids knew that they were experiencing history with these high heats."
As the record heat kept the students indoors during recess since last Wednesday, students brought in fan after fan until one classmate's ingenuity helped them sit cooler.
"We actually named it 'Abram's Air,'" said Lacroix.
Showing off his homemade air conditioner Abram Barker admitted, "my mom helped a little bit."
He says he stumbled across Do It Yourself air conditioners on YouTube.
"So I clicked on that and then it was a little Home Depot bucket with a lid on top," Barker explained.
"I switched it so it's a little bit larger, and I put towels inside to insulate the water bottles, the ice, and to get the sweat."
Using a plastic tote, frozen water bottles, and halved 2-liter bottles with a fan, Barker transformed simple materials into endless AC for his classmates.
"We beat the heat!" Barker's class cheered Tuesday.
