Spark Student Engagement With STEM Fun and Creativity at Camp Invention
What is Camp Invention?
- What: A fun and engaging, standards-aligned STEM summer program created for schools looking to bring excitement to both students and educators. Since 1990, this program has helped K-6 students explore their natural creativity and gain confidence through hands-on, open-ended exploration, while empowering educators to do the same.
- Where: Camp Invention is hosted locally and led by local educators through a space provided by the district or host site. If a district building is not available, the program can be hosted in a community building, library or other local facility.
- How: While you focus on launching a week of meaningful learning and fun, our team will be there every step of the way to support your seamless program implementation. We ship all materials in classroom sets directly to your program location from our in-house warehouse, help educators navigate challenges with personalized, one-on-one support and provide every resource needed to bring four high-impact experiences to students.
- Cost: The program cost is covered by each participant, and there is no added fee to host the program. If your school is looking for financial support, our team can help find what programs you can qualify for!*
High-Quality Materials
Designed for hands-on engagement and open-ended exploration, Camp Invention encourages children’s natural curiosity and creativity. Our 20-month curriculum development process ensures students enjoy a quality experience.
Stress-Free Implementation
The National Inventors Hall of Fame® provides all the materials, resources and support you need for hassle-free implementation, including dedicated assistance with building your team, selecting your location and running your program from start to finish.
Core Subject Support
Educators across the country trust Camp Invention as an essential resource to supplement existing math and science curricula with fresh strategies that enhance STEM and 21st-century skill development. This collaborative program naturally combats absenteeism and reduces anxiety while accommodating learning differences through easy differentiation.
Pathways to Entrepreneurial Thinking and Problem Solving
Each program is filled with cross-curricular challenges that inspire original thinking and empower children to bring their ideas to life. From hands-on problem solving to exploring entrepreneurship, students engage with topics from art to sports through a STEM lens.
Embedded Professional Development
Through hands-on experience, you’ll gain strategies that can easily transfer to your classroom, helping you instill essential 21st-century skills, promote empathy and teamwork, and encourage students.
Evidence-Based Experiences
Independent evaluations show that one week of Camp Invention can produce short- and long-term improvements in creativity, interest in STEM subjects, collaboration and problem-solving skills.
Improved Attendance and Test Scores
Research shows that participation in Camp Invention leads to improvements in school attendance, test scores and GPA.
Funding Options
Camp Invention qualifies for federal, state and local district funding. Our team works with you to both identify and apply for funding opportunities.
What is Included in Camp Invention?
Program Preparation
Orientation, promotional tools including flyers, posters, social media and digital content, and exceptional guidance and one-on-one coaching provided by a dedicated National Inventors Hall of Fame support team.
Implementation Support
High-quality instructional support, including a step-by-step curriculum and instructor guide for 32.5 hours of programming, daily schedules and prerecorded videos to supplement the curriculum and classroom materials, a central registration system, and Camp Invention T-shirts for participants and Program Team Members.
Explore Our 2027 Program: Gear Up
A new program is designed each year. Our all-new 2027 program, Gear Up, inspires students to explore STEM with curiosity and confidence! Through hands-on challenges that inspire creativity, design thinking and entrepreneurship, children build skills in collaboration and critical thinking as they invent solutions to real-world challenges.
New Heights™
Students reach for new heights as they take on an engineering challenge inspired by cutting-edge architecture and construct a superstructure that touches the sky! They explore electrical engineering by assembling a motorized construction elevator, enhance the stability of their structure with biomimicry concepts and discover sustainable materials technologies. After completing their superstructure, students showcase their clever designs and eco-friendly solutions to investors during a Real Estate Tour.
Ooze and Aahs™
Students uncover ooey gooey chemistry concepts as they investigate nature’s tiniest organisms in the Backyard Laboratory. They explore, observe and analyze slimy substances from freshwater pond samples, solve the challenge of improving water quality and uncover features of different bacteria, bugs and insects. Protecting the ecosystem from a new invasive species, they incorporate biomimicry concepts to design an insect-inspired bioinvention.
Stuck!™
Students embark on an entrepreneurial endeavor, explore the phases of product development and compete in a hands-on prototyping challenge to design an exclusive new product. Exploring materials science and engineering, they find inspiration at the Sticky Situation Station, stay persistent and take risks to earn big rewards. After transforming their innovative ideas into a novel, useful product, they dive into marketing and business strategies to ensure they gain a competitive advantage with a unique logo and product name.
Gadget Garage™
Students gear up to invent as they work in collaborative crews to explore mechanical engineering. As they investigate the inner workings of gadgets, students discover idea-sparking tools and build original prototypes incorporating gears, motors and lights. After excavating a useful gearbox, they deconstruct a wind-up robot in a hands-on, take-apart experience, upcycle pieces and parts to repurpose them in imaginative ways and create their own spinning Etch-n-Glow Wand™.
What Educators Are Saying About Our Education Programs
-
“The most impactful moment was seeing students who were initially hesitant become leaders in their groups by the end of the week. It reminded me how powerful experiential learning can be when students are given the freedom to explore, fail and try again.”
Kimberly L.Savannah, GA
-
“Students were engaged and engineered great ideas! They really responded to real-world problems and asked thoughtful questions. I have more courage to provide more STEM opportunities during the school year.”
Maile Q.Lewisville TX
-
“Love how easy it is to find what I will be doing and teaching with my students. I also love that I have access ahead of time of all the lessons I will be teaching to make sure I am ready beforehand.”
Julieta C.Yuma, AZ
-
“My teachers love that everything is laid out exactly as needed.”
Courtney A.Castle Rock, CO
-
“Watching the students become inventors through STEM is priceless. The students were able to problem solve and come up with different ways to fix their errors.”
Chrystal D.Hudson, OH
-
“I love building the community relationships with business and foundations that support our efforts with donations and grants.”
Kylee R.Redkey, IN
-
“It is standard-aligned, but it's so fun that [students] don't even recognize that they're really learning a standard because they're so engaged in it.”
Mayra C.Lorain, OH
We want to partner with more districts just like you!
Contact us at 800-968-4332, [email protected] or complete our form to bring transformative, hands-on learning to your school.
View Additional Information for Massachusetts Educators
*Camp can be implemented using a parent-paid model or purchased as either a full program or individual modules. It also can run as a unique, stand-alone summer experience or as the perfect complement to a larger summer learning program.
Bring Camp Invention to Your School