Making Camp Invention Work for Every Child

Since 1990, the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® (NIHF) has offered fun and impactful summers at Camp Invention^®, our flagship education program. Over the past 31 years, this one-of-a-kind program has reached millions of children throughout the country — but the NIHF team is determined to reach even more.

This summer’s all-new Camp Invention program, Recharge, is our most flexible and accessible program yet. With both in-person and at-home options and engaging, hands-on activities, our camp is designed to empower children across communities and learning styles.

Finding Freedom in Flexibility

Not only does Camp Invention provide families with their choice of in-person and at-home experiences, but the program also offers the freedom to approach the at-home format in the way that works best for each child.

Children who join us from home receive an Innovator’s Toolkit packed with everything they need for camp, so they’ll be all set to start designing, building and inventing in a familiar environment. At-home campers might:

• Join all or some the online collaboration sessions (four per day for each of five days) with their Coach and fellow campers.
• Check out all the digital resources found online, including videos that will guide them through each activity.
• Go screen-free by relying on the provided step-by-step Inventor Logs to complete the program at their own pace.
• Approach camp as a fun family experience, with everyone collaborating and creating together.
• Mix it up from one day to the next for a customized, child-led experience that doesn’t have to be confined to five days.

All of this flexibility can help parents alleviate any anxiety their children may feel on their first day of camp and offer them greater agency than they are likely to find with any other STEM summer camp. Especially for children who are neurodiverse, this kind of adaptability can make all the difference in creating a positive experience that will unlock their creative potential.

Socializing With Peers

Whether kids camp in person or at home, they will benefit from valuable opportunities to socialize with other children in grades K-6. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, children have had their opportunities to socialize disrupted. For children with social-emotional delays, getting back to more frequent interaction with peers can be especially difficult. Camp Invention can help children build their skills over the summer in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Through their week at camp, children start the day with chances to get to know one another, and each afternoon, they share and celebrate each other’s success. In between, their days are filled with teamwork.

Working together with other campers, whether in person or in online sessions, children are encouraged to have their creative voice heard as they brainstorm, share their invention ideas, exchange advice and build friendships that can last beyond their time at camp.

Enjoying Open-Ended Exploration

At Camp Invention, there are no right or wrong answers. Instead, children are encouraged to develop their own unique solutions through creative problem solving. This approach to learning helps children to build their confidence.

When children engage in hands-on, open-ended STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities, they discover just how capable and creative they are as they overcome challenges, achieve goals and build on their successes. These experiences help to eliminate the feelings of intimidation that are often associated with STEM subjects and make them more accessible to all children.

Learn More About Camp Invention

To learn more about what Camp Invention has in store this summer, please visit our website.