Camp Invention
A STEM Summer Program For Grades K-6 That Turns Curious Students Into Innovative Thinkers
Unlock Your Child’s Potential
For more than 30 years, the National Inventors Hall of Fame®has partnered with local educators across the country to provide in-person camps where children develop an innovation mindset as they team up for hands-on creative problem solving and exciting, open-ended exploration.
- Campers thrive in a fun, safe and healthy learning environment led by certified local educators.
- Each year’s all-new activities promote confidence and persistence, guiding children to see themselves as capable innovators.
- High-energy challenges get campers outside to stretch their bodies and their imaginations.
- One week at Camp Invention is proven to result in greater creativity, STEM interest, collaboration and problem-solving skills.1
Over 1,600 programs nationwide. Find in-person or at-home options near you!
What does a typical day look like with Camp Invention?
Welcome
Check your child in before our Camp Director kicks off a day of fun and exploration!
Teamwork
Educators, Leadership Interns and campers start out at Base Camp, where they get ready for an action-packed day.
Morning modules
Led by a certified local educator, your child completes two creative challenges (or modules) before lunch. After washing their hands, they enjoy a healthy snack to keep their minds moving.
Lunch break
While half our campers eat, the other half refuel with some well-deserved playtime outside or in the gym. Then they switch!
Afternoon modules
Time for two more challenging modules that will tap into your child’s curiosity, keep them active and spark their creativity.
Base camp
Our campers regroup with their Leadership Interns to focus on problem solving — crucial for future inventing (and everyday life).
Sign out
Be prepared for lots of updates from your child about how much fun they had at Camp Invention!
To provide a one-of-a-kind experience at Camp Invention each year, the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) education team collaborates annually with NIHF Inductees to develop a new and exciting curriculum.
Our 2020 program, Elevate, sparks excitement and inspiration as children engage in hands-on challenges, discover world-changing inventors, and build their confidence as creators and innovators.
Imaginations soar as children learn about flight with paper planes, gliders, rockets, heliballs and hand-copters. They build a cityscape out of upcycled materials, navigate planes through a storm and take apart a robot they’ll bring home at the end of the program.
Children learn the value of their creativity as they bring their biggest ideas to life. To become successful entrepreneurs, they create sketches, build prototypes, design logos and find out how to market their products while protecting their intellectual property.
Using teamwork and problem-solving skills, children protect the Earth’s ecosystems. Inspiring activities include competing in zipline races, exploring energy conservation, eliminating pollution and helping wildlife in habitats across the country.
As they discover the great inventors behind their favorite sports, children apply their own ingenuity and design thinking. They trade inventor playing cards, create and play their own high-energy hover-ball games, and design and build the ultimate sports complex.
Share the benefits of innovative learning
Earn rewards when you invite your friends and family to register for Camp Invention®, our flagship STEM education program.
References
1. Donald J. Treffinger, Camp Invention Evaluation. Sarasota (FL): Center for Creative Learning (2001); Bureau of Research Training and Services in the College and Graduate School of Education, Health and Human Services at Kent State University (2007); A. Scarisbrick-Hauser, B. Hauser, 2010 Camp Invention Program Evaluation (2010); ChangeMaker Consulting, LLC, Camp Invention Evaluation (2014); J. Falk, Camp Invention Evaluation Report. Institute for Learning Innovation (2018).
2. Summit Education Initiative, National Inventors Hall of Fame Camp Invention Summer 2018 (2018).