Camp Invention, a nationally recognized, nonprofit summer enrichment program, is offering Tacoma area children an all-new, at-home format of the program the week of June 28 – July 2, 2021.
Camp Invention at home reaches far beyond what families have come to expect from “virtual” learning — balancing active, independent hands-on exploration with opportunities for socialization from home.
A hybrid program featuring both offline activities and optional online sessions, the at-home Camp Invention format enables hands-on exploration by delivering an Innovator’s Toolkit, packed full of fun materials, directly to each participant. With four themed activities, step-by-step guides and an Innovator Workshop, the program brings imagination, creative problem solving and fun to children’s living rooms. During the at-home format, local certified instructors take the campers through the day’s activities, with the children choosing to attend the four daily online collaborative sessions or move at their own pace.
Each year, the program features a new curriculum inspired by some of our nation’s most world-changing inventors — the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) Inductees. This year’s Recharge curriculum encourages children to be confident in their ideas and explore their innovativeness though hands-on activities including:
- Open Mic: Campers amplify their creative voice, reverse engineer a wireless microphone, and then develop and promote their own extraordinary invention.
- Duck Chuck: Through hands-on experiments with trajectory and velocity, children build their own device to launch rubber ducks around the world.
- Road Rally: Imaginations accelerate as children design nature-inspired vehicles that can zoom across land and add prototype elements for moving through air and water.
- SolarBot: Campers build and take care of their very own solar-powered robotic cricket, creating protective gear, a customized habitat and a fun cricket playground.
Several parents participating in 2021 Camp Invention focus groups noted that although they had initial reservations about their children participating in an at-home camp, their own reactions removed any doubts:
“Honestly, the box sold me. The Innovator’s Toolkit alone was worth the price,” said Josh, dad of a 7-year-old camper.
“Some kids are auditory, some are visual … I think it is great you have all these options,” added Selma, grandmother of a 9-year-old camper.
A NIHF program in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Camp Invention challenges children in grades K-6 to tap into their natural curiosity and use their creativity to solve problems. Through hands-on activities, Camp Invention promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning; builds confidence, leadership, perseverance and resourcefulness; and encourages entrepreneurship — all in a fun and engaging environment. In the unprecedented times we’re all experiencing, with “unfinished learning” and other challenges due to COVID-19, these lessons and opportunities for fun ways to learn are even more valuable.
All local Camp Invention programs are facilitated and taught by certified educators who reside and teach in the community. Camp Invention serves 130,000 students every year and partners with more than 1,800 schools and districts across the nation. For additional information or to register, visit invent.org/camp.
