CANTON, Ohio, April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Camp Invention's 25th Anniversary marks a milestone in STEM education, creative thinking and innovation that is a driving force in the future of our children and the future of our nation. To celebrate, Camp Invention, the nation's premier summer enrichment day camp for grades one through six, has elevated its 2015 curriculum with the help of innovation giants, including National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) Inductees, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) representatives and high-profile educators.
Camp Invention helps 1st-6th graders turn ordinary into extraordinary while exploring their innate curiosity! Every child needs a mentor, someone to challenge them and someone to encourage them to ask questions. Luckily, our participants have Inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame to serve as role models and our top-notch curricula to spark their inventive spirit. Take a moment to learn about Camp Invention by visiting www.campinvention.org. We have 1,200 sites nationwide!
Steve Sasson, National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee and inventor of the digital camera, teaches kids at Camp Invention.
Students think, make and create at Camp Invention.
Camp Invention kids experience the Illuminate program and take part in the KartWheel module.
The 2015 Camp Invention program, "Illuminate™," will encourage students to explore their inventiveness through an innovation laboratory, investigation of circuits and taking on a nature-inspired design challenge. As they build and make discoveries, they will have a chance to invent a prototype from scratch and explore math from a new angle when they create origami flight models during team-building exercises.
"I hope to have been a real-life inspiration for young thinkers, movers and shakers," said Garrett Brown, inventor of the Steadicam® camera stabilizer and 2013 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee. "Along with my fellow Inductees, I look forward to seeing this year's program and helping to ignite the inventive spark in all Camp Invention participants. I hope they see that an inventor's journey is an endless and adventurous path."
According to a Harris Poll study, conducted by Dr. Harris Cooper, professor of psychology at University of Missouri-Columbia, the top indicator for parents that their child has an inventive mind is if they have an interest in learning how things work and enjoy taking things apart. Camp Invention taps into today's "maker movement," making geek chic and encouraging inventors, designers and tinkers to have an admiration for curiosity, learning, artisan design and powerful technology. This focus establishes self-esteem, collaboration, persistence, communication and goal-setting skills to propel the advancement of our Camp participants in education and in life.
The Camp Invention program annually impacts more than 112,000 children at 1,200 plus sites across the nation. Local programs are facilitated and taught by educators who reside and teach in the community. To find a camp in your local community, visit our Camp Finder or for additional information, visit www.campinvention.org.
"For 25 years we have promoted creativity and advanced the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship," said Invent Now, Inc. CEO Michael Oister, which coordinates Camp Invention. "For decades to come, we will continue to encourage students that go through Camp Invention to think outside the box and embrace their inquisitive minds to explore, create and invent. We will set a precedent that inspiration and innovation are not limited by age or generation, which is evident by Camp Invention."
New in 2015, Camp Invention, National Inventors Hall of Fame, Collegiate Inventors Competition and the USPTO will establish a nationwide call to action to inspire innovation in America. This movement is called Innovation Echo and challenges everyone to join together and think creatively, offer ideas and solve problems so that we can continue to change the world for the better. Innovation Echo will be integrated into the 2015 Illuminate™ curriculum as a take home project for Camp Invention in 2015 that will keep Campers motivated to innovate throughout the summer. They will work closely with their parents to come up with ways create solutions for the 2015 challenge, Tomorrow's Brightest Days – Solutions for Energy Conservation, and share their ideas on Camp Invention social media properties. The winning idea will be awarded a spot in the 2016 Innovation Echo showcase next May in Washington, D.C.
"Camp Invention provides the USPTO with the opportunity to inspire our youth to innovate and create and to introduce them to the importance of protecting their intellectual property through the patent system," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Michelle K. Lee. "We are excited for this year's curriculum and integration with Innovation Echo because it creates additional depth and longevity to inspire even more children to pursue an interest in STEM."
Get ready for all the exciting opportunities in 2015 to think, make and create. Join Camp Invention and Innovation Echo and help shape the future of our nation by using #thinkmakecreate and #InnoEcho15.
About Camp Invention: Camp Invention is the only nationally recognized summer program focused on creativity, innovation, real-world problem solving and the spirit of invention. Through hands-on programming, Camp Invention encourages children in grades one through six to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum inspired by some the world's great inventors. Camp Invention, the National Inventors Hall of Fameand the Collegiate Inventors Competitionserve as the authority on inspiring invention and compose Invent Now. This nationwide nonprofit organization is committed to the curious minds and innovative spirits of the past, present and future. Since 1990, our education programs have served over 1 MILLION children and 125,000 teachers and Leadership Interns.
About Invent Now: The mission of Invent Now is to be a catalyst for change through recognizing inventors and invention, promoting creativity and advancing the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Invent Now was founded in 1973 as the National Inventors Hall of Fame, now a supporting organization, with the mission of recognizing and honoring the great inventors of our time. A supporting organization of Invent Now, Inc., the National Inventors Hall of Fame honors individuals in recognition of their patented inventions that have created entire industries and driven this nation's economic progress.
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