Camp Invention set for Fort Smith elementary school in July

Camp Invention, a summer day camp program supported by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and a product of the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF), is coming to Carnall Elementary SchoolQ the week of July 11, 2016.

For students entering grades one through six, Camp Invention is a weeklong adventure that includes hands-on problem solving, using science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Camp Invention provides an opportunity for students to exercise their creativity and use their imagination in ways they don’t normally get to in the classroom. Program participants do not realize they are learning and developing new skills as they build prototypes, take things apart, explore different types of technology and so much more.

“The hands-on curriculum helps to further insert curiosity into a child’s everyday lifestyle. As the need for skilled STEM professionals increases, we believe we are setting our students up for success by offering programs like Camp Invention,” said Alice Opperman, director of curriculum for Emerson Public Schools in Emerson, N.J.

This year’s Camp Invention curriculum is called Epic, and features hands-on modules like CrickoBot, where campers construct and personalize a DIY solar-powered cricket and a unique habitat; Epic Park, where campers work in teams to design an eco-adventure park; I Can Invent: Maker Studio, where campers brainstorm product ideas and build original prototypes using real tools and components found in everyday devices; and The Lab: Where Pigs Fly, where children can discover the science of slime, demolition, electronic sound, giant squid and coding.

Local programs are facilitated and taught by educators who reside and teach in the community. Camp Invention serves more than 94,000 students every year through nearly 1,400 camps across the nation.