Don’t you wish the world was filled with innovative and creative kids? Well, actually it is, and Invent the Summer is ready to prove it!
INVENT THE SUMMER is a non-profit organization created by kids, for kids. We inspire creativity, resourcefulness, innovation, problem-solving, and leadership by engaging kids in design and engineering challenges throughout the summer. Our mission is to inspire the next generation of innovators, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
The benefits of STEM education are widely understood. Fortunately, more and more children have access to STEM activities in a school setting every year. Too often though, the experience ends there. Many children don’t see themselves as future engineers, and don’t explore it actively outside of school. STEM is more than just science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM encourages creativity, problem-solving, perseverance, and learning from others. These are essential life skills – regardless of one’s ultimate path.
Our program focuses on outreach from kids, to kids. As far as our participants know, there are no adults involved. This makes the experience less intimidating and can help to spark an interest in STEM that our participants may not otherwise explore.
We can’t do any of this without the help of our generous donors. With your support, we can expand our programming to reach kids around the country from elementary school through high school.
Your donation will go towards:
- Prizes for our young inventors and engineers that will inspire continued innovation at home.
- Grants to schools and camps for engineering and Makerspace supplies.
- Our new in-person and online workshops.
- Expanding the overall reach of our program.
Check out an example!
Each week the Junior Board of Engineers presents a unique challenge. Participants work hard to solve the problem, then submit videos of their projects. Participants then have the chance to view everyone’s solutions, learn from each other, and vote for their favorites. Winners are announced each week in 3 categories: Audience Choice, Junior Board Choice, and the Epic Fail Award. At Invent the Summer, we embrace “failures” as a critical step in the learning and engineering process. Instead of hiding them, we want to celebrate them!
New this Year!
In-Person Programming
We are busy creating specialized workshops targeted primarily to underserved communities, ensuring equitable access to engaging summer STEM learning opportunities. These weekly sessions will be centered on our challenges and are completely free!
All participants will receive a free MakerBox full of materials and activity ideas for continued creativity and exploration at home.
Our 2024 locations include public libraries and schools in Hartford, Manchester, and Farmington, CT.
Online Curriculum & Resource Packs
We can’t be in person everywhere, so we are creating online classes and digital resources that can be used by parents, librarians, teachers, and youth organizations to create their own workshops based on our weekly challenges.
These learning resources are designed to complement our challenges, enhancing educational experiences and enabling parents, teachers, and caregivers to support the young inventors in their lives. They will include teaching topics, idea prompts, and troubleshooting tips.