The ENVISION Program

Inventeureka™

Creativity and innovation are the foundation of the Inventeureka™ module. Participants will take a fantasy adventure on the Ci6000 Space Modulator Time Machine to explore serendipitous moments in invention history. Participants will build their own inventions and learn more about both the innovative as well as the adaptive parts of the invention process. They will be challenged to elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their ideas to improve their invention and explore the connections between science, technology, engineering and innovation.

Participants will explore blue sky ideas for new inventions (the challenge is to dream big and think of innovative ideas). They will explore principles of flight. Then, participants will add modifications to their inventions, adapting their inventions. They will also explore ultraviolet and infrared light energy. The children will work together to create mashups of two kinds of inventions, practicing team skills, communication and collaboration. Participants will modify their inventions for a specific audience employing flexibility and creativity. Finally, at the end of the week, participants will have fun creating chindogu inventions (inventions that solve problems in impractical and often humorous ways). They will learn to adapt as they create, test and recreate their inventions and explore engineering design. Each day, unique creative problem solving techniques will be utilized to empower children to think like an inventor, challenge children to reflect on their ideas and leverage the strengths of their team to accomplish a common goal.

Magnetropolis™

Participants are captivated during this magnetic island adventure as they explore science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and creative problem solving during the Magnetropolis™ module. Participants are recruited to find a magnificent island by navigating hand-crafted upcycled ships to the last known location of the island while exploring science skills such as buoyancy, orienteering and magnetism.

Children rebuild the island to scale using engineering design and mathematics. Children work as a team to solve daily challenges, such as creating a light tower exactly 100ft high to scale to safely guide ships back to the island of Magnetropolis. At the beginning of the week, participants design and engineer ships that will sail to the north in search of the island of Magnetropolis. Children must employ creativity and retesting strategies to be successful. They use a compass to locate the northernmost point, the last known location of the rare earth magnets. Participants will then explore the properties of magnets, levitate magnets and create a nonstandard measurement system of magnetic force strength. Teams then rebuild the magnificent island of Magnetropolis using objects found on the island. Finally, participants combine magnetic force with electricity to relight the island.

I Can Invent: Balloon Burst™

In the I Can Invent: Balloon Burst module, children invent fantastical machines. Using science, creative problem solving, and hands-on applications, children advance their creative and critical-thinking skills. Working in teams, younger children focus on building inventions that burst water balloons, while older children create multi-step, balloon bursting Rube Goldberg-type machines, signifying their success.           

Children will enter the workshop, receive their challenge, and begin taking apart broken machines while learning about machines and tool safety as they work. The older children learn about Rube Goldberg and complicated ways to solve simple problems! The excitement builds when children continue to dismantle broken machines and investigate how the gears, motors, magnets, and springs inside the machines work. Using this knowledge, children begin planning their balloon bursting inventions and Rube Goldberg-type machines. Children investigate intellectual property tools, including the patent system, and put their invention plans into action as they immerse themselves in full-on construction of their machines. The younger children complete their balloon-bursting inventions and design a marketing campaign. The week ends with the older children enhancing their Rube Goldberg machines using the engineering design process by testing, retesting, and making any necessary adjustments, preparing to set them into motion and documenting the work with a drawing and description of the final machine.

The Action and Adventure Games module scores a home run by combining physical activity and creativity. Children practice teamwork, cooperation, coordination, and creative problem solving processes during fun, energetic games. Action and Adventure Games activities are based on the premise that traditional games can be modified using nontraditional approaches. Employing the concept of upcycling, children use available materials to create completely new games. Unlike competitive games or sports, this module stresses creative problem solving, rather than winning or losing, and encourages active physical participation while boosting self-confidence.

In this module, each day features new and exciting challenges that vary based on children's ages and abilities. All activities are designed to converge the functions of mind and body while children work collaboratively in diverse teams. These games facilitate inventive and inquisitive-thinking skills while incorporating 21st century learning skills such as collaboration, communication, and whole-systems thinking. Children play approximately four games per day that sometimes feature nontraditional sporting equipment such as recyclable items, water balloons, and other unconventional materials. Children's curiosity is sparked with a new line-up of wild and wet games that are sure to enrich and energize!