Inspiring Curricula Spark Empathy and Action

To develop a new and engaging Camp Invention^® curriculum each year takes significant resources. Generous supporters of the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) Annual Fund fuel our detailed 20-month curriculum development process and ensure that each summer, children can count on an entirely new camp experience.

As the NIHF education team delves into each new cycle of curriculum development, it works closely with NIHF Inductees who are committed to fostering curiosity and creativity in the next generation. Only NIHF offers STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs created in collaboration with these world-changing innovators.

In addition to insights from Hall of Famers and Collegiate Inventors Competition® Finalists, our curriculum development process is informed by feedback from teachers, parents and children, independent program evaluations, and research in both formal and informal education. As each summer’s new curriculum is built, it’s also piloted at select schools so it can be refined and strengthened before launching nationally. All of this is accomplished thanks to gifts from Annual Fund donors.

The result of our curriculum development process is a Camp Invention experience designed to help children build STEM skills, gain confidence in their ability to problem solve and innovate, practice empathy, and learn that everyone’s perspectives, ideas and creations have value.

Each time you give to the Annual Fund, you’re ensuring the future of our one-of-a-kind program and making a direct impact on children like Isabella “Izzy” McMillan — a camper who has benefited so much from attending Camp Invention that she’s taken action to help other children experience the same.

Sharing the Benefits of Invention Education

Izzy is an 8-year-old student at Ruth Hill Elementary School in Newnan, Georgia. When she attended Camp Invention, Izzy reaped the benefits of NIHF’s commitment to robust curriculum development. She and her fellow campers had the opportunity to build friendships and practice teamwork as they designed, built and tested invention prototypes, learned how a patent could protect their creations and developed their own pitch to promote their ideas.

The power of the pitch later became particularly important for Izzy as she developed a desire to help more kids attend camp. “I knew that Izzy had a giving heart and a spirit of wanting to help others,” Mary Thompson, Izzy’s mentor and teacher, said in an interview with NIHF. “I asked Izzy if she would like to help others attend camp, and she said yes!”

Thompson, a Camp Director, helped Izzy develop her own pitch to local businesses in the area, asking for monetary donations to help students whose families might not be able to afford the cost of attending the Camp Invention Connect® program that Ruth Hill Elementary would soon host.

Camp Invention Connect is an at-home program that allows children to participate in all the creativity, collaboration and problem-solving fun Camp Invention is known for, no matter where they are. Campers can choose to approach the program as a self-led, unplugged experience, or they can join several online collaboration sessions each day, meeting up with their friends and a certified educator to share ideas, engage in hands-on inventing and celebrate each other’s success.

After Thompson worked with Izzy to develop a compelling pitch, the two began traveling to local Newnan businesses, where Izzy approached business leaders all on her own to encourage them to help give children the opportunity to attend camp. “I was a little scared at the first place I went to,” Izzy said in an interview with NIHF. “But after that, I wasn’t nervous anymore.”

One of the businesses Izzy visited was McKoon Funeral Home, where John Daviston, the company’s owner and president, was blown away by her confidence in delivering her pitch. According to Thompson, Daviston told Izzy, “I look for adults with your people skills and it’s what I look for when I hire people.” Daviston was so impressed, he wrote a check covering the cost of three full Camp Invention Connect scholarships.

For Thompson, Izzy’s courage to advocate for a cause that she believes in, paired with generosity from local businesses, represents a ray of light and hope during these challenging times. “The mom and pop stores from our community were so giving, and even if they didn’t have the money at the time, they wished her well and said that they were inspired by what she was doing, as an 8-year-old, for others,” Thompson said.

In addition to the $1,991 Izzy raised from generous local businesses around the Newnan area, recently, NIHF awarded her another scholarship to add to her cause, bringing the total amount of money raised to $2,166. Thanks to Izzy’s efforts, 11 children received scholarships to attend camp.

Instill the Innovative Spirit in More Children Nationwide

Through her empathy, confidence and innovative spirit, Izzy exemplifies the core benefits of Camp Invention’s ever-evolving curricula.

To continue building cutting-edge curricula that make a real difference, NIHF relies on the generosity of Annual Fund donors. Your gift directly supports curriculum development as we continue to invest in the next generation of innovators.

Use the link below and select “Area of Greatest Need/Annual Fund” as the program you would like to support to reach children across the country.

When you give today, you can change tomorrow.