Camp Invention Connect
An At-Home K-6 Summer Camp Supported by the DoW STEM, Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC)
What Is Camp Invention Connect?
The most inspiring online summer camp available anywhere!
- Who: Children or dependents of Active Duty Armed Forces, Veterans, or National Guard and Reserves, who are entering grades K-6
- What: An opportunity to safely explore hands-on STEM fun at your own pace
- Where: Anywhere in the United States*
- When: July 13-17, 2026
- Why: Because when kids have this much fun creating, they won’t even realize how much they’re learning!
- How much: FREE for the first 100 kids, thanks to support from DoW STEM! Registrations are first-come, first-served for a week of action-packed virtual camp sessions and an Innovator’s Toolkit filled with all the materials your child will need.
*Program materials cannot be shipped to PSC addresses at this time.
Here’s how our camp works:
- Your Innovator’s Toolkit — packed with all the materials needed for your STEM summer camp experience — is shipped directly to your door.
- Your child can join a week of virtual camp sessions (four per day for five consecutive days!) led by a qualified educator, and they’ll get access to exclusive online resources.
- Virtual session attendance is recommended but not required, so your child can join all, some or none of the sessions.
See an Action-Packed Day With Camp Invention Connect
Get Excited for Your Program
The Innovator’s Toolkit — packed with everything your camper needs — will be sent straight to your home ahead of the program start date, so you’ll be set for a week of hands-on fun and exploration!
When your package arrives, your camper can check out all their materials and set up their own space for creativity with their Innovator Workshop, complete with a Toolbelt and Maker Mat.
Daily Kickoff (9 a.m.)
Your child will join an educator — their Camp Invention Connect Coach — and fellow campers to start each day of camp with a live online session that includes icebreakers, module instruction and opportunities to collaborate.
If your camper can’t join live, don’t worry — you will have access to videos that go through each activity step by step.
Create and Invent (11 a.m.)
Following a quick break, kids get back together online to make, create and invent with their Coach and fellow campers.
Afternoon Hangout (1 p.m.)
After taking a break for lunch, your child can join their Coach and fellow campers to socialize, build friendships and gear up for the rest of the day’s hands-on fun.
Unplug and Get Outdoors
Hands-on STEM exploration continues as kids enjoy screen-free time and get outdoors with high-energy challenges.
Collaborate and Share (2 p.m.)
Each afternoon, campers regroup with their Coach online to complete their final challenge and proudly share their projects and inventions.
Sign Up Today!
Sign up to ensure that a spot will be saved for you in our virtual session. A schedule and meeting link for the optional live sessions will be provided by your Camp Invention Connect Coach the week before your start date.
With a set of four themed kits providing tons of materials, our 2026 program, Elevate, offers hours of hands-on fun! Each kit brings a unique set of challenges inspired by world-changing inventors, and qualified educator Coaches help kids make real connections through instruction, teamwork and outdoor play. It all adds up to a one-of-a-kind experience that’s sure to get kids thinking, moving and creating!
Children take on exciting challenges to protect the planet! Experimenting in a new habitat each day, they build prototypes to help wildlife, find ways to conserve electricity and eliminate pollution, explore bioluminescence and use innovative parachutes to safely transport animals.
Letting their imaginations soar, children put flight concepts into action as they launch rockets, experiment with hand-copters and navigate planes through a rainstorm. They even get hands-on with their very own flight simulation robot and take it apart to see how it works!
As they discover the great inventors behind their favorite sports, children find inspiration for their own game-changing ideas. They invent fun games and innovative sports equipment, and they use their creative problem-solving skills to design and build the ultimate sports complex!
Children become confident creators and entrepreneurs as they learn how to design, build and sell their own inventions! Through hands-on challenges from real-life inventors, they brainstorm, sketch their ideas, develop a prototype, design their own logo and protect their intellectual property.
For more than 30 years, Camp Invention® has been inspiring confidence and creativity through fun, hands-on STEM activities. Now, young innovators can bring the excitement of this STEM summer program home with Camp Invention Connect.
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“He was so excited for each day to arrive so he could log in! He learned so much he didn’t want it to end. Thank you for having a virtual option.”
Angelia D.North Canton, OH
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“My son did the online program and attending every session ... I realized how much he likes to build, and how intently he can listen while his hands are busy! I also loved to hear how he spoke up and shared with the group.”
Lynn L.North Canton, OH
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“Love the virtual camp option and lots of live interaction it provides.”
Sarah H.North Canton, OH