Camp Invention returns to Saratoga Springs City School District
The program begins today
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.
>> In partnership with the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF), Division Street Elementary School is offering the nationally recognized Camp Invention program to children entering kindergarten through sixth grade.
The program begins on July 8 with Connie Woytowich and Braiden White serving as directors of this year’s program, “Supercharged!”
Features include lessons that explore connections between science, technology, engineering and innovation (STEM). Children work together to create solutions to real-world problems and build critical 21st-century skills while rotating through several hands-on modules:
• Exploring the relationship between frequency, circuitry, motors and gears through reverse-engineering and rebuilding their own remote-controlled robot.
• Unearthing hidden fossils, then building ships and innovative equipment to embark on a research expedition to uncover more exciting information about their discovery.
• Coding and programming robot, Bot-ANN-E, to take on duties and help turn a polluted wasteland into a fruitful farm and successful business.
Collaborating with the Innovation Force, a team of NIHF Inventors turned action-packed superheroes to design superhero gadgets and disguises, explore the fields of engineering and fabrication and take on the sinister villain, the Plagiarizer.
Local educators facilitate program modules and enthusiastic high-school students serve as Leadership Interns, ensuring that one staff member is in place for every eight children.
The curriculum was developed from over 25 years of research and inspiration from National Inventor’s Hall of Fame Inductees and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
New curricula are created each year, but the purpose stays the same: fun, hands-on activities that combine creativity, entrepreneurship, and STEM to foster innovation.
Camp Invention incorporates both independent work and collaborative projects, laying the foundation for essential skills to have a long-term impact on youth. “Creativity, STEM interest, critical thinking, problemsolving are integral to our program”, Woytowich said. She has led Camp Invention since 2011.
“Our programs are designed to be flexible and progressive, which includes curriculum written with age differentiation to accommodate our youngest minds with age-appropriate concepts, then increasing to exciting challenges for our tenured alumni.
“Our curriculum incorporates inclusion solutions to assist with providing accessibility for children of varying abilities.” Woytowich said.
Since 1995, Camp Invention has featured handson, reverse engineering and prototyping so children can tinker and explore. One aspect of the program includes taking apart simple machines to discover how and why they operate.
Failure is embraced and confidence is fueled in collaborative fun as children go through the invention process. The prototypes children create are more than just boxes and tape; they’re tangible representations of creative thinking skills, where discoveries bloom into problem-solving ideas.
Camp Invention provides the “Take Apart” for every participant—featuring robust mechanical and electrical components including, motors, gears, springs, LEDs, and circuits.
Camp Invention has grown exponentially to over 200 participants with 55 more on the waiting list.
“The value of this program was apparent to me from the start. When my oldest child was in kindergarten, I signed her up and worked as Assistant Director here in Saratoga. The program made such a strong impression on me as a parent and educator that I had a conversation with my supervisor in the school district where I teach in Colonie, and I was able to implement and direct the program for the benefit of the students in the district where I teach,” Woytowich added.