Hanover Public School District Students Spark Creativity and Innovation at Camp Invention
Hanover Public School District students had an incredible week of creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and hands-on STEAM learning during Camp Invention at Washington Elementary School. Throughout the week, campers explored science, technology, engineering, art, and math through engaging challenges designed to inspire curiosity and build confidence as young innovators.
Campers participated in four exciting learning modules: Space Morphers, Fur-ensics, Make Waves, and The Infringers. Each experience encouraged students to think like inventors, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers while working together to bring their ideas to life.
In Space Morphers, students launched a mission to transform a faraway exoplanet into a place that could support life. Campers built and personalized DIY space rockets, collected water, mineral, and soil samples, observed crystal trees and mystery animal eggs, and recorded data in their Space Labs. As the week continued, they designed planet models, protected their planets from a space storm, explored materials science, and engineered creative prototypes to improve their planets’ atmosphere, temperature, water supply, terrain, and ecosystem. By the end of the week, campers were thinking like space scientists and engineers as they completed their final mission.
In Fur-ensics, campers became student detectives as they worked to solve a mystery at the Camp Invention Biopark. They reverse engineered robotic capybaras, explored the inner mechanics and electronics of their robots, and used forensic science skills to collect and analyze evidence. Throughout the week, campers examined fur and feathers under microscopes, compared animal tracks, reviewed surveillance footage, explored fingerprints, investigated suspicious paint splatters, studied trajectory, and analyzed DNA clues. Their detective work encouraged careful observation, deductive reasoning, teamwork, and critical thinking.
In Make Waves, students dove into entrepreneurship and innovation by designing ocean-themed inventions to solve surfer challenges. Campers explored buoyancy through hands-on experiments, built aluminum foil boats, sketched inventions, completed mock patent applications, and pitched their ideas to “investors.” As the week progressed, they conducted market research, modified prototypes, created company names and logos, and designed eye-catching billboard boats to advertise their inventions. Their final water testing experience gave campers the chance to see their creative ideas set sail.
In The Infringers, campers discovered the importance of protecting ideas and solving real-world problems. They identified challenges in their communities, brainstormed and sketched solutions, created secret codes, and explored cybersecurity tools such as iris recognition, reCAPTCHA, and other security innovations. Campers also learned about intellectual property, completed mock Camp Invention patent applications, and earned certificates to celebrate their innovative thinking. Along the way, they were introduced to real-life inventors whose perseverance, creativity, and problem-solving have changed the world.
Beyond the individual modules, Camp Invention gave students the opportunity to practice important lifelong skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, persistence, resilience, and flexible thinking. Campers worked in teams, tested ideas, made improvements, learned from mistakes, and celebrated each other’s successes. They also experienced the joy of inventing, building, experimenting, and asking “What if?”
Campers also enjoyed a variety of camp games throughout the week, including exciting water games that brought plenty of smiles and laughter. These camp games gave students a chance to take a break from their STEAM challenges while still practicing important skills like collaboration, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Whether they were cheering on teammates, working together during group games, or making new friends, students had fun building connections and creating special summer memories.
We are so proud of our Hanover Public School District campers for the imagination, teamwork, and determination they demonstrated throughout the week. Camp Invention was filled with laughter, learning, and memorable moments, and we are grateful to our families for sharing their students with us for this exciting summer STEAM experience. Special thanks to our Leaders-in-Training and Leadership Interns for their help, encouragement, and guidance throughout the week as they supported our campers and helped make Camp Invention a success.
Our campers all proved that young innovators can do amazing things when they are encouraged to stay curious, think creatively, and bring their ideas to life!