A nationally recognized STEM enrichment program will be offered at Verrado High School this summer, providing elementary students with an opportunity to explore science and innovation through hands-on learning.

Camp Invention, a nonprofit program developed by the National Inventors Hall of Fame in partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, will run the week of July 14-18. Open to students entering kindergarten through sixth grade, the camp emphasizes creativity, problem solving and collaboration through science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

This year’s theme, Discover, introduces students to a variety of inventive activities.

Campers will build control panels and AI-inspired bobblehead assistants during a road trip-themed challenge. They’ll experiment with visual tricks and animation techniques while learning how illusions are used in movies and theme parks. In another activity, participants will design and construct their own functioning claw machines using cardboard and basic engineering concepts. The program also includes an eco-focused exploration of Antarctica, where students develop launch devices to propel a penguin research assistant across simulated icy terrain.

The weeklong camp is led by local educators and is part of a national initiative that reaches more than 140,000 students each year.

Camp Invention is registering campers now at $275 per learner. More information and registration details are available at invent.org/camp.