In kindergarten to second grade, students learn about gravity, potential, and kinetic energy by building roller coasters using black foam tubing. They use a marble to represent the riders in the roller coaster car. During summer school, this hands-on activity teaches them engineering and problem-solving concepts through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills. These lessons are part of the Club Invention Kits, an initiative by the National Inventors Hall of Fame organization that supports innovators and encourages young people to become future inventors.
All K-8 students are engaged in STEM learning this summer with Club Invention. Third and fourth-grade students programmed robots to navigate through a farm and then created a city out of paper for their Bot ANN-E kit robots to explore. Meanwhile, fifth and sixth-grade students built a flying electronic bird using the E-bird kit, learning about circuits, aerodynamics, and flight patterns. Seventh and eighth-grade students use the Champions kits to design arenas and bring their ideas to life. Other classes use lesson kits such as Road Rally and In the Attic to further their STEM education.