Meet Neilah, Think Together student and inventor
As part of Think Together’s afterschool program, students participate in the Invention Adventures curriculum created by our partners at Lemelson MIT. Invention Adventures is a global K-12 invention education program that teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and creativity skills which culminate with progressive conventions that begin at the site level and progress to statewide, national & global competitions.
“We were really looking for solutions that address the K-12 out-of-school space that was very rigorous and could offer a new opportunity for Think Together and give us new launching pads for our students to be successful in the world beyond school,” shared Mark Bayaua, Think Together Director of STEM Innovation Programs.
Think Together students are challenged to find a problem in their own lives, family, or community. Then, students invent a solution using the curriculum over the next ten weeks. Through this process, Think Together staff encourage students to think outside of the box and create something that can benefit their world.
Think Together had 200 students participate in this program during the 2021-22 school year and become inventors. 10 Think Together inventions, from six individuals and four team pairs, qualified for the state competition! One of those students, Neilah, went on to represent California at the national level.
Neilah has been a part of the Think Together afterschool program since kindergarten. “I like Think Together because we always do fun activities,” Neilah shared.
Watch the video below to learn more about the Invention Convention and Neilah.
The next round of the Invention Convention curriculum begins later this month with our internal Invention Convention scheduled for February 21, 2023. Stay tuned to see our Think Together students’ newest round of inventions.