Welcome to the Young Inventors’ Program!
This program is for YOU, the inventor! We are here to help you develop ideas, solve problems, build inventions, and present your projects. Along the way, you will meet other students just like you who are exploring science, technology, and engineering.
Take Risks
As you begin your journey, we encourage you to take positive risks. Ask questions. Be creative. Most important, do not be afraid to fail. Innovation is all about testing and re-testing and pushing boundaries to make the world a better place. No matter where your journey takes you, you will learn new things, challenge yourself, and ultimately be successful.
Before You Start: Let Us Know You’re Inventing
Please let us know that you are using the Young Inventors’ Program by signing up! Please get your parent/guardian’s permission to share your email address with us.
Why sign-up? By signing-up, we will send you more materials, tips, updates, and access to live STEMinars. You will also be invited to showcase your invention in our Independent Student Invention Fair in the spring.
YIP 2021-2022: Independent Student Inventing at Home
YES, you can invent with us! If you are a YIP alumni or your local community doesn’t host a YIP site, you can invent with us as an Independent Student. We formatted our YIP curriculum into 8 lessons that follow the steps of the invention process with guides, worksheets, and videos to help you explore. Resources include:
- Student Guides that walk you through the lesson plans
- Hands-on and off-screen activities to help you apply your learning to the real world
- Power Point Slides to complement lessons
- Worksheets to work through each step
- Videos to help you with each step
- YIP Inventors’ Journal: you can request a printed copy or use this PDF file to print your own or use the journal as a Word doc.
- Lesson 1: Understanding Design: Student Guide
- Lesson 1: Understanding Design: Lesson Slides
- Lesson 1 Worksheets
- Video: coming soon
- Lesson 2: Problem Solving: Student Guide
- Lesson 2: Problem Solving: Lesson Slides
- Lesson 2 Worksheets
- Lesson 2: Worksheet: Problems All Around Me: this worksheet is also in the Inventor’s Journal
- Lesson 2: Worksheet: The Crayon Holder
- Lesson 2: Worksheet: What’s Your Problem
- Video: coming soon
- Lesson 5: Research: Student Guide
- Lesson 5: Research: Lesson Slides
- Worksheets
- Video: coming soon
- Lesson 6: Intent to Invent: Student Guide
- Lesson 6: Intent to Invent: Lesson Slides
- Worksheets
- Lesson 6: Worksheet: Intent to Invent: this worksheet is also in the Inventor’s Journal
- Lesson 6: Worksheet: Partner Sharing
- Video: coming soon
- Lesson 7: Design, Build, Test Cycle: Student Guide
- Lesson 7: Design, Build, Test Cycle: Slides
- Worksheet: no worksheets for this lesson, rather use your Inventor’s Journal to document your design, build, test cycle
- Video: coming soon
More Resources
Click around our website to find tools, tips, resources, and events such as:
- Inventors’ Resources: from Inventor’s Journals to webinars
- Inventor Stories: learn about other students inventing just like you
- Competitions: how you can take your invention to local, regional, and national stages
Coming Soon
- STEMinars to meet inventors and other students who are inventing
- Digital display boards for student presentations
Inventor's Journals
Documenting your invention process is a required part of YIP. You can use your own log book, request a printed one the sign-up page, or download one of these Inventor’s Journal files
