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Invent Idaho is the premier student invention program in the Northwest, having provided a forum for thousands of young inventors in grades one through eight since its inception in 1989. Invent Idaho is the only program in Idaho that celebrates student creativity and innovation, while teaching the inventive thinking process in an interdisciplinary curriculum. Young inventors participate in progressive levels of competitions, including three Regional events held across Idaho, culminating in an Invent Idaho State Finals event.
Not only does the Invent Idaho program teach higher order thinking skills, it addresses dozens of State Science Standards, as well as the number one Technology and Communication Standard, Creativity and Innovation: to demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and use information and communication technologies to develop innovative products and processes. Invent Idaho is poised to grow exponentially with the current emphasis in our schools on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. As stated in the 2011 State of the Union Address, “The first step in winning the future is encouraging American innovation”. This reflects a national demand for innovation—one that has grown in urgency in recent years. The Lincoln Center Imagination Summit boldly proclaimed, “The voices …call not only for innovation, but for creativity as well. Without these, it is felt, the United States simply cannot succeed in a 21st century world… America’s competitive edge depends now on bold,fresh ideas. The jolting discovery: …competing in today’s complex economy requires, more than any other single quality, creativity. This means being ready to overturn the status quo,coming up with original approaches, and making experimentation a habit.”
Find out more about Invent Idaho here