Inventionland Course and Contest Leads to Product License for Middle School Students

Two eighth-grade students in the Grove City (PA) Middle School have garnered a product license for their invention following completion of Inventionland’s K–12 Innovation Curriculum course and winning both their middle school and regional contests. The course, which Inventionland describes as a “cross-discipline STEAM toolbox,” uses the same proprietary nine-step invention process the company follows in its own commercial applications.

The Innovation Curriculum is divided into elementary, middle, and high school sections, with age-appropriate activities for various grades. Students work in teams to develop a new product. Upon completion, teams can enter their inventions in local, regional, and national contests. Inventionland also helps schools to design and reconfigure classrooms and underutilized spaces into “innovation labs” that facilitate immersive learning.

In Inventionland’s nine-step process, steps 1 to 3 focus on discovering a problem and inventing ideas to solve it using STEAM skills. In steps 4 to 6, students sketch and create concept models of their invention. In steps 7 to 9, they make a working model, create packaging, and develop a marketing presentation.

They are then ready to enter their inventions in contests, starting at the local level, with winners moving on to regional and national levels, as the Grove City students did. Inventionland’s founder, George Davison, impressed with the two girls’ invention, contacted a product distribution company, who offered a licensing agreement.

Visit this page for more background on Inventionland’s history and its education curriculum. See a video about how Grove City Middle School implements the Innovation Curriculum.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • stylized illustration of a desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone all displaying an orange AI icon

    Survey: AI Shifting from Cloud to PCs

    A recent Intel-commissioned report identifies a significant shift in AI adoption, moving away from the cloud and closer to the user. Businesses are increasingly turning to the specialized hardware of AI PCs, the survey found, recognizing their potential not just for productivity gains, but for revolutionizing IT efficiency, fortifying data security, and delivering a compelling return on investment by bringing AI capabilities directly to the edge.

  • teenager’s study desk with a laptop displaying an AI symbol, surrounded by books, headphones, a notebook, and a cup of colorful pencils

    Student AI Use on the Rise, Survey Finds

    Ninety-three percent of students across the United States have used AI at least once or twice for school-related purposes, according to the latest AI in Education report from Microsoft.

  • laptop displaying a glowing digital brain and data charts sits on a metal shelf in a well-lit server room with organized network cables and active servers

    Cisco Unveils AI-First Approach to IT Operations

    At its recent Cisco Live 2025 event, Cisco introduced AgenticOps, a transformative approach to IT operations that integrates advanced AI capabilities to enhance efficiency and collaboration across network, security, and application domains.

  • charts and graphs over a softly blurred academic-style background

    New Jersey School District Taps Otus, Discovery Education for Data Insights

    West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District in Central New Jersey has partnered with assessment and data platform Otus and ed tech company Discovery Education to better utilize data to support student achievement.