The Everyone’s an Inventor Challenge Course inspires learners in grades 2 to 8 to explore how observation, curiosity, creativity and persistence can transform everyday problems into amazing inventions.
In this Challenge Course students will:
The Everyone’s an Inventor Challenge Course features a series of scaffolded activities that students can complete at their own pace, including:
Students are guided step-by-step through the design thinking process as they identify challenges and create innovative solutions.
At the culmination of the Everyone’s an Inventor Challenge Course is a final design thinking challenge which invites learners to invent something brand new or take an existing invention and make it even better!
At the end of the Challenge, Makers Empire will award a 3D printer to the school that submits the best student invention from the challenge course.
July/August
Registrations open for elementary and middle schools (grades 2-8).
Instructions and resources emailed out.
End of August Beginning of School Year (Aug)
Challenge Course launches in the Makers Empire app.
September to December
Students complete Challenge Course.
December
Challenge Course closes and student designs are submitted.
The Challenge Course offers elementary and middle school teachers an engaging way to explore inventions and help students develop problem-solving skills, 3D design skills and STEM.
Teachers can register their class or student groups to participate.
This Challenge Course blends STEM, Art, ELA, Math, and SEL, aligning with NGSS, Common Core, CSTA, ISTE, and CASEL frameworks. Learners think like engineers, artists, and storytellers – using data, imagination, empathy, and persistence to transform real-world problems into creative, functional inventions that make a difference. Curriculum alignment is available in the teachers guide.
The Challenge has been designed for grades 2-8 students.
Yes, absolutely! We can set up a complimentary trial account for your school to participate in this challenge if you are not a Makers Empire customer.
Students can complete the Challenge Course any time during Aug to December, 2026.
Students access and complete the Challenge Course through the Makers Empire app.
The Everyone’s an Inventor Challenge Course is accessed through the Makers Empire App.
Other activity ideas will be provided via the teacher guide.
Selected designs will be exhibited in an online exhibition.
Certificates will be made available for participating students.
The learning resources provided within the Makers Empire 3D app to support students are videos, quizzes, design thinking tutorials and challenges. For the teachers a teacher guide, webinar(s) and weekly emails are provided.
The Challenge Course is expected to take 3-5 hours to complete. Extension activities provided could take a further 3-10 hours.
After registration, we will be preparing for the start of the challenge.
Schools will receive an email for setup instructions including downloading Makers Empire app.
You will then start receiving weekly emails once the challenge starts until the end of the challenge.
The main setup for schools is to ensure they have a Makers Empire setup for student and teacher use, setup teacher and student user accounts, have the Makers Empire app downloaded on student devices, ensure school network/internet can connect to Makers Empire.
We can setup student user accounts for you – just send us your school’s class list to info@makersempire.com and we’ll return student login for you.
Instructions for your schools IT can be found here: https://help.makersempire.com/en/articles/11790596-for-school-it-support-download-and-install-makers-empire-app
Ready to participate? Fill out the form below to get started with this Challenge.
