B Corps We Love: Galileo Innovation Camps For Kids

By Cameron Crane

"Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things."~ Theodore Levitt

Most of us recognize that fostering creativity in children is an essential part of their development. We tell them to dream big; we ask them to challenge the limits; we remind them that all of the greatest leaders started out as children too. We want our children to be motivated and inspired so that they can be successful. But how often do we give them the opportunity to test their dreams now?

Little Pickle Press knows that it is never too early to turn your dreams into action. As Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, one of our most popular books, teaches us––practicing something and making mistakes is an essential part of stretching and growing our brains to full potential. Children are some of the greatest innovators out there, so why not give them the tools to turn their dreams into realities?

Galileo Innovation Camps for Kids is designed to do just that. Offering 38 different summer camp locations around the Bay Area for children in preschool to children in 8^th grade, Galileo’s curriculum provides “everything kids need to learn to envision and create a better world––the mindset, the knowledge, and the process.”

Image courtesy of http://www.galileo-camps.com/

Galileo’s mission is simple: to create a world of fearless innovators. “Each day, campers participate in a carefully integrated mix of art, science and outdoor activities, calibrated for their age group and presented via a whimsical week-long narrative arc. They learn game-changing lessons, like the innovator’s mindset, the power of collaboration and how to embrace rather than fear mistakes.”

What, you may ask, is this innovator’s mindset? Galileo asks children to approach the world with the following beliefs to fuel them:

I AM VISIONARY

•   I envision a better world

•   I imagine things that don’t exist yet

•   I believe it’s my place to turn ideas into reality

I AM COURAGEOUS

•   I freely share my creative thoughts

•   I stretch myself to try new things

•   I embrace challenges

I AM COLLABORATIVE

•   I value the unique perspectives of others

•   I build on the ideas of others

•   I use my strengths to support the work of others

I AM DETERMINED

•   I persevere until I achieve my goal

•   I recognize setbacks as opportunities to learn

•   I know that innovation and mastery require effort

I AM REFLECTIVE

•   I take time to think about what is and isn’t working in my design

•   I think about how my work impacts other people and the world

•   I seek feedback to improve myself and my work

As if their fearless mission and empowering curriculum weren’t enough, Galileo is also a fellow B Corporation, meaning that they hold themselves to higher social and environmental standards in everything they do.

If you are in the Bay Area, we personally recommend signing your children up for Camp Galileo (Pre-K to entering 5^th grade), or Galileo Summer Quest (5^th to 8^th grades). In fact, Rana DiOrio, our Chief Executive Pickle, has been sending her children to Galileo for years!

Thank you, Galileo, for all that you do and for helping to inspire the innovators of tomorrow.