The Power of Repetition: What We’re Learning as the Inventivity Movement Gains Steam

A few weeks ago, a 10-year-old girl walked into our latest Inventivity Workshop in Downtown Alachua, Florida. She was incredibly shy. So shy that she almost didn't want to participate. But our Cade Educators welcomed her, made her feel comfortable, and encouraged her to give it a try. Soon, she was working with another child, experimenting and learning about Newton's laws of motion. By the end of the 90-minute experience, she was smiling, high-fiving her teammate, and talking about how much fun she'd had. 

Moments like that are why we started the Inventivity Movement. And we're learning something important about how we create more of them. 

Repetition Creates Momentum 

When we first began taking Inventivity Workshops beyond the Cade Museum, we were experimenting.  

Would kids show up? Would communities embrace the experience? Could we create the same impact outside the museum? How would we find funding to support these workshops? 

So far this year, we've held five Inventivity Workshops serving 81 kids. By the end of 2026, we'll have launched five Inventivity Communities: Alachua, Newberry, Jacksonville-Ponte Vedra, Chiefland, and Orlando-Pine Hills. Even more encouraging, communities are beginning to approach us about bringing Inventivity to them. 

Our recent workshop showed us why repetition is so important. It was our fourth workshop in the community, and for the first time, we reached our maximum registration capacity of 25 kids! 

Families became more familiar with Cade. Community relationships got stronger. Our Cade Educators continued refining program delivery. And our team learned how to better market, schedule, and operate each workshop. 

We're discovering that repetition creates momentum. Invention works much the same way. Inventors experiment, learn, adjust, and try again. 

Bringing Inventivity Into Communities 

Another story from Alachua stayed with me. 

A mother and daughter drove nearly an hour from Ocala so her daughter could attend our Inventivity workshop. While her daughter attended the workshop with the rest of the kids, the mother visited the local farmers market, stopped at a coffee shop, and enjoyed reading a book on a bench in downtown Alachua. It was a small example of what can happen when we bring experiences directly into communities. 

We're also getting much clearer about what makes an Inventivity Community work. Cade needs four things: a community champion, a reliable venue, funding support, and community awareness to drive attendance. 

Cade brings the invention-themed experiences, curriculum, Cade Educators, and operational support. Local partners help provide relationships, venues, awareness, and funding that make a sustained presence possible. 

The Museum Has Become Our Training Ground 

Growth is also changing how we think about the Cade Museum. 

Earlier this year, one of our Cade Educators transitioned from primarily museum and local outreach work to focusing on Inventivity Communities. Two more Cade Educators are developing behind her as we prepare for continued community demand. The Cade Museum is becoming the training ground for Cade Educators who can take Inventivity beyond Gainesville. 

We're doing the same with our curriculum. Cade has designed and tested over 200 invention-themed activities, built upon our Inventivity Framework. To date, 20% of these invention-themed activities have now been adapted for use outside the museum, powering our Inventivity Workshop series.  

Creators, Not Just Consumers 

As technology reshapes our world, kids need curiosity, courage, resilience, and humility to solve problems and adapt. We want them to become creators, not just consumers. 

Parents tell us they want opportunities for their kids to learn, have fun, and build confidence. The Inventivity Movement brings those experiences into more communities, with a focus on rural towns where families often have fewer options. 

We expect to reach five Inventivity Communities by the end of this year and at least 10 a year from now. As we grow, I keep thinking about that 10-year-old girl in Alachua. She arrived unsure about participating. Ninety minutes later, she was smiling and high-fiving her teammate. 

That’s the impact we’re repeating, over and over again.  

Brad Gamble, CEO 

Cade