Innovation Station: Learning Through Invention
Hands-on learning can help students see themselves as problem-solvers.
For many K-6 students, especially those in rural, Title I, or under-resourced learning environments, access to engaging STEM and entrepreneurship education can be limited. Classrooms and after-school programs often face budget constraints, limited preparation time, high staff turnover, and few resources designed to make experiential learning easy to implement.
Innovation Station Kits were created to help close that gap.
Founded by Kelly Shea, Innovation Station Kits is an education venture delivering screen-free, standards-aligned maker kits that teach problem-solving, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking to K-6 students.
Through story-driven, tactile learning experiences, the kits are designed to help students build confidence, think critically, and begin seeing themselves as future inventors.
Making Invention Education More Accessible
Innovation Station Kits currently includes four kits: Understanding Problems, Creating Solutions, Let’s Invent, and Pitch Your Product.
Each kit guides students through a hands-on learning experience that introduces them to the process of identifying problems, designing solutions, inventing, and communicating their ideas.
The kits are designed to be plug-and-play for educators and facilitators, with materials, training options, behavior-management tools, and presentation resources included to reduce preparation time and make implementation more realistic for schools and programs with limited capacity.
A Founder Story Rooted in Education and Invention
Innovation Station began with Kelly’s own experience as an educator and inventor.
A former elementary education major and young inventor, Kelly saw how hands-on, kinesthetic learning could spark curiosity in ways that screens and worksheets often could not.
At 18, she taught herself how to 3D print and created her first product, DripLock, a stackable device designed to prevent pump-type bottles from spilling during travel. She went on to become a patent holder, complete a Kickstarter campaign, and win pitch competitions that helped support her business while she was in school.
During her final semester at the University of Central Florida, Kelly was interning as an educator at Nemours Children’s Hospital and began looking for a way to combine her passions for education, invention, and impact.
That search became the foundation for Innovation Station Kits.
Testing the Idea With Students
Kelly developed and tested early versions of the kits with local Girl Scout troops.
The response helped validate both the impact and appeal of the model. Students were deeply engaged by tactile challenges and story-based learning, showing how invention education could make problem-solving feel accessible, joyful, and relevant.
That early testing helped Kelly see the potential for Innovation Station Kits to reach students who may not otherwise have access to enriched, hands-on curriculum, particularly in rural and Title I schools.
In June 2025, she launched Innovation Station publicly with a clear goal: ignite young entrepreneurial minds through screen-free learning experiences that empower students to take ownership of their ideas.
Building a Model for Equitable Experiential Learning
Innovation Station Kits are addressing both a learning gap and an implementation gap.
Students need more access to creative, hands-on STEM and entrepreneurship learning. At the same time, schools and after-school programs need resources that are affordable, standards-aligned, easy to use, and realistic for educators to implement.
Innovation Station’s model combines hands-on invention challenges, story-driven lessons, educator support, and flexible distribution. Kits are designed for schools, districts, homeschooling families, and educational programs, with pricing and subsidy models under development to support different customer types.
What’s Next
Innovation Station Kits is focused on scaling regionally in Central Florida through pilots with rural and Title I schools.
The venture also plans to grow partnerships with organizations such as the Orlando Science Center and Boys & Girls Clubs to expand after-school reach and build parent-driven demand.
Looking ahead, Innovation Station aims to become a leading platform in invention education, rooted in research-backed learning outcomes and equity-driven design.
As the venture grows, expect to see new kits, new partnerships, and continued momentum around one core belief: hands-on learning is not just engaging, it is essential.
About the Author
Kelly Shea is the founder and CEO of Innovation Station Kits, an education venture creating hands-on invention kits that help K-6 students learn problem-solving, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking. A serial entrepreneur and founder of DripLock, Kelly taught herself 3D printing at 18 while studying elementary education at UCF and went on to develop her first patented product.
She has raised funds through crowdfunding, competed in pitch competitions, and was recognized by the Orlando Business Journal as one of its 25 Innovators Under 25 in 2023. Kelly also serves as Director of Special Events for the United Inventors Association and works with inventors through Earmark Sourcing. Through Innovation Station Kits, she is focused on empowering the next generation of innovators through education and creativity.
Website: innovationstationkits.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/innovationstationkits/
Company LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/innovation-station-kits
Personal LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-shea-183a7820a
Phone: (813) 541-8477
About Rally
Rally is a civic innovation platform that connects entrepreneurs, institutions, and community partners to test and strengthen solutions addressing real social and environmental challenges. Through workshops, accelerators, partnership opportunities, and ecosystem engagement, Rally helps move promising ideas toward real-world impact.
Learn more at www.rallysea.com.
