President Barack Obama recently issued a call for increased hands-on learning in U.S. schools in an address at the National Academy of Sciences. Obama concluded that the future of the United States depends on one's ability to encourage young people to "create, and build, and invent." In this article, the author discusses National Lab Day (NLD) which was established in response to the president's call to action. NLD is a grassroots effort in participatory citizenship designed to encourage young people to become makers of things. Its purpose is to inspire future innovators by pairing veteran scientists and engineers with classrooms to support hands-on projects.