Advice for Young Inventors

The second annual Inventor’s Challenge, with our partners at AT&T Aspire, kicked off last week! It’s a global call for kids to make something that solves a problem in their schools or communities. Winners will receive prizes in four age-specific categories: PreK to 2nd Grade, 3rd to 5th Grades, 6th to 8th Grades, and 9th to 12th Grades.

Register at www.inventorschallenge.org for the official Playbook and specific information about entering the contest.

To help get you started, here’s some great advice from a few Imagination Chapter leaders.

Start with Things that Bug You!

— Steve Auslander, Indianapolis, Indiana

“A great invention starts with thinking about what bugs you. Maybe something irks you about your desk at school or your bedroom. If something bugs you, it probably bothers others as well, so if you can solve a problem that affects you, you can help others, too!”

How Should You Treat Failure?

— Steve Sherman, Cape Town, South Africa

“While humans set out to create and invent useful tools, apps, gadgets, etc., it is highly likely that many will fail. Some will treat their failure as a sign to stop what they are doing. Some will modify and change their ideas until they make their ideas work and of course, some will hit the jackpot. While the end goal is a great reward, the process or journey is far more rewarding. The learning process, experimentation, prototyping, redesigning, collaborating, being creative, making discoveries…it all makes for a real adventure. What are you waiting for?”

Become a Mad Scientist!

— Kerstin Rao, Rhode Island, Connecticut

“I tell my students we are a ‘mad scientist laboratory’ in my Imagination Chapter. And I make sure I’ve got a wacky assortment of materials on hand. I ask families to send in odds and ends like paper towel tubes, plastic containers, fabric scraps. That said, we are ORGANIZED mad scientists — we keep sketches of our ideas, and our revisions, and our revisions again. The final tip I’d share is to circle up your students at least once a week so each person can share progress, describe obstacles, and receive interesting ideas.”

The Challenge culminates on February 24th, so there’s plenty of time. Get to it, at www.inventorschallenge.org. And don’t forget to share the fun using #inventorschallenge and #ATTimpact.

Happy Inventing!

— Team Imagination