YWCA Minneapolis Explores Kid Inventors Day
Accidents Turned Inventions
We found that some inventions happened by accident, like when Frank Epperson at age 11 mixed soda powder and water in a cup, stirred it with a wooden spoon and left the drink outside on a cold winter night. When he saw it the next day it was frozen (and delicious) and thus “popsicles” were born.
Other notable child inventors include:
- Chester Greenwood, age 15, invented earmuffs
- Sarah Buckel, age 14, invented magnetic locker wallpaper
- Kelly Reinhart, age 6, invented the TPak to hold video games around your waist
- George Nissen, age 16, invented the trampoline
- Richie Stachowski, age 10, invented Water Talkies to communicate with people underwater
What Would YWCA Children Invent?
Our class talked about the importance of persistence. We looked at examples of inventions that did not immediately work, but through the persistence of the inventors a useful product was created. We found that children as well as adults have come up with inventions that are very helpful for us all.
The children in our class came up with some unique ideas for inventions:
- “A car that has a push button to make an arm come out and drive it back and forth.”
- “Glow in the dark lipstick.”
- “A machine that gathers acorns for squirrels.”
- “A bird feeder that when you hit a knob the seeds fall in.”
- “A glow in the dark bird’s nest so it can be seen at night.”
Creative Experiences and Exploration
In YWCA child care centers we offer creative experiences that encourage exploration – finger-paint, water colors, paper, glue and markers are just a few examples of items used. We provide enough time to explore, play, experiment and invent. For preschoolers, 70 minutes of uninterrupted time can give children enough time to create and build and pretend over and over again.