Last Thursday, Malad Elementary School held its first ever “Invention Convention,” replacing the Science Fair of the past with a chance for students to display their problem-solving ideas for the public.  This year, the 4th and 5th grade students both participated in the event, which was well attended by parents of both grades.  The inventions ranged from the mostly whimsical to the eminently practical.  “There were some of them that I told the kids, ‘that’s a great idea—you could actually sell that!’,” said Principal Sarah McIntyre.  

The idea behind the Invention Convention was to give students a way to apply a range of skills to problem-solving practical problems.  The inventions themselves involved a variety of engineering, science, and math problems.  The displays involved both written communication skills as well as illustrative art work.  The project as whole emphasizes the STEM curriculum (Science Technology Engineering and Math).  In addition to coming up with the ideas themselves, students also needed to go through the process of determining whether their ideas already existed, and adjust them accordingly to avoid intellectual infringement.  As parents milled about the second floor of the school building, the students were on hand to walk all those interested through the nature of their projects.

“It’s a Child Separator,” Evelynn Ward explained, pointing to a carboard trifold demonstrating how a cushioned divider could be used to keep ‘your brother and sister from bothering you’ on car rides.  “I thought of this idea when I was in the car in Hawaii.  My siblings were yelling at each other and being so annoying.  Also, I was in the car and spilled my food all over.  It was awful,” her written display explains.  The Child separator also includes a table to prevent such food disasters.  “I thought it would be a good idea,” Evelynn said.  And indeed, many of the inventions on display were good ideas designed with just those types of annoying real-world issues in mind.

Seth Huckaby’s “Magnetic Cup and Straw” was designed to overcome the frequent issue of spilling.  The cup rests atop a magnetic bar to prevent it from tipping over, and comes with an attached straw.  Rebecca Nolan Nelson invented a “Squeeze Brush,” a toothbrush which contains refillable toothpaste in the handle, so that she doesn’t have to look around for a tube of toothpaste or share one with messy people.  Wheeler Smith invented a “Magic Charger” that will charge by kinetic energy while inside your pocket, so that you can charge while walking around.  June Talbot’s “Kid Lock” uses the idea of Roman numerals as part of its lock system to keep kids out of things that people want them to stay out of, reasoning that most kids aren’t familiar with those numbers.  Halley Talbot’s “Staplasewer” uses the leverage of a stapler to initially thread a sewing needle into a fabric, rather than a standard thimble and thumb technique.  Jocelynn Purdum’s “Fish Feeder” is an adaptation of an automatic dog feeder, designed to dispense a preset amount of fish food for a scalable number of fish.

A lot of kids used basic engineering techniques to make existing devices more efficient.  Tyce Thomas’ “Reloading Bow,” for instance, uses a pulley system to automatically reload arrows for quicker firing.  Luke Schow developed the idea for a “Scrubby Sock” which is a body wash cloth which contains a bar of soap, allowing the user to scrub and soap in the same action.  Ava Fesler invented a mask equipped with headphones for a complete noise-cancelling experience. 

 A number of students proposed improvements to the standard pencil, including Bridger Barnes’ “Penpencil,” which combines the advantages of both implements.  A number of students suggested changes to pencils that make either erasing or sharpening easier in various ways, such as Grayson Thomas’ “Erase Pencil” which places an eraser on the same side as the tip.  Gage Steed literally “built a better mousetrap” (as the age old engineering saying goes).  His trap involvedsa Habitrail style network of baited tunnels that lead to a hungry cat.  Anna Chapman’s “Quick Clear Eraser” was essentially a squeeqy sized white board dry-eraser that could cover ground much faster than a standard dry eraser.     

Many of these modifications to existing products demonstrated an amazing amount of engineering sensibility and refinement.   Dane Williams, for instance, proposed a triple insulated diesel tank to allow for quicker engine startup on cold mornings.  Andrew Pickett invented “The Yeeter,” which allows individuals with difficulties throwing to beyond to toss objects using a helmet rig.

Others ventured more toward the creative side of problem solving and the quixotic side of invention.  Zacahary Briscoe invented an “M&M Cannon,” which would allow for the high powered propulsion of treats.  Riggin Montgomery proposed a sport called “Foobockey”  that involves skating on ice and throwing a football through a hoop.  Tayli Hachmeister invented “Kitty Wheels,” which allows apartment cats to play outside without the danger of becoming lost.  “I made this for him so he can go out and play.  He is a kitten and I love him and would never want him to get hurt,” she wrote.  KayDee Kim Daniels’ “Bracelet and Art Clean!” allows the user to randomize a selection of beads for use in creating art objects in new and surprising combinations.  Sebastian Lazenby invented a protective cardboard shell for protecting his RC cars against such external forces as sisters.  In addition to teaching the fundamentals of science and engineering, the Invention Convention allows students to stretch both their imaginative faculties along with their mechanical problem-solving skills.  

According to MES 5th grade teacher Cinniman Allen, “We [5th Grade teachers] learned about this project from the Istem Summer Institute offered through the Idaho STEM Action Center and Idaho State University that we went to last summer.  We invited the 4th grade to join with us and teach about science and STEM through an invention project.”  Over the last decade, STEM curricula have been a major focus in both primary and secondary education.  STEM instruction emphasizes the kind of mechanical and technical problem solving that dominates many emerging fields for research, industry, and exploration of integrated ideas about technology and science.  Describing the process, Allen explained that “All students had to come up with an invention idea, research patents to make sure it was original, create a model or detailed blueprint, and a presentation board to show their work.  They also had a detailed notebook that kept all notes, ideas, brainstorming, parentsearches, classwork and anything else pertaining to the project.”

The Invention Convention was a project long in the making, with students spending a lot of their spare in-class time brainstorming, fine-tuning, and workshopping ideas.  “We worked on this for a few months, preparing the students for the Invention Fair.  The students really bought into the project and worked very hard.  I loved that they would ask to work on the project and looked forward to it.  It was a huge success.  Now to prepare for next year!” Allen said.

Throughout the convention, the vast majority of students were excited to show off their work and talk about their projects.  There is no doubt that out of the scores of projects on display at the event, some of them have a real chance of becoming things we eventually take for granted!  And even if that isn’t the case, the level of creative engineering and marketing savvy of the students themselves speak very well for their future endeavors.