Invent It!

October 2007 Special Sections

As important as it is nurture a child’s scientific curiosity, helping them move to the next level—invention—is even more valuable. By creating something that has real-world use, they’ll flex skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

As Steve Jevning of Leonardo’s Basement sees it: “Being a problem solver means identifying a problem, doing a bit of research into what you’re interested in, building or making something, and testing it to see if it meets the goals you’ve set for yourself or someone else has set for you.”

The best way for parents to encourage innovation is to give kids plenty of opportunities to create. Make sure they have access to building materials—boxes, tubes, plastic, wood, duct tape, glue. Ask them to invent a method that would make their chores easier. Challenge them to re-create their favorite snack food.

Putting them in the driver’s seat not only promotes skill building, but also confidence and continued interested in science. “Giving kids a choice allows them to have a sense of ownership and motivates them to try different things,” Jevning says. “If they’re told they can’t do it or have to do it in a certain way, pretty soon they lose interest and enthusiasm.”

After they’ve invented something, ask questions that allow them to reflect on their project and delve into the “why” of science. Why did they choose the materials they did? What would happen if they used different or fewer items in the creation process? Who could use their invention? Why would someone want to use it?

Keep sending encouragement their way. “You want to give specific comments rather than general praise,” says Kirsten Ellenbogen of the Science Museum of Minnesota. “Say things like, ‘I like the way you finished that off with paint,’ or ‘I like the way you looped that around.’ The more you do that, the more kids are encouraged to keep going.”

Let them know it’s okay to make mistakes. “Kids are looking for the right answer and have a low tolerance for making mistakes,” says Rebecca Schatz of The Works. “In fact, making mistakes is where you learn the most.”

Trial and error, after all, is part of the lexicon of science. Sometimes the first or even the fiftieth attempt to invent something doesn’t lead to the desired or expected outcome. The inventors of WD-40 certainly didn’t discover the right formula on their first try; in fact, its very name is an acronym for “Water displacement perfected on the fortieth try.” The Wright Brothers collected data, improved upon glider models, and conducted many tests before flying the first controlled, powered aircraft in 1903. The first fully synthetic plastic came about after three years of failed experiments.

Some of the most memorable inventions have come from the most unexpected places—from people who weren’t afraid to try out something and see what happens. Take Lonnie Johnson, a mechanical and nuclear engineer and inventor who was tinkering with a new refrigerator heat pump that would use water instead of Freon. He attached the pump to his bathroom sink and watched it shoot a powerful blast of water across the room. Thus, the genesis of the Super Soaker, the weapon of choice for backyard warriors.

Let these success stories motivate your children. Because inventions, and even the mistakes that often accompany them, are the foundation for a great science education.