According to KidInventorsDay.com, January 17 was chosen because it is Benjamin Franklin's birthday. At age 12, he invented swim flippers, and of course went on to do so much more!
I wanted to share a few easy ways to celebrate this awesome holiday that will help encourage your kids to dream SO big and invent something new!
Read
To get those wheels spinning, head to the library and pick up a few books with your kids that will help them get inspired to invent! Here are a few new and old that will teach them about inventors that are just around their age!
- Ada Twist, Scientist. Ada is an incredibly curious kid whose isn't afraid of failed experiments. Also check out Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect!
- The Kid Who Invented The Popsicle. First of all, thank you, child, for this marvelous invention. I'll be picking this up on our next trip to the library because I am DYING to know how this happened!
- Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World. This one is aimed more at the grown-ups. It dives into the inventions that came from happy mistakes.
Watch
Check out the videos below together, and use them as a conversation tool to talk to your kids about what they might invent, or how they might have approached these inventions differently!
- Everyone's favorite dancer, Ellen, loves having kid inventors on her show. What an awesome way to encourage creativity and drive in our young ones.
- Here's a YouTube playlist of kid inventors who were brave enough to face the investors on Shark Tank!
- I've loved seeing President Obama interact with kid inventors at the White House Science Fair these past few years (never forget this marshmallow shooter). He started the Science Fair back in 2010 and held six total. Check out the site for some incredibly inspiring kids and teens! (image above courtesy WhiteHouse.gov)
Invent
It's time to get messy and start making some mistakes on your way to a big invention. Here are some kits that make a great starting point for young inventors, and can also be a great way to get everyone learning together:
- LittleBits Rule Your Room kit empowers your kids to transform everyday objects in their bedrooms into an interactive contraption.
- The Technology Will Save Us Mover Kit gets youngin's involved with coding and building their own toys. Once they've built their Mover, they can plug into the computer and discover a ton of activities. You can even build your own app!
- Jimu Robot Explorer Kit is an interactive robotic building block system that will really get the cogs turning in your kid's head. Once they build their creature, they can use the app to share what they made!
- And of course, LEGOs. Always, LEGOS.
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