The kids were disappointed this garage sale find didn't work. However, it gave us a chance to take apart the Spy Gear video tank to see how it worked. Worth the $5 pricetag afterall!
My kids love to “fix” things, especially the 4-year-old. He knows where we keep the screwdriver in the kitchen and more than once he’s gotten into Dad’s tools. He’s even managed to take the training wheels off his bike after patiently trying every rachet combination in the tool case. We keep an eye on him, of course, but try to give him a little rein to satisfy his curiosity.
BRAIN BLAST – help your kids understand how things work by letting them “fix” broken toys. Practice good safety and most definitely keep an eye on the work. Here are some things they might work on:
Unscrewing the lid from the battery compartment
Take apart a broken remote control car (How Stuff Works has a great explanation of how RC toys work)
And, of course, taking the training wheels off their bike.
BKFK has announced the winner of its 2009 kid game invention contest. Click on the image to check out the winner and the four finalists.
Looks like they still need “active gaming ideas” for a related contest. Interesting theme – how kids can stay healthier by using video games. Can’t wait to read the entries on that one!
One of the more interesting architectural buildings at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Photo by KH-wiki-en
Bring the World’s Fair back to the United States!
Last night, the kids and I were reading about Alexander Graham Bell’s “Talking Machine” and its unveiling at the Centennial Exposition of 1876. In addition to the telephone, did you know that ketchup, root beer, the typewriter, the sewing machine, the calculator, the steam engine, and other great inventions were unveiled at that same Expo? What a showcase of ingenuity!
Yes, there are several World Expos in the planning stages all over the world. Although, it’s not getting a lot of press, I’m especially fond of the upcoming 2010 Shangi Expo – it boasts a high-speed, magnetic levitation train and other cool advancements. ExpoMuseum notes a few other events as does Wikipedia.
However, there don’t appear to be any plans – or even interest for that matter – for the United States to host such an exposition. That’s very sad.
If any country needs the intellectual, economic and psychological stimulus of an exposition, it’s the United States. Apparently, the bankruptcy of the 1984 Louisiana Exposition still stings, but that was 25 years ago. Surely, we’re ready to try again?
Think of the all the cool state-of-the-art technology that we could feature – robots, computer technologies, communications tools, interesting gadgets, etc. Of course, there would be a kid invention pavilion.
Let’s hope some of our city leaders see the value too.
The Bug Catcher Deluxe (left) and the start of another bug housing complex.
What has 18 legs and wiggles? A bug and two little boys, of course!
While other moms enjoy nosegays of sweet smelling flowers this time of year, springtime at our house doesn’t come in a vase. It comes in cups and jars.
These days, the invention of choice around here is the bug catcher. Many containers have served that function – plastic peanut butter jars, pop bottles, even an old makeup container. None have had the panache of the Bug Catcher Deluxe.
There was nothing modest about 4-year-old DaVinci’s construction plans. He insisted his “buggy-wuggies” needed more comfort than the average container. So he took a plastic milk bottle and:
Poured in a layer of glue for a spongy floor covering
On top of that went several large jingle bells for bedrooms
A straw led from this level to a comfortable sitting area of pompons
Sequins, small leaves and a piece of papertowel lined the kitchen.
Popsicle sticks allowed climbing and sliding.
And a layer of sugar beckoned occupants (ants, I think)
A cupcake liner and a small bit of screen covered the top.
BRAIN BLAST – Want to invent your own bug catcher or bug catcher house? You can use DaVinci’s idea or try one of these:
The Five Little Monkeys prepare to slide down a tightrope in a recent circus event.
Five little monkeys jumping on the bed – um, er scratch that. Five little monkeys walking down a tightrope taped to a board. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Is it a new “monkey” book by Eileen Christelow? Nope. It’s what happens when kids – my two – decide to feature the “Five Little Monkeys” in a circus.
Tightrope going from bookcase to board.
There were other attractions as well – Evel Monkey Knievel leaping over 30 Matchbox cars; Webkins somersaulting into a laundry basket; and a Yo-yo talent competition, featuring Einstein and DaVinci. It was quite the show.
Our own little circus, though, pales in comparison to the offerings by Circus Minimus, a New York extravaganza. They have a kids circus program, circus yoga and other cool stuff.
BRAIN BLAST – If you don’t have access to Circus Minimus, you can still create the Greatest Show on Earth yourself.
Tell jokes or practice goofy antics or routines.
Clear the living room for tumbling
Practice juggling (or yo-yo-ing)
Recruit the family dog to perform tricks.
And if you’re more of a “crafty” person, here are some of the fun kids circus activities featured by A-Z Kids Stuff.
As Swine flu spreads throughout the U.S., there’s a lot of focus on “prevention”.
Our preschool has imposed extra hand-washing. An elementary school sign asks visitors not to enter the building if they have flu-like symptoms. Everywhere, there are notices, warnings, tips and advice.
So, in honor of the swine flu, I dedicate this post to germ-prevention inventions.
First, there’s 4-year-old DaVinci and his “anti-germ sleeves” made from plastic newspaper bags. “The germs can’t get in so I won’t ever have to wash my hands,” he insists.
I don’t see the attraction myself, but my boys have always enjoyed the tumble of block towers, the cascade of dominoes and science experiments where things exploded. Thus, I knew they would like seeing our city’s first building implosion.
I was going to take them to actual implosion event. We drove past the site, a five story structure that was formerly part of Mercy Medical Center campus in Cedar Rapids, IA. Then I changed my mind, worried about them breathing in resulting dust cloud. So we watching a streaming video on the hospital’s web site (the above is from Gazetteonline). We then drove past the mountain of bricks and crumbled mortar. They were fascinated!
Implosions, explosions and dynamite threaded the conversations the whole weekend. “Can we blow up the house?” little DaVinci asked. “All we need is some dynamite.” Yeesh.
When they’re done imagining the house reduced to rubble, we might try this pop can implosion experiment by stevespanglerscience.com.
We also discussed how buildings are imploded. Howstuffworks.com has some good information and links.
When 4-year-old DaVinci insisted he wanted to build something out of wood, I was encouraging and supportive. “What about a birdhouse, a bird feeder or a tool box?” I asked.
I should’ve known that wasn’t what he had in mind. “No Mom, something bigger,” he insisted.
“OK….how about a bigger chunk of wood where you can hammer a few nails,” says I, thinking that we surely had something in the garage. But that wasn’t what he had in mind either. “No Mom. BIGGER. I want to build a house…a house inside our house.” Gulp.
Well, after as much preschool debate as I could handle, we finally settled on building some large “signs” for front yard. My husband took DaVinci to Home Depot where he got some pieces of scrap lumber. A few supervised pounds of the hammer and his signs where done. They’re in the garage….waiting for our Iowa tundra to thaw.
Maybe someone else has had a similar experience and wouldn’t mind sharing how they handled an exuberant builder. In the meantime, here’s the brain blast.
BRAIN BLAST- if you have a Bob the Builder in your family, here are some ways to nail that urge to build:
Shop for scrap lumber at lumber yards. We got some big pieces of scrap lumber for as little as 50 cents at Home Depot. You might also try stores that sell recycled building materials.
Create some easy projects – signs, a simple bird feeder or even a box.
Or you can buy small woodcraft kits or Google some easy projects.
When I make up bedtime stories for DaVinci and Einstein, they often involve traveling to an imaginary place. Sometimes it’s up a beanstalk and onto cloudy plateau where Pokemon roam and Dora and Boots need rescuing by Scooby Doo. At other times we might explore an ice cave that transports us to another planet, place or time. It’s a great way to poke the imagination!
Inventing a planet can be just as fun. I love the activities and short story found on this site by the British Council.
listen to a story about this cute little alien in the British Council's story about the Cold Planet./ Photo by British Council.
If you want to give it a try with your kids, answer the Brain Blast questions and draw a picture of your planet.
BRAIN BLAST- Let’s invent a planet!
Give your planet a name.
Where is it in the universe?
Describe it – what color, hot, cold, light, dark, big, small?
What’s it made of – pizza, cheese, rocks, gases?
Does it have moons or rings or anything special?
What’s on the planet – ice cream mountains, tall buildings, giant flowers?
Describe the people that live on the planet – how many eyes, legs, color of skin, etc.
I love helping my kids use their imagination, but sometimes they get a little carried away. Take DaVinci, for instance. My 4-year-old has been working on two inventions lately:
Automatic door opener – I found my green bathrobe tie hooked over the handle of the front door. “It only needs a wheel, Mom.” Not just any wheel, mind you. He marched down to the garage to get a wheel off our car. Big tantrum. We eventually compromised with a chair, me rolling my arms like a wheel (the things we do for our kids!) and the promise of an upside-down tricycle if he still wanted to try it later.
“A picture maker” – Hmmm. This one had an interesting setup. According to his drawing and a VERY elaborate and lengthy explanation, electricity (which he’s not allowed to touch) somehow flows into a piece of paper with 6 or 7 metal fasteners stuck in it. Extra electricity drips out into a plastic cup on the floor. At the other end of the “machine” a picture comes out. Fine idea until I caught him trying to plug his SmartCycle cords through the paper and into the electrical outlet. Yikes!
BRAIN BLAST– I don’t know how you other mothers-to-invention handle your over-zealous inventors (please share!), but my strategy is to compromise and redirect.
Draw it first - The kids like to haul all kinds of stuff out, leaving big – and sometimes dangerous – piles of creativity. To slow the piles of junk and help with cleanup later, I ask that they draw their invention first. THEN, haul out what they think they’ll need. It doesn’t always work, but we’re still trying.
![InventAGame_winner[1]](http://mothertoinvention.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/inventagame_winner1.jpg?w=300&h=179 "InventAGame_winner[1]")
BKFK
