Invention Convention

I pretty much have the best job ever...crazy busy most of the time...but so much fun! As the Enrichment Specialist at JJH, I get to work with students throughout the school, promoting creativity and higher order thinking skills! With my friend and colleague, Abby, I lead the implementation of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model which involves so many exciting enrichment opportunities for all students within our school (More to come about SEM in future posts).

Over the past few months, we have been working with some of our students on inventing. This was an exciting interdisciplinary unit that involved almost every subject area. Students kept inventor's notebooks and learned about creative thinking strategies like SCAMPER and synectics. They studied past inventors and researched inventions using Google Patents. Students created surveys to find out things that bugged people at JJH and used these ideas to decide on an invention they wanted to create. Students then designed and built their own invention. You should have seen the mess in our room and the science lab during those couple of weeks! The inventors then created advertisement posters for their inventions and powerpoints to describe their inventing process.

This week we have been having an Invention Convention in our school Media Center. Classes and parents have been visiting the convention to see the students' original work. Check out some of the students' cool inventions! I wanted to put pictures of all of their inventions, but it was taking FOREVER to download, so I'm just going to put a few.

Do you get hot in the summer? This portable AC is just what you need! You put ice inside, then turn on a fan to blow the cold air on you! It really works!








Girl Spray!!! This student was sick of girls chasing him and his friends on the playground. He created a stinky girl spray that will keep girls far away!

Do you hate it when your pencil slips out of your hand when you are trying to write fast? Try this fastwriter to keep your pencil gripped tight!

Does it bug you when people talk about you at the next table? Use this invention to listen to what people are saying about you and then tell them, "Stop talking about me!" :)

Ever wish you had an extra pair of hands? With this invention, you do!

What bugs you? What invention would you invent if you were a student at JJH? :)