The potential of fourth-graders to solve some of the world's most nagging problems was on full display at Manzanita Elementary on Tuesday.
Perhaps all that fumbling with golf tees, ball markers, sunscreen and divot fixers is cramping your golf game? If you don't mind wearing a cap with velcro to hold those items in place, 10-year-old Matthew Amado insists his caddie hat will cut scores as your frustration levels subside. (Come on. It's not like "golf" and "style" are two words that naturally go together anyway.)
And what kid doesn't think play trumps chores? Consider the "Cleaning Mobile" — a remote-controlled car decked out with sponges and dusters that Julian Baliani promises will make cleaning fun. OK, so the 10-year-old admits his peers probably still won't volunteer for scrubbing duty, but he figures they'll be less likely to put up a royal fuss.
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Can't stand the downtime required for too-hot soup? Evan Willmarth says a copper coil with a plastic tube found in his dad's junk bin will cool a hot fluid from 200 degrees to 97 degrees in just two minutes. "This way, I don't have to blow on it," he said.
In all, the harnessed brainpower of 75 students was on full display.
Each project had to be field-tested. And it had to solve a real-world problem, which students often identified through interviews with their elders.
Sofia Archipov's mother was concerned that their hefty cat, Cooper, was stealing all of the food belonging to his scrawnier fellow feline, Katy. A food hut with adjustable doors means King Kong-kitty has to lose a little weight before he can get seconds.
Samantha Jorgensen has a kitchen drawer in her house that complains fiercely every time someone wants it to give up a spice jar. She created the culinary equivalent of a tool belt, to keep important ingredients handy.
Taylor Manson's grandmother didn't have the strength to swing a hammer and obliterate an old hard drive with sensitive information in it. So Taylor consulted with her father and ended up creating a hard-drive crusher using a metal plate and a car jack. "I never thought I'd actually invent something," she said, surrounded by a throng of young admirers intrigued by new modes of destruction.
Taylor's mother, 42-year-old composer Kim Braun, said the fair was far better than the science fairs she remembers of old.
"There are only so many volcanoes you can see," she said, adding she was impressed by the ingenuity of the students. "The inventions are very creative, but at the same time, there's a practical application for them."
Sometimes, the inventions came out of personal experience.
Eliza Pew is working on eradicating high-waters, a common sight with kids at her age sprouting so quickly. Some pretty ribbon and a glue gun ("Some moms don't know how to sew," she notes) and — voila — a "pants extender." She already sold one to a friend for $2.75 — a pretty good savings, she figured, when you consider the cost of clothing.
She's still working out the version for boys, who are generally reluctant to walk around wearing ribbon. She's thinking strips of plaid might work.
Teacher Donna Hollm, who has run the invention fair for 10 years, said it's a chance to push students and to work on a variety of skills, from reading and writing, to research protocol and ethics.
She's not necessarily expecting the inventions to end up in the patent office, although Matthew hopes to hawk his caddie cap at golf tournaments next year. "If they walk away with the ability to at least think about solving problems they might encounter in the future, then they'll have a box of tools to start with," she said.
