Invention

All 2JK students are future inventors!!! It's amazing to see what these children had invented during their 4th Unit Of Inquiry(UOI) - Invention.

Some of the inventions by class 2JK: The 360 Tooth Brusher and The Sticker Chair are just a few brilliant examples...

The theme for this 4th UOI is Where We Are In Time And Place, and under this unit grade 2 students learned about inventions that have changed peoples' lives. Not only they learned about famous inventors such as Leonardo Da Vinci, the Wright brothers and Alexander Graham Bell and their inventions, they also learned about trivia inventions that sometimes we take for granted and never takes notice of. Do you know that women first invented liquid paper? Even the car rain wiper? And also chocolate chip cookies?

They learned how some inventions had changed the way people think and live forever or, that sometimes inventions did not really have an impact on peoples's lives, just make it a lot more fun. That sometimes, inventions can cause loss of lives.

They started their unit with a wonderful invention, a laptop, which was invented in 1981 by Adam Osborne. They worked in pairs and recorded their own news report about this invention. Later, they selected and researched their own favourite inventions and created a mind map of the inventions, where they list down its purpose and how it changed people think and live.

Then towards the end of the unit, they were busy thinking and making their very own inventions. Not only they had to make it, they also had to make news report informing people of their wonderful inventions and who should benefit from it. The inventions were then displayed for the parents and other grade 2 students to see.

It was truly amazing to see some of these inventions. For some reasons, Ms Kimura, the homeroom teacher had discouraged the students from inventing robots. Whereas, I noticed that students from other classes do invent robots such as Cleaning Robot, Robot That Entertains Kids, Robot Puffle, Homework Robot etc. Whatever her reasons, her class had come up with such interesting machines and gadgets with such creative names as well : Pooper Scooper, Sleep Thousand, The No Polluter 3000, The Raker 7800, Wake Up With Water Machine, Cavity Spotting Glass and so on.

How do you teach 7 and 8 year olds to create their own inventions?

First, they started by having brainstorming session : What problems do they or people around them have that they would like solved.

Then, they decide what to invent.

Once decided, the following elements have to be thought over and answered. What does the invention solve? How does it work? How will it change people think and live? Who will want to buy your invention? How much will it cost? Where can people buy it?

Then, they sketch a rough design, followed by the final design, complete with the materials needed.

And then, here comes the invention.........

Well, the final result may not look as impressive as the final design and definitely needs some improvements, but I guess it's the efforts behind it that's more important....