5th grade invention ideas?

[momz]

HELP! My daughter is very creative when it comes to music and creative writing. But she is not an inventor.

Her 5th grade has an assignment to come up with a new invention. Her idea was shot down by the teacher and now she has until tomorrow to come up with an alternate idea...no pressure there. She has written several musical compositions and poems, but this is not what the assignment entails...even though her compositions have won awards, they are not considered an "invention".

I don't have any ideas either. This is really stressing her out and consequently we are all at a loss of what to do.

I don't expect her to be like Da Vinci or anything, but would like to help her get through this project. Some kids are wired for this, my daughter isn't (neither am I)

Any suggestions?

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

HELP! My daughter is very creative when it comes to music and creative writing. But she is not an inventor.

Her 5th grade has an assignment to come up with a new invention. Her idea was shot down by the teacher and now she has until tomorrow to come up with an alternate idea...no pressure there. She has written several musical compositions and poems, but this is not what the assignment entails...even though her compositions have won awards, they are not considered an "invention".

I don't have any ideas either. This is really stressing her out and consequently we are all at a loss of what to do.

I don't expect her to be like Da Vinci or anything, but would like to help her get through this project. Some kids are wired for this, my daughter isn't (neither am I)

Any suggestions?

Why don't you look at her strengths? How about inventing a new musical instrument?

 

[Cindy B]

How about a computer program or app that has to do with her instrument?
Maybe a learn your notes or chords sequence?
Maybe a kid game that shows you how to recognize the music notes?
Or a recording devices that lets the composer/player listen to playback?

Or you can always do a hybrid instrument

 

[mjkacmom]

When my ds13 was younger, he came up with a "great" idea - "mom, how about a pouch with a zipper, kind of like a purse, but on a belt, that you wear around your waist!" Yep, reinvented the fanny pack. He had to find something else.

Dd10 came up with the idea of thin rubber forms, that you wear over your shoes in the rain. Yep, reinvented golashes.

 

[momz]

unfortunately, the musical instrument was shot down. It was a "can-jo"...it's been done before I guess. It's an empty soup can attached to a long wooden stick with a couple of guitar strings strung up on it.

Teacher shot it down.

 

[fimac]

These were done by 5/6 for an inventors fair.
Sandel that you velro bits onto to turn it into a shoe.
robotic fish feeder
short sleeved shirt which you can zip on long sleeves
socks that can be velcroed together in wash
attachment to seat belt which dispenses candy to child when they belt up
adapting camelbac to run tubes round body to cool you in summer

There was more velcro clothes together to make different clothes

 

[tchrrx]

Does she actually have to create the invention, or does she just have to write/tell about it?

 

[Schmeck]

A quick 'invention' for the desperate:

Toilet paper tube cut to the length of a crayon minus a half inch or so.

Stuff the tube with crayons, so jam-packed that they don't fall out.

Select one crayon to push down at a time to color with.



Or cut straws to fit around broken crayons, so you can keep using them when they snap in the middle.

 

[JenInVirginia]

Saw this at our elementary school's 'Invention Convention' a few years ago:

Take 2 Swiffer Duster cloths. Use rubber bands or something to attach them to your shoes, and you have a new method of cleaning your floors!

Also, for your home mailbox, an attachment that would have the mail drop/slide down to a lower box so young (short) kids could retrieve the mail.

My son's invention was "washing tongs" - take a pair of kitchen tongs, attach sponges to the insides, and now you can wash both sides of a plate at the same time!

 

[momz]

Does she actually have to create the invention, or does she just have to write/tell about it?

Yup. She has to make it. I don't want to have to spend a whole lot of $$ on it.

Keep the ideas coming. It's helping us brainstorm.

At home, we've come up with the following ideas:

An organizer for all the cords behind and under the computer desk and TV.

A toilet seat night light (got that idea by doing a google search).

 

[tweedlemom]

I always joked that I wish someone would invent magnetic socks that could pair themselves up in the dryer! Maybe she could work with that?

 

[englishteacha]

Is this for science class? What are the requirements for the project? Does it have to be an invention or can she do an experiment as an alternative?

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Ask her what her 5 biggest problems in life are and have her solve them. Example: On home improvement (ok tv is a bad example but) tim was mad about jill awalys yelling at him to put down the seat, so he invented a device that would put the seat down.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I had to do something like that in 4th grade. We had to draw our invention and describe it in class.

I don't remember mine, but I do remember one girl had a flat box drawn. It was a retractible swingset for people with small yards. You pushed a button and the swingset unfolded in the yard. When you got finished playing, you pushed the button again and the swingset fold up flat in the box in the back of the yard, leaving most of the yard open for other things. She said ideally, the next thing would be a fold up barbeque and picnic set and then a fold up swimming pool. . .

It was such a neat idea, it really captured my imagination!

 

[Luv2Scrap]

Do you have a dog or cat? Can she invent something that would make it more useful around the house or yard? Or something useful for the pet, perhaps?

 

[IDoDis]

My DS made a light-up camping fork one year. I have the pictures of him putting it together, but not the directions. It looks like he had wire to make a circuit that lit up a small light bulb. Tthe small light bulb (think Christmas tree size) was taped to a fork along with the wire circuit and a clothes pin. When he pushed on the clothespin, it completed the circuit and the light bulb came on, allowing the "camper" to see him/her scoop the food out of the bowl, onto the fork (in the dark) and into the mouth. It was pretty cool and easy to make.

 

[momz]

Thanks for all the ideas. We're going with the magnetic socks concept, to keep the pairs together in the wash...no more sorting socks.

After having the can-jo shot down, I'm concerned about the teacher's response.

Get this, the neighbor's kid proposed using a balloon to deliver a note from the top of the stairs to his sister in the computer room downstairs. This idea was accepted... I'm really frustrated by that, because I'm not seeing how a balloon is a "new" invention, but a canjo is not.

I'm not enjoying this project...neither is my daughter.

 

[JKMJ441724]

My daughter was assigned this project last week, too. Do you live in Tennessee? Her idea is due tomorrow. We've come up with a lot of ideas, but she actually has to MAKE her idea. That's where we are hitting our roadblock - either too expensive, or big, or something we don't actually know HOW to make.

Thanks for the thread, and the ideas.

 

[shoney]

2 years ago, when my ds was in 4th grade ,they introduced the "invention" option for the science fair.

He came up with a portable lunch heater.

He used to get grossed out by lunchables (pizza and things that were supposed to be hot) He couldn't understand how kids could take them for lunch. (keep in mind this kid won't take lunch, though..only buy)

He made a portable heater using those hand warmers as the heat source. Did it work? No, but he had to prove it with trials:
1. 1 hand warmer
2. 2 hand warmers
3 3 hand warmers

then repeated with letting them warm the oven for 30 minutes and than redoing it.

the warmer was a a shoebox lined with tin foil.

We used a meat thermometer to measure the temp before and after. I think the best one raised the temp 10 degrees.

He won a ribbon!!!!

The 1st place winner was a kid that made a large instrument mover. He doctored up a small hand truck. the kid used it for his instrument all year!!! good thinking!!!!

 

[LongLiveDisney]

Thanks for all the ideas. We're going with the magnetic socks concept, to keep the pairs together in the wash...no more sorting socks.

After having the can-jo shot down, I'm concerned about the teacher's response.

Get this, the neighbor's kid proposed using a balloon to deliver a note from the top of the stairs to his sister in the computer room downstairs. This idea was accepted... I'm really frustrated by that, because I'm not seeing how a balloon is a "new" invention, but a canjo is not.

I'm not enjoying this project...neither is my daughter.

That teacher sure doesn't sound very nice. I'm sure your DD's project will come out beautifully.