Invention

[] Each of the play zones – environment, entertainment, design, investigation, space, and sports – at this young inventor’s paradise features links to online activities that explore those topics. Open calls for inventions, a gallery of peer ideas, and events calendar, and a message board give the site a community feel.

[] Explore the Lemelson Center for a look at the study of invention and innovation. This site opens with an invention and its story. One option is the flexible straw! Online exhibits, pod cast, audio and video resources, and shortcuts to indexes for students and teachers are easily found on the home page. One online exhibit, “Doodles, Drafts, and Design,” showcases a number of primary sources housed at the Smithsonian. This allows students to examine at their leisure the detail of the designs for the automatic stopping value used on gas station pump hoes and a wide range of other inventions. Ties with history make this a perfect tool for sparking student imaginations and learning about specific time periods.