STEM Activity: Waking Up to Invention

Invent your way to the perfect morning routine!

Materials Needed

• Notebook
• Pencil

At-Home Instructions

1. In addition to brushing your teeth, consider some of your other morning tasks.
2. Think about some of the pesky challenges that might get in your way or opportunities to improve your morning routine.
   1. What if your bed made itself?
   2. Would you enjoy a hot, delicious breakfast that could be ready with just the push of a button?
   3. Would you like using a cereal bowl that played cartoons?
3. Consider the possibilities and then design an invention to make your morning a breeze!
4. Sketch your ideas in a notebook. Jot down notes about its design and how it works.
5. If you have made a working invention, try it out tomorrow morning and see if it jump-starts your day.

Educators: Use this activity in the classroom with these modifications!

Using a white board or chart paper, have children brainstorm inventions they come across in their morning routines. Then, have them generate tasks, challenges or wishes that could be addressed to make their mornings better. Encourage them to pick one of these challenges or ideas and design an invention, individually or in teams, to start their day with creativity and innovation!               

What are we learning?

In this STEM activity, students gain valuable hands-on experience using creative problem-solving skills to imagine improvements to their everyday lives. Every great invention first began as a seed of an idea, and for inventors of all ages, recording solutions on paper is a crucial step in the innovation process. Once on the page, students are then able to improve their design overtime by creating different prototypes of the same device.

Inspiration

National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductees Joseph Muhler and William Nebergall invented a cavity-preventing product using stannous fluoride that is still used today. Muhler researched more than 150 fluoride compounds before discovering that stannous fluoride was the best option for strengthening tooth enamel. In 1956, Crest® was introduced nationally and became the first toothpaste to be recognized by the American Dental Association as an effective decay-preventing agent. 

Looking for more STEM activities?

Discover more fun and educational science activities by visiting our blog or by visiting our Camp Invention® Facebook page!