Inspiration for Invention

Maybe you are doing Invention Convention or other programs or projects to get your students thinking out of the box? Inspiration for creative and innovative ideas is often what kids need to get started. Tell them about the English Physicist who has invented self-adjusting eyeglasses. He's inventor Joshua Silver and his glasses cost about $19. Ask your students to find out what a pair of glasses they get at the opticians might cost. Ask them how they think someone could create glasses that will work for just about everyone who is nearsighted or farsighted. Then have them learn what Joshua Silver did. They'll learn about how lenses work, and they'll see that Silver was clever enough to think of a new, low cost way to correct people's vision. His idea is powerful and yet simple to understand. Have your students brainstorm their own ideas about inventions—their own unique ideas—that might help others.