Learn about George Washington Carver's important contributions to agriculture by studying the sweet potato. First graders read about the inventor's observations and prepare sweet potato slips for the class garden. Additionally, they...

Students conduct research and present their findings in a persuasive manner. Then they work in groups to enhance the development of cooperative work skills. Students also present their findings through persuasive skills in writing and/or...

Middle schoolers discover how to determine the flavor of a jellybean using different key documents.  In this economics lesson, students discuss Virginia economics and begin an activity in which they will help decide on the what...

Learners investigate the contributions of African Americans throughout history. They research and identify accomplishments of various African American Scientists/Innovators in recognition of Black History Month.

Students apply the scientific method and create a practical invention. In this science activity, students design an original and practical invention and present the idea to the class. Class role plays the part of a CEO and vote on which...

Students explore inventions that have been created since the nineteenth century.

Students discover the life of Benjamin Franklin by studying his inventions.  In this biography lesson, students identify the inventions of Benjamin Franklin and their impact on society today.  Students create a commercial in an...

Students identify a problem that can be solved with a simple invention. They design an invention.

Students develop awareness of constraints. In the early grades, children may be inclined to go with their first idea with little testing. Therefore, students should be encouraged to reflect on the practicality of their designs. However,...

Sixth graders participate in various activities in which they must complete research. Individually, they draw a human heart and label each part along with its function. They use the internet to research an invention in Mesopotamia was...

Learners discover how flight is possible.  In this physics lesson, students investigate the properties of a blimp and gyro-copter, comparing rotating wings and fixed wings of aircraft.  Learners create their own model aircraft...

Young scholars create an airship that doesn't use fossil fuel. In this flying instructional activity, students research different types of flying machines that only use wind power. They discuss invention designs by Alexander Graham Bell...

Young scholars observe how bird flight and machine flight are similar. For this aerodynamics lesson, students observe how birds fly and the shapes of their wings, and investigate how observing birds helped develop the concept of machine...

Young scholars explore, examine, experiment and study the energy believed to exist in the vacuum of space called zero-point energy. They design and build a machine and then place their machines to test zero-pointed energy into a...

Students identify the plant parts and bee structures that are involved in pollination. They simulate pollination in a group activity and process the information.

Middle schoolers write a proposal for a speech. Students prepare appropriate visuals for use in the proposed speech. Middle schoolers produce one or more graphs that summarize the results from the experimentation. Students deliver an...

Fourth graders construct an invention to the best of their creative ability using the teacher provided resources. They identify four scientific processes during the experiment and log them on the teacher prepared ditto.

Students read about and identify patterns in the invention process. Students discuss and write about information learned from research. Students compile a list of problems, choose one, write a problem statement, and compile a list of at...

Young scholars explore the history of flight, specifically the Wright brothers. Pupils create paper airplanes. They discuss considerations in building an aircraft such as drag, thrust, and weight. Classmates compare the Wright...

Here you will find examples of inventions created by children. They submit their ideas along with drawings and plans. Many of these are made into real objects and posted for the inventors to see what they would look like in real life....

This article profiles a young woman named Ann Makosinski who has been hailed as a 'child prodigy' for her toy inventions that use renewable energy. She earlier invented, for example, a flashlight that is powered by heat from the hand and...

After discussing important flying inventions, students explore technological design by making paper airplanes.