Kids get creative for 'solutions' show
By Eric Swedlund
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
If inventions are practical fixes to vexing problems, then designing a solution for a flatulent sibling might just be a crowning achievement for a fourth-grader.
The inventive spirit of four classes of fourth-graders was on display Thursday at Manzanita Elementary School during the school's fifth annual Invention Convention.
Marcelles Ray invented the "Good Fart" as a remedy, he said, for his house full of brothers who "poison the air."
He got the idea when one brother — who was not identified in the project — cleared the room while the family was trying to watch a movie.
He sewed a pocket into the backside of a pair of tighty-whiteys and placed a fragrant dryer sheet in the pocket. He first tried a car air freshener, but he reported in his presentation that it hurt.
Like Marcelles, many students looked to their own homes for solutions, with many inventions focusing on pets and different types of organization.
Erika Cook, 10, thought up her "Buzzy PJs" as a way to solve the morning sleepiness she knows well.
"I just have a hard time waking up in the morning, so I thought I'd invent PJs with an alarm built in," she said. "With alarm clocks, you just have to push the button and go back to sleep, but this won't stop buzzing."
Erika ,has tested the invention — made from a digital alarm clock and two vibrating motors — and said it provides quite a jolt.
The inventions are tied into lessons on milestones in science and basic scientific inquiry and methods, and they help prepare students for science fair projects they'll do next year as fifth-graders, said Charles Lohr, a teacher at the school, 3000 E. Manzanita Ave.
Along the way, they're introduced to research practices and study famous inventors. Thomas Edison — with his light bulb and electric distribution system — is big among fourth-graders.
"They don't have to be grandiose ideas, just something that makes life easier," Lohr said. "Kids love projects. All the different things we have to do for benchmarks or AIMS we try to build into this."
The students are promoters in addition to inventors, showing off their work to groups of other students who visited throughout the morning. A number of students focused on sports, with inventions including "football basketball" and "soccer volleyball."
Owen Kahler was sitting around the pool when he got his idea for the "Hydro Walker." Owen started by wrapping snowshoes in flotation noodles and fixing them to long planks that act as skis, then attaching wooden keels to the bottom. The endeavor took two weeks, and walking on water requires great balance, but Owen said it's a ton of fun.
"If you're somebody who sits next to the pool every day thinking about superpowers that would allow you to walk on water, then you need Hydro Walkers," he wrote for his presentation.
Olivia Shaw created "The Shaw Organizer," designed to hold jewelry and clothes.
Using recycled materials, she put together an organizer with hangers for each day of the school week, plus spaces for earrings, bracelets and necklaces.
"I got the idea from just a regular school morning, when I woke up and had nothing to wear," said Olivia, 10.
Danielle Schomburger, 9, created "Kitti Fun Land," a three-room cat home and playland made from cardboard boxes and painted orange. It comes complete with a food dispenser, scratching post, bed and toys.
"I really like my cat, and he doesn't have a lot of toys to play with because they make a lot of noise," Danielle said.
"This keeps the noise in, and it's just like a mini-house with all the toys in it."
Invention Convention
● Contact reporter Eric Swedlund at 573-4115 or at eswedlund@azstarnet.com.
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