Requirements:

2  x old / blank or available CDs or DVDs

2  x  earring wires (or earring clips)

2 x chain or string

Paint / Decorations / Stickers

What To Do

You may need dad’s or a handyman’s help with this one.  The idea is to turn a CD into earrings. It’s actually very simple to do, the hardest part is cutting a hole through the CD or DVD. The best way to do this is using a drill, so be sure to be very careful about this and have an experienced person cut the actual hole.

Then you need earring wires  and depending on how long you want to make the earring, you’ll need a chain or string to attach it to the CD. But before you actually attach anything to the CD or DVD, you’ll want to decorate the CD. Paint, permanent markets, stickers or any solid material can be used onto the CD (but don’t expect to ever use that CD again for ‘traditional’ purposes). Once you’ve done the decorations, attach the chain or string to the earring wire, and there you have it: CD Earrings!

Get some modeling clay from your local art dealers, or buy it online here. The exact instructions for the clay you buy will come with it, so what follows is a general approach.

Roll the clay out so that it’s nice and flat and smooth. Now carve and cut out a nice relatively large flat circle out from the clay (this will be the circumference of the bowl). Do this again for the second bowl – roll it out, carve a circle and cut again, and try to make sure that you keep it the same size. You can trace it from the first circle if you wish. Nice you have your two bases.

Next step is to build up the bases. To do this make nice long thick sausages out of the clay. These will get built up to become the sides of the bowls. Take the first sausage and place it around the outer edge of one of the circles. Make sure it’s stuck really tight and that there aren’t any air spaces. Now do this again with a second sausage, sticking it on top of the first one. After a few sausages, you’ve built up the bowl. Do the same for the second bowl.

Now you are going to want to stick the two bowls together. This is where the bright spark idea of having one object instead of two for pets to drink and eat out of. Using a nice thick piece of clay (you can determine the shape yourself – be creative and make sure it will look nice), stick the two bowls together.

Again make sure that everything is stuck properly and that there aren’t any holes (or the water could leak out!).

So now your kid’s invented his or her own doggy drink and food bowl. The clay will come with instructions on how to place it into the oven and solidify it. Be sure to help your kid out here or do it for them, as you don’t want anyone to get hurt.

So this invention idea is one that teaches kids about the environment by getting them to figure out ways to protect it.

Here are two approaches to get the kids started in the invention process:

Sustainable Energy

Sustainable energy is a very hot topic at the moment. There’s ample room for invention, and in fact inventive methods of sustainable energy are critical. Kids first need to understand that many of our current methods of harnessing electricity are in fact depleting the sources of that energy, such as our use and depletion of fossil fuels. Furthermore, the burning of substances like fossil fuels is very harmful to our environment. So what we need to try and figure out is how to harness electricity in ways that firstly do not deplete the sources of that energy, and secondly do not harm our environment.

To help kids get started on inventing new methods of sustainable energy, explain potential sources of energy: wind power, solar power,  or water power (hydro power). Then get them to think of ways to harness the energy inherent in those sources.

Energy efficiency

Another approach to inventing a greener future is for kids to think up ideas on how to be more energy efficient. How can they reduce their use of electricity at home? Or at school? How can they use less energy resources in the activities they perform? The scope here is enormous. Keep the kids’ immediate environment in mind here: this will keep them more focused on practical ideas that they can implement.

How could they go into the community, and help shopping centers, restaurants, shops, communities and clubs become more energy efficient?

So with the two approaches above, kids can get really creative in coming up with solutions. What is great is that if the solutions are practical, the kids can begin implementing them immediately. Imagine if every kid began to think in this way, they would surely be securing their own future.

It’s time for us to change our way of thinking about this subject. Let’s not wait for something to happen, but make it happen. Even better, let’s get the people who we’re doing this for, our kids, to help us make change. So the idea behind today’s kids invention idea is this: get kids to come up with novel inventions to improve their school. And then find ways to implement these inventions in their school.

Now the key here is simplicity and practicality. The ideas that the kids are going to come up with must be ones that they can themselves implement (maybe with a little help from the elders).

So get the kids to start brainstorming inventions that can improve their school. Perhaps it’s very down to earth stuff, like doors that squeak whenever someone opens the classroom. Maybe it’s more important stuff, like a system to get the litter off the playground. Whatever the size of the idea, it could help improve the school in some way.

Here’s some areas to think about as a starting point for the invention ideas:

The physical school building

We’re talking here about the building itself, and the maintenance and improvement thereof. Ideas here can relate to fixing things, painting walls, making the building look better in some way, etc. There are many, many ideas waiting here to be discovered.

The curriculum

I’m sure the kids will have a field day on this one. There’s certainly dozens aspects of the curriculum that can be improved, within the guidelines of the subject, the school or the local education authority. Maybe there’s a better way to teach how to solve a math problem, or a more fun way to learn Shakespeare. Or a better technique to memorize dates or facts. What’s great about thinking about invention ideas here is that the kids will be learning something for themselves in the process.

Behavior or discipline

This very much depends on the particular school, but there’s a lot of simple ideas here that can come forth from the kids themselves. And if they have their own ideas about improving behavior, they’re more likely to stick to them.

Recreational activities and sports

This should also be a very fun area for kids to think about. Recreational activities and sports give more meaning and wholeness to school activities. New ideas for recreation, outings, or sports will always be appreciated.

Food and health

With kids living on a lot of junk food, there’s ample opportunity here for change.

So the above ideas should be a starting point for the kids to begin their inventive journeys. The next step is actually implementing the ideas. It’s best for the kids to generate quite a few ideas, and the to select some of the best ones for implementation. Sometimes one kid’s invention may require a group effort, or require the abilities of someone else, or even fundraising. So that’s another opportunity to get really creative and resourceful.

Good luck!