Inventions thought up by kids turn into reality

Children can be incredibly creative and inventive. Did you know that the popsicle, ear muffs and the trampoline were invented by kids? Artist and inventor Dominic Wilcox traveled to his hometown in Sunderland, England and asked brilliant young minds to draw an invention. He then picked the best sketches and brought them to local manufacturers to turn their designs into real products.

"The aims of the project are to inspire and encourage children to believe in the power of their imagination, find some great ideas and create some wonderful objects. At the beginning of the project Dominic led 19 inventing workshops for children from age 4 to 12 that lasted 2 hours each. During the workshops he showed his own designs and inventions such as the Reverse Listening device and Cereal Serving Head Crane. He then asked the children to think of their own invention ideas and draw them down. The ideas could be crazy or useful and functional. Dominic asked the children to start by thinking about problems they have or a member of the family may have that they could solve with an invention."

Some of the ideas are so simple, yet you'll wonder why you didn't think of them. Below are my favorites:

[h/t: Creative Review]

Comments

A story about a duck who likes being different

The hilarious "Duckie Duck" by Kate Toms is one of my recommendations for kids learning to read. My son got this book from his aunt in Calgary a few years ago and since then has become one of his favorites. First of all, this is not your average duck tale. This is a story about a fowl who, candidly, seems to have missed the memo on duck protocol. Most ducks quack, but Duckie whistles. Others love to swim, but not him — Duckie likes boat rides. While other water birds fly, he enjoys floating inside a hot air balloon. The rhyming text and delightful hand-stitched illustrations make the book visually appealing to children. So, if you're looking for a book to teach your quirky little kids to read, "Duckie Duck" is just perfect.

The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.

Biking to School with Kids

I love biking to school with my children. It's a great way to start the day, and it's a lot of fun. Both of them have their own bicycles, meaning I'm basically herding two slightly erratic cyclists. My kids' two-wheelers are quite new and pretty decent. Mine is more like a rusty ten-speeder with a penchant for chain slippage. It's a cheap, rickety bike from China but it's my vehicle of choice for running errands, and honestly, it gets the job done. My youngest is still working on his steering. My eldest, on the other hand, is all about speed. She thinks she's in the Tour de France, so I'm constantly shouting, "Slow down!" Of course there are moments of near disaster. But you know what? Despite the mayhem, there's something undeniably satisfying about arriving at our destination, slightly out of breath, on our bikes. There are also moments of pure, unadulterated joy – like when we are pedaling along the street, the sun on our faces, the wind...

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