Become an Inventor

What You Do:

1. Have your child research a number of African-American inventors and select an invention that he is excited about. The next thing for your child to do is think of a way to improve upon that invention in some way, whether it is making it easier to use, more readily accessible to the general population, more affordable, or more effective. Once your child has conjured up a new and improved product, he can go to work designing and building it.
2. For example, your child might pick Garrett Morgan, Sr. who invented the t-shaped traffic signal. How could your child make the modern day traffic light better? Perhaps the signals could have electronic voices and announce instructions as it changes colors, “Stop,” “Go,” and “Slow Down.” Or, perhaps the traffic lights could have built in systems that photograph and track license plates then automatically call the local police department whenever a car runs through a red light.
3. Once your child has come up with a way to improve upon the object, help him draw up a list of supplies required to build it. To build a traffic light, your child could use a large shoebox as the frame, colored cellophane for the lights, a flashlight to illuminate the lights from behind, tape recordings of your child’s voice saying “Stop,” “Go,” and “Slow Down” and of an automatic telephone speed dial sound to represent calling the police.
4. With all necessary supplies laid in front of him, ask your child to make a prototype of his invention. It may require more than one day to accomplish this, so be sure your child’s workstation is in an area that is out of the way of your normal activities.
5. Let your child’s imagination run wild. Who knows, you may have a talented inventor in your midst!