PS55Q Students Think Like an Inventor
Think Like an Inventor Afterschool Program at PS55Q
We had the honor of joining students at PS55Q magnet school in Queens, New York and running a series of Think Like an Inventor afterschool program with them. Inventors see a problem in the world, believe that they can do something about it, and engage in building solutions for the problems they care about. They master the art of user-centered design thinking: they empathize with their “user”, define the problem, ideate solutions, prototype, test, and go through this cycle again and again until they find a solution that’s effective and can make a change!
How could you help a second or a fifth grader to think like an inventor? Check out how we did it for students at PS55Q magnet school.
Kids are capable to engage in conversations about real world problems
We are on a mission to help kids believe in themselves as changemakers - as active citizens who can build the world they want to live in. The first step is to help them make sense of the problems in their communities and beyond, and invite them to learn about known facts and the unknowns we need to discover. Through our Think Like an Inventor program, we discuss all sorts of serious and not so serious problems, some affecting humans, others affecting animals, nature, or our whole ecosystem! Here are some of the problems PS55Q students worked on solving:
Invention for the sake of invention! We kickstarted the series by making a "Useless" invention to help us brush our teeth for the fun of it! We were inspired by Simone Giertz, and engaged in the act of inventing just for the sake of inventing!
Pets are bored! In our second session, we focused on a fun problem, and that was our pet’s boredom!
Single-use plastics are ruining our lives! In our third session, we looked into how plastics hurt our communities and affect all of us, in particular those who live by landfills or waste disposal centers like people in the South Bronx in New York City. Watch this prompt to learn more about this real problem in our city.
Animals in human cities are in trouble: In our fourth session, we focused on animals and challenged ourselves to design an invention to help an animal thrive in human cities! For example, how could we save an isolated population of mountain lions living in Los Angeles from extinction?
Sustainable energy: In our fifth session, we invented a solution for 1.3 billion people that are living in the dark! Nearly 25 percent of the population of all developing countries have no electricity, and so we asked ourselves how we can bring energy to their lives in a sustainable way
Change the world one business at a time! In our sixth and final session, we invited our participants to focus on a problem THEY care about. We were inspired by entrepreneur Alina and her business of sugarless candies.
Kids rarely get to work on their OWN ideas. Give them the chance to come up with their own solutions, and help them to break things down and get into prototyping!
Being aware of problems in our world is the first step in making a change. Next, it’s very important to cultivate our kids’ creative confidence and help them to believe their ideas are worthy of sharing and building upon. When was the last time you truly asked a child their opinion of possible solutions for a problem in their society? And if you have asked them, did you pause, listen, express your gratitude for sharing, and give them real feedback? Not the typical adult’s feedback: “I like that but I don’t think we can do it,” “Here are 100,000 reasons why it wouldn't work and instead let's try this other thing that I think we should do,” “Stop being silly, we’re doing serious work here,” or pretending that you agree with them but proceeding with your own plans? We are all guilty of dismissing kids' ideas because most often they are big, bold, out of the box, and even hard to understand - but I promise you if you actually give their ideas a chance, you’ll be surprised what an amazing learning experience you create for everyone involved, kids and adults who work with them.”
Curious what solutions GIANT kids came up with? Check out photos of their prototypes:
Making a "Useless" invention to help us brush our teeth
A toy for our pets
Eco-friendly packaging to reduce single-use plastic waste
Inventions to help an animal thrive in human cities
Bringing light to the 1.3 billion that are living in the dark!
Starting our own business as an entrepreneur
Kids love to learn when they can put their learning into use!
Our students became aware of real problems in the world that are affecting their city, people who live in other parts of the world, animals, and our planet! They engaged in ideating solutions, and made prototypes of their solutions, and while building their prototypes, they practiced working with different types of tools and used science and math throughout the process.
We learned about simple machines as we made useless inventions to help us brush our teeth
We learned about the science behind pendulums as we built toys for our cats, and incorporated electronics, sensors, inputs and outputs in our projects using littleBits building blocks.
We learned about mycelium as we explored ways to make biodegradable packaging to reduce waste in our communities.
We learned about solar panels as we looked into ways to harness the power of the sun and bring electricity to people who live in the dark.
We learned public speaking skills as we pitched our business ideas!
Our world will be a much better place if we all think like inventors, being aware of problems in our community and in the world, empathize with others, see the opportunities to make things better, and have the confidence to actually make a change. We believe in GIANT kids and in the future they are planning to build.
If you are an educator or a PTA representative and are interested in bringing GIANT programs to your school, whether as an afterschool program, summer camp, during school hours as part of an elective or core subject curriculum, or as a community engagement program, please reach out to us by emailing demand@thegiantroom.com.
If you are a parent and are interested in your child being part of our programs, check out our afterschool and summer programs! You can also become a member and receive daily creative prompts and join our online workshops and clubs free of charge as part of your membership! Currently offering one month of free trial!