Imagine and invent
Mix-and-Match Creature
Pick two animals, mix them into one new creature, then give it a name, a home and a special skill.
Thinking sheet · Imagine and invent
Invent a Gadget
Spot an everyday problem, invent a gadget to fix it and explain how it works step by step.
- Grades
- 2–5
- Time
- about 30 minutes
- Topic
- Imagine and invent
- Kids practice
- problem solving, engineering design, explaining a process
What kids do
“Inventors start with a problem. What bugs you? Fix it!”
- The problem:
- Draw your gadget and label its parts
- How it works
- Name and price:
How to run it
- Brainstorm problems: lost socks, cold toast, tangled cords.
- Labels need arrows and what each part does.
- Pitch the gadgets in 30 seconds each, like a TV show.
Talk about it
- Who would buy your gadget?
- What could go wrong with it?
- Which real inventions started as a problem?
Take it further
Build a model of the gadget from recycled materials.
Pairs well with
Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.
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