COEUR d'ALENE - Borah Elementary School fourth-graders were intrigued, inspired and imaginative in Gizmo-Coeur d'Alene's workspace Friday, especially when Barbara and Marty Mueller brought out hydraulic robots made of Popsicle sticks and controlled by tubes and plastic syringes full of water.

"It's basically made out of everyday things," said Danyel Eskins, 9.

More than 40 students and several parent volunteers walked from Borah to the workspace to take part in the invention workshop. The tables were covered with white paper, serving as canvases for the young students who picked up pencils and colored markers to design their own makeshift hydraulic robots.

"Getting out of your normal environment and getting into a new place and seeing different things - I mean, the kids were fascinated to go through the wood shop and the metal shop and just see all the stuff that we do here at Gizmo," Marty said. "It gets them thinking about new things, not just desks and schoolwork."

A large part of the workshop included problem-solving and exploring new ways of completing tasks. The Muellers gave an introductory presentation when the students first arrived. They asked the kids what kinds of thinkers they were, in what ways they were willing to "shake up their brains" and if they were willing to try different routes and new things. They discussed the fundamentals of innovation, including brainstorming, writing down absurd ideas and accepting failure as a way of learning, rather than defeat.

"When nothing else works, wear lucky underwear," Barbara said to the giggling crowd. She explained how having personal rituals can assist an inventor on the road to discovery.

Arlyn McConnell, 9, said he thought the concept was pretty cool.

"You get to make stuff you come up with, like imaginations," he said.

He pointed to his tabletop robotic blueprints.

"My idea is actually right here," he said. "Mine has two arms and you push these two syringes and this goes and they try to hit into each other."

Fourth-grade teacher Michele Rutherford said the workshop went hand-in-hand with the commencement of an invention unit the students will be learning as they prepare for Borah's upcoming invention convention.

"Kids are just natural scientists, anyway," she said. "We don't play into that nearly enough."

The innovation exploration workshop was conducted with the support of University of Idaho-Coeur d'Alene.

"I think kids spend a lot of time being given information," Barbara said. "And I think there's so much information to be had by having a hands-on experience. Just think, if you can make those two come together and have that be what the experience really is. They have this information in school, now they have a place to practice and learn, so that's what this is about."

Gizmo is located at 806 N. Fourth St.

Info: www.gizmo-cda.org.