A voyage of discovery at Invent Idaho
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 7 years AGO
DEVIN WEEKS/Press Mullan Trail Elementary second-grader Alexa Martinez prepares her “Dog Poop Bot” invention display Friday evening during setup for the Invent Idaho North Idaho Regional Competition in the Silver Lake Mall. Nearly 240 area students entered 221 projects this year. The top seven winners will proceed to the state competition at the University of Idaho in Moscow on March 2 and 3.
John Brown Elementary School third-grader Dominick Tuskan explains how to play his “Bucketballz” game Friday during the setup of the annual Invent Idaho North Idaho Regional Competition in the Silver Lake Mall. Students submitted entries in five categories — working models, non-working models, adaptations, Jules Verne and gadgets and games. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
Seven students received top placement in their categories Sunday during the Invent Idaho North Idaho Regional awards ceremony in the Silver Lake Mall. They will proceed to the state competition at the University of Idaho March 2 and 3. From left: Alisha Davidson, grade seven/eight, North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, adaptations; Mya Donnell, grade three/four, Borah Elementary, working models; Parker Sterling, grade three/four, Garwood Elementary, non-working models; Lauren Stephens, grade five/six, Skyway Elementary, best of show grades five-eight; Haileigh Alban, grade five/six, Dalton Elemen…
More than 220 students entered nearly 240 projects for the Invent Idaho North Idaho Regional Competition, which was held in the Siver Lake Mall through the weekend. This invention, “The Thrower,” which is designed to return footballs when one person is throwing them, was one of many brilliant inventions entered. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
From the fantastical to the practical, a wide variety of inventions filled the Silver Lake Mall throughout the weekend for Invent Idaho. This “Tiny Trainer” adaptation device was designed to help prevent sports injuries. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
By DEVIN WEEKS
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — The imaginations of North Idaho students were on display throughout the weekend in the Silver Lake Mall.
From the fantastical and far-out to the practical and problem-solving, nearly 240 young inventors put their best brains forward and dreamed up more than 220 projects for the 29th annual Invent Idaho North Idaho Regional Competition.
"I just love when the kids come in and they’re so excited and they’re so careful. They put their projects out and they want to make sure they’re all perfect,” Tammy Cass, Invent Idaho North Idaho regional coordinator, said during registration and setup Friday evening. "My favorite thing is when they’re kid-done. I love the hand-done stuff, it’s my favorite and it melts my heart. I love the kids putting their spin on it."
John Brown Elementary third-grader Dominick Tuskan created a game for his first time participating in Invent Idaho. "Bucketballz" combines pingpong with a bucket goal scoring system.
“I just came up with it,” Dominick said. "When you don’t have new games to play, you can play this one for a new game and you can also change it up and play by yourself."
He designed the game with another purpose in mind — to keep kids active.
"It’s also to keep your brain flowing and not keeping kids watching TV and playing video games as much," he said.
"We're pretty proud of him," said his mom, Samantha Tuskan. "He loves to do things and invent things. He came up with a couple different ideas, but this one he was really excited to do because he loves to do games and he loves to stay busy."
Invent Idaho is a first-through-eighth-grade student invention convention with the tagline "Imagine! Ignite! Innovate!" Cass, whose three children participated for several years, said Invent Idaho is right in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lane and "sparks creativity."
"What happens, is, one kid may say, ‘Hey, I saw this invention about a different way to scoop ice cream, and that made me think about a different way to flip hamburgers,'" she said. "It sparks that creativity and the thought process. They’re not trying to steal ideas from other kids, but it inspires them if they just think, ‘Oh, I saw a game this year, next year I’ll do a game.'"
The five invention categories are: working models, non-working models, adaptations, games and gadgets and Jules Verne. The Verne category represents inventions that require science that is not yet possible, such as time travel.
The student inventions can have any number of purposes and applications: medicine, athletics, entertainment, environmental issues, academics and much more. The students document their scientific processes in journals and create exhibits to show how their inventions work. The exhibits include information about what their invention is meant to do, how it will accomplish its purpose and why it may be beneficial.
Alexa Martinez, a second-grader at Mullan Trail Elementary, created the "Dog Poop Bot" to find a different way to clean up after her family's canine companions.
"I made a robot that picks up dog poop for you. There’s an 'on' and 'off' switch that you push and this is the charging station,” she said, showcasing the accessory that accompanied her display. "It has a little vacuum to suck up the poop. There’s a sprayer at the end to clean the rest up so it doesn’t leave a mark."
“I’m proud of her," her mom, Kari Allen, said with a grin. "She thought of it all by herself because she hates picking up dog poop."
The Invent Idaho State Finals will take place at the University of Idaho March 2 and 3.
Info: www.inventidaho.com
