Thirty students from Chagrin Falls Intermediate School have been attending the after-school program, Invention Convention, since the start of the 2022-23 school year. The purpose of this program is to practice the 7 steps of the inventing process to solve real world problems.
“Every time we meet, we dig a little deeper into the different steps Inventors go through to identify a problem and creative ways to solve that problem,” said Fifth-Grade Math/Science/Social Studies Teacher and Advisor Shannon Geiger. “Each student/or partner group identified a problem in our world that they would like to create an invention for in order to solve the problem.”
On March 15, students participated in an Invention Convention Showcase. Students created a tri-fold poster board with information about the problem, solution, research/background, steps they took, materials, and more. In addition, they had to create a model or prototype of their actual invention. Lastly, students had to present their invention and answer questions to a group of judges, parents, and other adults during the showcase. “From this event, we are hoping to send students on to regionals which will consist of virtual judging,” said Geiger.
“From there, our winning students will be entered into the Honda State Finals with the award ceremony taking place at Ohio University in July,” said fifth-Grade English Language Arts Teacher and Advisor Alexandra Klusmann.
Some of the research titles included “Automatic Snow Melter,” “Fish Feeder Frenzy,” “P E T ometer,” “EX Clean Sharpener,” “Insta-Maple,” “Farmer’s Friend,” “The Jewel Press,” “the Side Window Washer,” and “Kicker Sticker.”
