Kids Inventing!

Have you ever seen inventors on TV or in the newspaper and thought, "e;That could be me!"e; Well, it certainly could and this book shows you how. Kids Inventing! gives you easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for turning your ideas into realities for fun, competition, and even profit. From finding an idea and creating a working model to patenting, manufacturing, and selling your invention, you get expert guidance in all the different stages of inventing. You'll see how to keep an inventor's log, present your ideas, and work as part of a team or with a mentor. You'll meet inspiring kids just like you who designed their own award-winning inventions. And you'll see how to prepare for the various state and national invention contests held each year, as well as international competitions and science fairs.

Have you ever seen inventors on TV or in the newspaper and thought"That could be me!" Well, it certainly could--and this bookshows you how. Kids Inventing! gives you easy-to-followstep-by-step instructions for turning your ideas into realities forfun, competition, and even profit.From finding an idea and creating a working model to patentingmanufacturing, and selling your invention, you get expert guidancein all the different stages of inventing. You'll see how to keep aninventor's log, present your ideas, and work as part of a team orwith a mentor. You'll meet inspiring kids just like you whodesigned their own award-winning inventions. And you'll see how toprepare for the various state and national invention contests heldeach year, as well as international competitions and sciencefairs.

Foreword viiby Nicholas D. Frankovits and Leila Gay EvansAcknowledgments ixIntroduction 11 Getting an Idea 3Look for a Problem to Solve 4Break Problems into Smaller Parts 5Think about Improving Something You Already Enjoy 7Think about Solving a Community Problem 11Think about the Needs of Others 13Find an Idea Through Research 15Find a Use for Something You Discover 18Is Your Idea an Invention? 20Activities 202 Keeping a Journal or an Inventor's Log and Writing a Report 23Logs and Journals 23Reports 34Inventor's Logs, Journals, and Reports as Part of a Display 35Activities 363 Making a Model 37Start with a Sketch 39Make a List of Materials 39List the Tools You Will Need 40Estimate Costs 41Inventory Your Skills and Acquire Others 41Set up a Workshop 42Ask for Help and Be Safe 43Make a Scale Model 45Activities 464 Naming Your Invention 50Name Your Invention after Yourself 50Name Your Invention for What It Does 51Use Word Tricks in Naming Your Invention 52Name Your Invention for Its Sound 53Name Your Invention for Its Feel 53Give Your Invention a Catchy Name 54Activities 565 Participating in Competitions, Programs, and Camps 57What You Can Gain by Entering an Invention Contest 58Preparing for Competition 58Camps 65Activities 656 Inventing as a Team 66Teamwork Calls for Cooperation and Compromise 66Small Teams 70Large Teams 71Activities 737 Learning with a Mentor 74Mentors Are Guides 74School Mentor Programs 77Mentors from the Business Community 78Activities 818 Patenting an Invention 82How Inventions Are Patented 82The Patent Search 83Types of Patents 85Patent Applications 90Patent Infringement 91Activities 949 Registering a Trademark 95Trademarks Are All Around You 95Trademark Symbols 95Types of Trademarks 96Applying for a Trademark 97Trademarks instead of Patents 98Activities 10110 Manufacturing, Packaging, and Selling an Invention 102Product Development 105Find the Right Company to Manufacture Your Invention 109Selling Your Invention 109Licensing Your Invention 111Activities 114Appendix A: Suggested Reading 116Appendix B: Useful Web Sites 117Appendix C: Invention Competitions, Programs, and Camps 119Index 129Photo Credits 134