The third week of November was one of those weeks when my meeting plan was replaced by the girl's own enthusiasm for becoming true inventors.As the girls arrived, each Patrol was challenged to brainstorm a list of 10 inventions that they would like to see in the future. After our usual opening and an active game, the Patrols shared their lists - which had a wide variety of ideas.
We then moved into a Patrol Challenge to build a vehicle that would travel across the floor. This activity was based on the 4-Wheel Balloon Car activity from PBS Kids Design Squad Nation. Each Patrol was provided with a sponge, straws, a balloon, cardboard, an elastic band, duct tape, scissors, a ruler, and a pencil. The result? The girls learned the importance of working as a team and how the actions of each person can impact others - and they also made some very cool vehicles!
After we had cleaned up, to keep the girls thinking creatively, each girl was given a slip of paper with an everyday object written on it. They were then told to find a partner and think of a new invention that included both of their objects.
Our final activity, was an inventing challenge. The girls worked along, with a partner, or in a small group to make an invention and then create a commercial for it. We put out an array of supplies including styrofoam cups, newspaper, fun foam, paper clips, beads, plastic spoons and forks, cardboard, string, duct tape, feathers, elastic bands, construction paper and pipecleaners. The girls could use any of the supplies and the only limit was their imagination.
