Inventing

Want to get a taste of our new badges? All the challenges for this badge are explained below so you can experience how exciting the programme is for yourself. 

1. Get inspired

Think about all the inventions you use to make your life easier.

What types of problems do the inventions solve? How do they work? How different would tasks and life be without them?

Did you know there are lots of women and girls who have created amazing inventions that people all over the world use?

Find two inventions you use that were invented by a woman or girl. Then, find out a fact about her life and career. You could look online or in books, or visit a museum. Present what you find creatively.

2. Design

Take on the role of an inventor.

Think of a problem you come across in everyday life. Can you solve it by coming up with your own invention?

The problem can be anything – from silly to serious, to simple. It could be that you want a pet dog, but you can’t have one. So, you make a robot dog. Or, you could make a ’cool air’ drone that blows cool air over you when the weather’s very hot, or a hovering spoon that feeds you.

Come up with a design for your invention.

3. Make

Now you’ve designed your invention, it’s time to create a prototype.

A prototype is a model of your invention based on your design. This is a great way of testing what your invention would look like and how it’ll work.

Find your materials. What’s available to you? Which materials are most suitable for your invention?

Once you’ve created your prototype, demonstrate your invention to someone. Talk them through the whole process from your initial ideas and design, to your prototype. Your prototype doesn’t have to be a working model, but it does need to show what you think your invention would look like.