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Cassidy decided to invent
something that would hold her broken crayons and allow her to use
them. Do you remember the chalk holder that your grade school
teacher would use when her chalk got too short to use effectively?
That's similar to Cassidy's crayon holder.
In the past, this is the point at which most kids would stop.
They invent something that solves a common problem, and then they
forget about it. What would you do? Would you know how to
manufacture and sell an invention, especially if you were a child?
Fortunately, Cassidy had someone to help her. His name was Norm
or, as she called him, Dad. Norm Goldstein was an executive in
charge of patented technology with the company that produced
Priceline.com, and before that he worked with the top people at The
Sharper Image, so he knew how to take a product from concept to
reality.
Cassidy's invention led her dad to start a new company, called By
Kids For Kids. Formed in 2003, the company commercializes products
that were invented by kids, for kids. Hence, the name.
(That's the last time I ever use the word "hence" in this column, I
promise.)
Wal-Mart has just placed their second order for the crayon
holder, and it is also being sold in catalogs. In addition, there
are many other products that By Kids For Kids has brought to the
market.
Needle Beetle is the brainchild of 9-year-old Brandon Whale. It
is a soft, squeezable, beetle-shaped ball that makes a kid's veins
pop up when receiving a shot, just by squeezing it. It makes it
easier for the nurse to locate a vein -- avoiding multiple jabs --
and also helps take the child's mind off the painful needle.
The Needle Beetle is manufactured by Mattel and was distributed
to 180 children's hospitals free of charge this past summer. Brandon
was even featured on the "Discovery Kids" TV show. How cool!
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Brandon isn't the only inventor in his family, either. Little brother
Spencer invented the Kid Care Riding Toy. This clever device attaches
the IV pole (or oxygen tank) to the Riding Toy, meaning that a parent no
longer has to chase a kid everywhere out of fear that the needle might
come out of the child.
It is ideal for kids receiving an IV or a chemotherapy treatment,
and it is selling to children's hospitals all over the U.S. It is
produced by the Little Tykes Company and manufactured by Rand
International. Spencer Whale was only 6 years old when he invented
the Kid Care Riding Toy, and he also won several awards for his
invention.
Adult celebrities aren't the only ones writing books these days.
Twenty-year-old Freddie Zeiler wrote "A Kid's Guide to Giving" when
she was just 14. The book is published by a company called
Innovative Kids. "A Kid's Guide to Giving" will be in bookstores
next September.
Large corporations have taken notice of By Kids For Kids -- the
company that was started with an 11-year-old's crayon holder. So
far, Xerox, Mattel and Scholastic have all signed on as sponsors
They've produced the Inventive Thinking Toolkit for Kids, which
they've sent to tens of thousands of teachers in grades 3-8, as well
as distributing it to libraries. The kit is based on the U.S. patent
office's Project XL, which was designed to teach critical thinking
skills to kids.
If you're a teacher or librarian, you can download the By Kids
For Kids curriculum for free. The Web address is
www.bkfk.com. You might just find
something in it that you can use to help develop a future genius --
one that you never knew you had in your class.
[Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann may be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Copyright Paul Niemann 2005 |
