The Inventor's Secret

Both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford started off as insatiably curious tinkerers. That curiosity led them to become inventors―with very different results. As Edison invented hit after commercial hit, gaining fame and fortune, Henry struggled to make a single invention (an affordable car) work. Witnessing Thomas's glorious career from afar, a frustrated Henry wondered about the secret to his success. This little-known story is a fresh, kid-friendly way to show how Thomas Edison and Henry Ford grew up to be the most famous inventors in the world-and best friends, too.

Born on July 30, 1863, near Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford created the Ford Model T car in 1908 and went on to develop the assembly line mode of production, which revolutionized the industry. As a result, Ford sold millions of cars and became a world-famous company head. The company lost its market dominance but had a lasting impact on other technological development and U.S. infrastructure.

Born on February 11, 1847, in Milan, Ohio, Thomas Edison rose from humble beginnings to work as an inventor of major technology. Setting up a lab in Menlo Park, some of the products he developed included the telegraph, phonograph, the first commercially practical incandescent electric light bulb, alkaline storage batteries and Kinetograph (a camera for motion pictures). He died on October 18, 1931, in West Orange, New Jersey.

We are asking our Cannon Cubs to show off their inventing skills! Our inventors must develop a new invention that performs 3 functions. It can help you clean your room, do the dishes, complete your homework, or make any of your chores easier!

Criteria: You will build a model of your invention (remember, this is a prototype, so it doesn't need to perform these 3 functions in this format).

Inventors must pick up their "Invention Convention" form from Ms. Son in the library. The Invention Convention discusses the general need/ desire for the invention, the name of the invention, a diagram of the prototype, and a short biography on our inventors!

Constraints:

Our inventors are limited to using the following materials:

8 craft sticks

8 mailing labels

4 note cards (index cards)

1 paper cup

1 paper plate

2 pipe cleaners

2 sheets of paper

4 straws

1 square piece of aluminum foil (8''x10")

You may also use crayons and scissors for the "creating" process, but these products must not show up in your final invention!

Your model must not be any larger than 10"x16".

Your model can be delivered to the library from 2/21 - 2/23.

Your model must include your first and last name, your grade, and your homeroom teacher.

Your model must have your Invention Convention form turned in with it.

Due Date: Inventors are asked to submit their inventions to Ms. Son in the library by Thursday, February 23rd. Awards for creativity within each grade will be distributed at Friday assembly on February 24th.

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that didn't work." -- Thomas Edison

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." -- Thomas Edison

"Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." -- Henry Ford

"Quality means doing it right when no one else is looking." -- Henry Ford