{"id":25788,"date":"2014-11-06T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2014-11-06T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/?p=25788"},"modified":"2015-03-30T22:10:06","modified_gmt":"2015-03-31T02:10:06","slug":"encourage-creativity-with-an-invention-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/encourage-creativity-with-an-invention-box\/","title":{"rendered":"Encourage Creativity with an Invention Box"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By contributing writer\u00a0<a target = \"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/WvA0b8\">Colleen<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Creativity and invention are crucial to the successful growth of a culture, but are you taking time to encourage creativity and invention at home?I have several very <a target = \"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.raisinglifelonglearners.com\/creatively-gifted-child\/\" target=\"_blank\">creative children<\/a> in my homeschool, and\u00a0I know that I\u2019m not doing as great a job as I\u2019d like.<\/p>\n<p>I want to include more time for invention and open-ended explorations, but I get caught up in the day-to-day of our homeschool and family. I forget how important it is to let kids dream and discover. It&#8217;s important to <a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/encourage-your-kids-to-be-the-inventor\/\" target=\"_blank\">encourage them to be the inventor<\/a>\u00a0and surround them with <a target = \"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.raisinglifelonglearners.com\/10-of-my-favorite-toys-that-inspire-creativity-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">things that foster creativity<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>One way to do\u00a0this is to create an invention box for your kids to tinker with. Once it\u2019s pulled together, give them plenty of open-ended time to explore its contents and get <a target = \"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.raisinglifelonglearners.com\/creativity-means-dreaming-big-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">creative<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25865 size-full\" title=\"Encourage Creativity and Put Together an Invention Box for Kids | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/files\/2014\/10\/Invention_Box.jpg\" alt=\"Encourage Creativity and Put Together an Invention Box for Kids | The Happy Housewife\" width=\"476\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/files\/2014\/10\/Invention_Box.jpg 476w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/files\/2014\/10\/Invention_Box-220x300.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>How to Put Together an Invention Box<\/h3>\n<p>Grab a box or a container with a snap-on lid, or use an empty drawer in the kitchen or craft area. Fill it with different things based on your kids&#8217; ages and abilities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Some ideas for young children include:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>wood scraps<\/li>\n<li>fabric<\/li>\n<li>metal pieces<\/li>\n<li>wire<\/li>\n<li>glue<\/li>\n<li>scissors<\/li>\n<li>feathers<\/li>\n<li>other miscellaneous craft supplies<\/li>\n<li>paper<\/li>\n<li>pens<\/li>\n<li>pencils<\/li>\n<li>markers<\/li>\n<li>paint<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Ideas for Older Children:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>old electronics<\/li>\n<li>screwdrivers<\/li>\n<li>hammers<\/li>\n<li>pliers<\/li>\n<li>wires<\/li>\n<li>batteries<\/li>\n<li>soldering equipment<\/li>\n<li>wood<\/li>\n<li>nails<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If your children have trouble\u00a0coming up with ideas for getting themselves started, because maybe this type of open-ended play is new to them, then create quick prompts on index cards to encourage them. But, leave the directions to a minimum. Give them just enough to get started, and then, once they have the hang of it, stop leaving the cards out.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-25842\" title=\"Encourage Creativity and Put Together an Invention Box for Kids | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/files\/2014\/10\/Inventing.jpg\" alt=\"Encourage Creativity and Put Together an Invention Box for Kids | The Happy Housewife\" width=\"488\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/files\/2014\/10\/Inventing.jpg 750w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/files\/2014\/10\/Inventing-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 488px) 100vw, 488px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Open-ended opportunities like your kids will get with an invention box will help foster creativity and flexibility in thinking. It will make them more critical thinkers, and it will help them develop the confidence to look at things in new ways.<\/p>\n<p>For additional value and fun, give them a place to showcase their work and set aside time for an inventor\u2019s convention where they can share their creations with family and friends.<\/p>\n<p>What are some ways you can implement this idea into your homeschool? And what other suggestions for materials do you have to share?<\/p>\n<h3>You might also like&#8230;<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/4-benefits-of-play-doh\/\" target=\"_blank\">4 Benefits of Play Doh<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/painting-on-recycled-materials\/\" target=\"_blank\">Painting on Recycled Materials<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/creating-stories-inspired-by-favorite-books\/\" target=\"_blank\">Creative Writing Inspired by Favorite Books<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/author\/colleen\/\">More Posts from Colleen<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By contributing writer\u00a0Colleen Creativity and invention are crucial to the successful growth of a culture, but are you taking time to encourage creativity and invention at home?I have several very creative children in my homeschool, and\u00a0I know that I\u2019m not doing as great a job as I\u2019d like. I want to include more time for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2813],"class_list":{"0":"post-25788","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-projects","8":"tag-inventors","9":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Encourage Creativity with an Invention Box - The Happy Housewife\u2122 :: Home Schooling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/homeschool\/encourage-creativity-with-an-invention-box\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Encourage Creativity with an Invention Box - The Happy Housewife\u2122 :: Home Schooling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By contributing writer\u00a0Colleen Creativity and invention are crucial to the successful growth of a culture, but are you taking time to encourage creativity and invention at home?I have several very creative children in my homeschool, and\u00a0I know that I\u2019m not doing as great a job as I\u2019d like. 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