August is National Inventor’s month

If you asked just about any person walking down the street to name an inventor, they’d probably begin by rattling off names like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, or Albert Einstein. And while each of these individuals did provide significant technological advancements to society, there are many additional products we use every day that are just as revolutionary.

What about Shunpei Yamazaki — the creator of the LCD screen? Or Melitta Bentz — the woman credited with the first coffee filter system? Or Katharine Burr Blodgett who created the non-reflective glass used on camera lenses, submarine periscopes, eyeglasses, windshields and computer screens? These inventions make our lives so much easier, connected — and caffeinated!

So how can you encourage your child to think more creatively at home? According to kindermusik.com — here are three ways to encourage your children to be inventive:

1.        Participate in the arts. Research indicates that STEM graduates (those majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics fields) showed an increased involvement in visual arts, acting, dance, and creative writing. Even better, 93 percent of those graduates participated in music classes as a child.

2.        Combine music and learning. Music is more than, well, music. The benefits of music include supporting the social-emotional, physical, and the cognitive development of children. New research found that science-themed music videos boost scientific learning. We already learn our ABCs through song, so why not learn about gravity, phases of the moon, the life cycles of frogs, and all about magnets, too?

3.        Play together. Children learn through play. Provide the children in your life with hands-on playtime with caring, loving adults. Playing together helps children learn about their world and their place in it.  One of the greatest inventors of all time, Albert Einstein, understood the benefits of play. After all, he said, “Play is the highest form of research.”

And here are a few additional resources to get the wheels turning:

This site is LOADED with fun ways you can introduce your kids to famous inventors including songs, printables, games, puzzles and much more.

This site is specially designed to connect girls with STEM resources

And what about you? Every amazing invention began with a simple idea. Do you have dreams of creating a product that would revolutionize the baby industry? Maybe you always wish you had XYZ when you were cooking dinner or driving the kids to soccer? Here are a few inspirational quotes from some of America’s change-making inventors:

“When one door closes, another door open; but we so often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones with open for us.” Alexander Graham Bell

“The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” Steve Jobs

“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” Elon Musk

“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.” George Washington Carver.

Do one of these quotes really resonate with you? Use it as fuel to get out there and create!