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Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Resources on invention education.

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Ralph Baer playing his Telesketch game, 1977
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Ralph H. Baer Endowment for Invention Education

Contributions to the Ralph H. Baer Endowment will support invention education through the Lemelson Center.

Invent It Challenge logotype
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Spark!Lab Dr. InBae & Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge

The Spark!Lab Dr. InBae & Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon Invent It Challenge is a fun way to practice the invention process by actually creating something new that matters to the world, either by yourself or with a team of friends.

An outline of a gear, pictured in solid orange, with the words (in white lettering): Think about a new invention that enhances the daily lives of older adults.
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

The 2019 Spark!Lab Dr. InBae Yoon Invent It Challenge

It's time for the annual Invent It Challenge!

Think It Graphic with lightbulb
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

The 2018 Spark!Lab Dr. InBae Yoon Invent It Challenge

It's time for the 7th annual Invent It Challenge! Get all the details about the 2018 challenge.

3 figures from Dr. InBae Yoon US patent 3,870,048 showing 3 ring-shaped parts of his tool for minimally-invasive tubal ligations.
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

The Legacy of Dr. InBae Yoon

Dr. Yoon passionately believed—like we do—that everyone is inventive.

U-Sketch pick your color green orange blue lavender purple black

Story Tags

  • Accessibility (Relevance: 10%)
  • Asian Pacific American inventors (Relevance: 20%)
  • DIY/Maker Movement (Relevance: 10%)
  • Design (Relevance: 10%)
  • Education (Relevance: 30%)
  • Furniture (Relevance: 10%)
  • Immigrant inventors (Relevance: 20%)
  • Inclusion (Relevance: 10%)
  • Invention at Play (Relevance: 20%)
  • Invention process (Relevance: 10%)
  • Kid inventors (Relevance: 50%)
  • Kid-friendly (Relevance: 70%)
  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 10%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 10%)
  • Play (Relevance: 20%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 100%)
  • Spark!Lab Network (Relevance: 10%)
  • Toys and games (Relevance: 10%)
  • Video games (Relevance: 20%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 30%)
  • families (Relevance: 10%)
A stylized drawing of a compact fluorescent light bulb surrounded by a solid orange circle with a green border
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Books to Encourage Inventive Thinking

These books available in the Draper Spark!Lab help our visitors find inspiration and information about invention, innovation, and creativity.

Text sign: Ask Bbout Spark!lab Accessibility Resources
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Because Everyone Is Inventive

The Spark!Lab team makes a commitment to inclusion and accessibility.

A young girl works on the Invent a Skate Park activity
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

A Toolkit for Developing Innovators

Tricia Edwards shares practical tips for creating innovative learning environments

Bulb used in Edison's first public demonstration
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Curiosity and Invention

Do you consider yourself curious?

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Invention at Play Educators' Manual

An activity guide to help students learn to foster creativity through play.

Mr. Wizard with experiment, circa 1950s. (AC1326-0000039)
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Teaching Science with a Wizard’s Touch

In the early 1950s, Don Herbert (1917-2007) created Watch Mr. Wizard (1951–1965), an educational children’s television program devoted to science and technology. We think he'd feel right at home in Spark!Lab.

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Stand Up for Innovation!

While perhaps not for everyone, I certainly feel more alert, efficient, and innovative since adopting a standing desk.

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Recognize the Unusual

The tendency to see non-obvious connections and relationships often leads inventors to the key insight that is the basis for their invention.

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Does Play Matter?

Play in American culture

A young girl wears her invention, a wearable umbrella
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Sparking Young Minds with the Spark!Lab Invent It Challenge

The Spark!Lab Invent It contest challenges children ages five to 18 to create an invention that solves a real-world problem. Here are some of the most memorable entries from the first two years.

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Girls Get Science (and Invention)

Since the Lemelson Center was founded in 1995, we’ve had the great fortune of researching, documenting, and highlighting an array of amazing historic and contemporary women inventors, and one of the great parts of my job is sharing those stories with girls and their parents.

Sparky logo
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Judging the Invent It! Challenge

Members of the Lemelson Center team reflect on their experiences judging the Spark!Lab "Invent It!" Challenge with ePals.

A group of kindergarteners prototype an invention with recyclables
Encouraging Innovative Thinking

Invent It! Challenge: Kindergartners Solving World Hunger and Arguing Siblings

Through the Invent It! Challenge, even the youngest students were able to celebrate their creativity and realize that even though they are small, they can still help make our world a better place.

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

What do you want to make today?

I held a soldering iron for the first time in my life a few weeks ago. It was exciting and frustrating at the same time. So why was I soldering?

Encouraging Innovative Thinking

A Career in Video Games

Lemelson Center staff member Laurel Fritzsch Belman looked into the recent history of getting degrees in video game design.

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  • Agriculture and horticulture (Relevance: 5.1938551572787%)
  • Air and space (Relevance: 6.7666422823702%)
  • Archives@NMAH (Relevance: 8.4125822970007%)
  • Chemistry (Relevance: 3.0724213606437%)
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  • Medicine, health, and life sciences (Relevance: 4.572055596196%)
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  • Mining and drilling (Relevance: 3.4016093635699%)
  • Patents and trademarks (Relevance: 11.338697878566%)
  • Photography, film, television, and video (Relevance: 3.8771031455743%)
  • Power generation, motors, and engines (Relevance: 3.4381858083394%)
  • Spark!Lab (Relevance: 3.5844915874177%)
  • Textiles and clothing (Relevance: 3.3650329188003%)
  • Transportation (Relevance: 5.9619604974396%)
  • Women inventors (Relevance: 3.4016093635699%)
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