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Adventure #3:
Designing An Inventive Solution
In Adventure 3, you will learn:
- The difference between working alone or on a team
- What a prototype is and why it's important, and
- How a mentor can help you with your invention
The Curious Kids are excited. They used various information sources to figure out what was causing the fish in the creek to get sick, and then they used their imaginations to brainstorm ideas to solve the problem.
They chose to create:
- signs for the park and creek, and
- a trash bin with a heavy bottom and lockable lid.
What's next? Turn the page to find out!
Hector says, “OK, everyone. The two teams will now design their trash bins. Timmy will design his signs. That’s called a prototype. A prototype is like a model of the final product to be created.”
Tanisha scratches her head looking confused and asks, “Why do we need a prototype? Why can’t we just build our trash can?”
Chen chimes in and says, “I think it’s so we can try it out first with each other, and then maybe even other people, and see if we made any mistakes. Then we have time to fix those mistakes before we build our final invention.”
Hector smiles and says, “Right, Chen! Creating a prototype is like trying out a recipe before baking a birthday cake. Creating a prototype is a way to practice inventing and it can prevent wasting time or effort. Most of all, we want to make sure our invention works the way it’s supposed to, so we can be sure to help the fish.”
Timmy says, “I can make my signs with pencil and paper first and show them to everyone. Once I know they’re just right, then I’ll make the real ones.”
Hector nods and says, "Yes, Mimi and I are here to help you as invention mentors." Turn the page to discover what an invention mentor is.
Timmy gets excited and says, “My dad is my mentor! He knows a lot of stuff and helps me with my invention ideas.”
Hector says, "That's amazing! Ok, let's begin designing our prototypes."
Timmy has been working hard coming up with ideas of different designs for signs to place near the creek and at the park. His dad has been helping him think about simple ways to communicate to people that they should throw their trash in the bins, not the park or the creek.
Now, Timmy is excited to share his sign ideas with the Curious Kids to see what they think.
Timmy starts sharing his sign ideas with the Curious Kids.
“I have come up with two sign ideas to test out. Here’s the first one.” Timmy holds up the first sign which has the words “Trash + Bin = (picture of smiling fish) Happy Fish."
Timmy then looks down to grab the second sign when he gasps, “Oh no!”
Timmy exclaims, “It looks like Digger might have accidentally thought this sign was a chew toy! I need help putting the pieces back together for my second sign.”
Challenge #1: Timmy's Sign Drawing Puzzle
Digger accidentally tore apart Timmy's sign drawing so Timmy needs your help!
In this challenge, you will click and drag the pieces of Timmy’s sign drawing to put it back together. Are you ready to tackle this challenge?
Turn the page and press the start button!
As the Curious Kids were hard at work on their prototype drawings, a familiar magical friend has come to pay them a visit again. A pencil drawing of Teenie Genie begins to get drawn by itself on Tanisha’s paper, as a swirl of pixie dust forms around the page and a tinkling bell sound is heard.
All the Curious Kids gasp in excitement.
Tanisha exclaims, “Oh wow! Teenie Genie is back!”
Teenie Genie says to the kids, “You’re all doing such a great job on your journey to help the Curiosity Creek fish! Here’s another tool you’ll find helpful…a magical camera.”
The kids ooh and aah.
“Time for me to go! I can’t wait to see your prototype designs---bye!”
A swirl of pixie dust forms around Teenie Genie and he disappears in a whoosh.
The Curious Kids return to working on their drawings. They are hard at work again, when they get another surprise!
Mac suddenly appears standing in the doorway to the clubhouse.
Tanisha shrieks, “Mac!” He is breathing heavily because of his rush to get to the clubhouse.
Mac says, “I got here as quickly as I could. I have some important new information. The mayor told me there is an ordinance about signs and trash bins in the park and near the creek. An ordinance is like a law that is just for cities or towns. The ordinance states that there can be no signs near the creek and one at the park. And they have to be a certain size or smaller.”
All the Curious Kids are shocked by the new information.
Hector says, "Thanks, Mac. That's helpful information, especially for Timmy who is creating the signs! But you know what that means. It will be a competition for our two teams to see which one makes the best trash bin for the park.
Chen has an idea and begins to share, "Maybe we could start with a trash can like the one already in the park and then we can think of ways to change it so that it can’t be tipped over and the lid won’t fly open.”
Mac replies, “That’s a great idea, Chen. One way to invent is to come up with an improvement for a product that has already been invented.”
Chens says, “We need to figure out how we can make the heavy base for the trash can."
Digger’s Great Green Glossary