School Patent Office

Above: Professor Branestawm illustration by W. Heath Robinson.

The spirit of invention is an appealing concept to children. There is an additional appeal to James Watt in that he didn't begin his steam engine from scratch. He improved upon an existing idea. For those children who find a blank canvas daunting, Watt makes a good role model.

The aim of this project is to stimulate thought and design skills with the emphasis on problem solving and creativity.

Project Outline:

Decide whether the project is to take a Science/DT course or a more imaginative Art/DT course.

Devise problems to solve, for example, think of ways to save time in day-to-day life. This project works best if children have only two or three problems to choose from, then solutions can be compared later.

Spend a session looking at the way James Watt solved the problem of water in mines, and at the way Heath Robinson depicted his inventions on paper. Another fun resource would be the opening sequence of Wallace and Gromit's 'The Wrong Trousers', which features a Heath-Robinsonesque machine.

Set the children off on their plans, working in pairs if need be, with the aim of producing detailed, labelled invention diagrams.

As well as the diagrams, ask children to prepare a document with their diagram to submit to you, the patent officer, explaining what their invention is for, how it works and what it is made of.

Create a 'Patent Office' display board or portfolio for presentation of the designs, granting them Certificates of Patent or official-looking school rubber stamps upon approval.