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Health & Fitness

Fifth graders working hard on invention ideas for Feb. 13 convention

5TH GRADE CLASSROOMS — The fifth grade Invention Convention will be held later this month and students are struggling to get their ideas in on time.

By Maddie Samaan, News Editor

5TH GRADE CLASSROOMS — The fifth grade Invention Convention will be held later this month and students are struggling to get their ideas in on time.

Maxwell Resnick (5S) and Noah Breskin (5S) both agreed it will be a difficult process.

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The students are at the point where lots of invention ideas get eliminated from consideration. They have to see if their inventions already exist or not. They also will have to find and order all of the materials for the project.

The teachers are excited about this project and how it will tie-in with the real world and being an entrepreneur.

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"It's a real world connection to help students understand financial literacy and entrepreneurship, and it's a fun hands on project," said Mr. Alexander Ventura.

Some of Mr. Ventura's favorite inventions over the years were the Nuff, which was an earmuff for the nose, and the Inter-changeable Sole Shoes, which were shoes that could change to become cleats and even to different colors.

The actual Invention Convention is planned for Feb. 13 in the library. The parents will be coming.

Every student team must create a prototype of their invention, a tri-fold clearly stating their problem and solution, and they must include their original inventor's notebook, which was the first step in the process (brainstorming/sketching their inventions). They will also make  commercials for the new products.

Ms. Diana Spadaro, a new fifth grade teacher this  year, said the Invention Convention is a great idea because it gives kids a chance to use their creativity and work collaboratively. She said the only thing she would change is make it a districtwide event, rather than just Colonial.

Mrs. Spadaro said she is interested in inventions that will help her in her daily life.

In preparation for the project,  parents have come in to speak to the kids about what they do in the real world and what it has to do with the economy.

Mrs. Julia Roche, founder of local calendar website Burbio, and Mr. Dan Berkery, a money manager at Stone Harbor, spoke to the grade about being founders and money management.

Even though a number of fifth graders said they have or are having trouble with this project, they said they are having fun anyway.

This story also appears on the Colonial Times website.

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