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| Amazing
Kids! of the Month
Amazing Kids! is proud to highlight the Amazing Kids! of the Month! Each
month, we showcase kids who are accomplishing amazing things.
We hope that by telling their special stories, we will inspire other kids
to accomplish their own amazing achievements.
Amazing Kids! of the Month for January, 2002: Amazing Young Toy Inventors, USA!
Quotes of the Month: "I’ve always been interested in what makes things work. I used to take things apart and put them back together...If you think you have a good idea, just go for it!" Richie Stachowski,
age 15
"There's nothing he [Jacob] can't do. He may have to work a little harder at it than other children his age, but he's persistent and will get it done.'' Joshua Dunnack,
father of Jacob Dunnack, age 8
Happy New Year! As we ring in the new year, Amazing Kids! is excited to highlight the inventive talents of two young amazing toy inventors in our January 2002 Amazing Kids! of the Month feature. These creative, bright young inventors have each designed a toy that is being sold in stores! Read their inspiring stories below and see if you might want to try your hand at inventing a new toy too. Then, be sure to follow the links to learn more about inventing, and who knows? Maybe you'll invent a toy that will someday be sold in stores too! When you're done
reading their story, be sure to check out some of our past Amazing Kids!
of the Month Inventors: http://www.amazing-kids.org/kids3-00.htm#inventors
JACOB DUNNACK, Age 8
Have you ever had
a problem with something and wished there was a good solution to fix it?
Two years ago, Jacob Dunnack (then age 6), had a problem: he forgot
to bring his baseball when he brought his bat to his grandma's house to
play baseball. Needless to say, he was disappointed, because he couldn't
play baseball without the ball! But Jacob didn't let that stop him.
He not only wished there was a good solution, he actually invented one:
the JD Batball!
The JD Batball is a plastic baseball bat with a removable cap so one can store the balls inside so the balls won't get lost. This handy invention helps kids can carry their bat and balls with one hand, while never worrying about forgetting or losing their baseballs again! Jacob says "I called it a Batball because I can store my baseballs inside the bat and I like it. It's really cool.'' Jacob first introduced his invention at his school's "Invention Convention." What makes Jacob's story even more special is that he was born with a congenital heart defect (two major arteries were crisscrossed). He suffered a stroke during an operation when he was just a baby, and the doctors thought would leave him blind and paralyzed. But Jacob proved them wrong! Though he has limited vision and limited use of his right arm, that hasn't stopped Jacob from living a normal life...and being one of the few kids who has actually gotten his invention on toy store shelves! You can now buy his amazing toy at Toys "R" Us! Now that's amazing!
Way to go, Jacob!
READ
MORE ABOUT JACOB ONLINE:
 www.newstimes.com/archive2000/apr14/rgg.htm
Jacob will also
be in Lynn Valentines' next book. It is called "The Power of Prayer". This
is a Hallmark book. Lynn is the author of "Angels Everywhere" and "Miracles".
In 1996, when Richie Stachowski was 11 years old, he went to Hawaii for a vacation. While Richie was snorkeling with his father, he was so excited at seeing all the beautiful fish that he wanted to be able to shout out to his dad to tell him, but couldn't because he was underwater. But that didn't stop Richie. He had a problem, now he needed to find a solution. That evening, he began sketching designs in their hotel room. Then, after returning home, researched underwater acoustics on the Internet. Then he began building prototypes of an underwater megaphone, using the $267 from his savings account. And voila! Richie invented Water Talkies, a toy that lets kids talk underwater! Richie formed his own company, Short Stack, LLC (named for Richie's favorite breakfast, pancakes) and soon began selling his Water Talkies at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and Toys "R" Us. But that was just the beginning for Richie: in addition to his Water Talkies, he has invented several other water toys, including the Bumper Jumper Water Pumper™ (a float with a water-blasting paddle) and the Scuba Scope™ (a pool periscope)! The Scuba Scope™ allows snorkelers to see underwater and above water at the same time and the Bumper Jumper Water Pumper™ is a sit-down float whose paddle doubles as a water gun. And there are more amazing toy inventions to come! Go, Richie! READ MORE ABOUT RICHIE ONLINE:
LEARN MORE ABOUT INVENTING:
INVENTION CONTESTS:
Back
to the Amazing Kids! of the Month Index
For more information about Amazing Kids! , please contact us at: info@amazing-kids.org . |
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