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. 

This month, Amazing Kids!  is proud to feature some amazing young inventors from cities across the United States!  From a water exercise bike for the physically disabled, to a baseball bat and ball caddie for your bike, these bright young thinkers have come up with some pretty awe-inspiring ideas!

Take a look at the amazing new ideas of these industrious and enterprising young inventors, and who knows?  Maybe after you're done reading their stories, you may come up with your own amazing ideas for an invention (or two)!

Industrious:  "constantly or regularly occupied"

Enterprising:  "bold, active, and energetic in undertaking or experimenting" 

Don't know the meaning of a word?  Look it up at Word Central!, the online kids dictionary from Merriam-Webster:  http://www.wordcentral.com/

Austin Meggitt, 12 years old, Shupe Middle School, Amherst, Ohio. National Grand Prize
     Winner of the "Ultimate Invention" contest.
   Invention: A "Glove and Battie Caddie," for safely carrying baseball equipment on your bike.

Brandon and Spencer Whale, 10 and 7 years old, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
   Inventions:A "PaceMate" device for better transmission of EKG over phone lines, and an IV
    carrying device for kids' wagons.

Charles Johnson, senior, Hamilton High School, Hamilton, Texas.
   Invention:A "Train Detecting Device," which warns motorists of oncoming trains. 

Daniel McKay, 13 years old, Carmel, California
    Invention: "Glow Glass," lighted drinking glass.

Iliana Jäätmaa, 15 years old, Frederick, Maryland
   Invention:"Pangea," a moving map and teaching tool demonstrating continental drift over
     the last 170 million years.

Ivy Summer Lumpkin, fourth grader at Ecole Kenwood School, Columbus, Ohio.
   Invention:"The Twilight Post," a lighted address mail post

Lisa Marie Wright, Winner, January 2000 "Student Ideas for a Better America," 
    Columbus, Ohio
    Invention: The "Auto-Off" Candle, a candle that automatically turns itself off.

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL GALLERY FOR AMERICA'S YOUNG INVENTORS?
reprinted from the website of the Partnership for America's Future,
now known as the National Museum of Education.

"The National Gallery for America’s Young Inventors is a program established for the purpose of enshrining great inventions produced by America’s youth. The National Gallery complements the efforts of the National Inventors Hall of Fame by inducting six young people in grades K- 12 annually. In this way, the National Gallery is taking the great ideas of American youth and preserving them forever.

"The Partnership for America's Future is a non-profit educational organization that is designed and run by full-time classroom teachers.  We run a number of programs that are designed to get students to use their education NOW to solve real-world business and educational problems for financial reward.

"Though we are a young organization (6 years old), we have...

                    ...helped more than 50 teachers and students turn their inventions into products that are now on the national market.

                    ...created the National Gallery for America's Young Inventors which annually honors up to six young inventors from across the country.

                    ...developed a national invention competition -- Students Ideas for A Better America --which awards two student inventors each month.

                    ...been featured on CNN, Channel 1, TBS, CBS and countless local TV, radio, and national publications.

                    ...worked in cooperation with SEARS to write guidelines for the Craftsman/NSTA tool invention competition.

                 ...worked in cooperation with Duracell to write guidelines for the Duracell/NSTA national invention competition 

                 ....received support from the Ohio Department of Development."

"What If?" - Young Inventors Program and Fair, Twin Cities, Minnesota
reprinted from the Young Inventors Program website, now part of the Success Beyond the Classroom website: www.successbeyond.org/YIF.htm

  "Invention and science go hand-in-hand with creativity and education. Each year, the Young Inventors Program encourages and recognizes over 5,000 young inventors in grades K-12. The
program offers workshops for educators on teaching invention, an invention curriculum, and student recognition at invention fairs. The Young Inventors Fair gives 100 students in grades 4-9 the opportunity to display their inventions to the public at the Science Museum of Minnesota."

Websites about Kid Inventors
Inventing Information Resources and Activities
Awards Programs, Camps, and Contests

Websites about Kid Inventors:

Austin Meggitt's Story on the National Gallery For America's Young Inventors website
http://www.nmoe.org/gallery/i99.htm

Kid Inventors and Inventions on About.com
http://inventors.tqn.com/education/inventors/library/weekly/aa062197.htm

The National Gallery for America's Young Inventors:
http://www.nmoe.org/gallery/index.htm

Inventing Information Resources and Activities:

Build-It-Yourself Wild Things
http://northshore.shore.net/~biy/welcome.html

Ron Riley's Kids Inventors Resources
http://www.inventored.org/k-12/becameinv.html

Ronald J. Riley's Advice for New Inventors (young and old)
http://www.inventored.org/novice/

Ronald J. Riley's Interesting Invention Links for Teachers
http://www.inventored.org/k-12/teachers.html

United States Patent and Trademark Office's Kids Pages
http://www.uspto.gov/go/kids/

Camp Invention
http://www.invent.org/camp_invention

The Lemelson-MIT Program for Inventors
http://web.mit.edu/invent/index.html

National Inventors Hall of Fame
http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/1_0_0_hall_of_fame.asp

Calling All Amazing Kids!  We Need Your Help! If you are, or know any kids who are, doing amazing things, we want to hear about it!  Send us your stories, so we might be able to feature you too someday!   Please be patient, and we will do our best to tell your story some day -- hopefully soon!