Kids’ thingamajigs showcase ingenuity Invention convention lets Freeport pupils put problem-solving skills to work

FREEPORT – Connor Yost had a problem with Ramen noodles. Whenever he cooked them, the pot would boil over.

He could have stopped watching TV while cooking, but that’s not what fifth-graders do.

No, better to invent a device that prevents pots from boiling over.

Yost’s “No-Hassle Pot” was one of the stars of the Mast Landing School’s “invention convention” last week.

His device features a tin cylinder hanging about an inch below the pot’s lid. Steam pressure lifts the cylinder, which in turn pushes up the lid, allowing the steam to escape.

The modest little pot was a huge hit among adults.

“It’s ingenious,” said Cindy Cook, who came to the convention last week to see the children’s efforts.

Yost’s fifth-grade classmates preferred the “Kid Waker Upper,” a contraption that wakes up children by bursting balloons, and the “Bubble Tornado,” which sprays a storm of bubbles down the school hallway.

In all, the school’s third-, fourth- and fifth-graders invented 130 contraptions.

Judy Higbea, a teacher at the school, said the project’s benefits couldn’t be measured on the Maine Education Assessment test.

“Standards aside, this is where the real learning takes place,” she said. “They are learning about themselves.”

The project gave adults a glimpse of how children view the world.

Remember those wiggly baby teeth? Fifth-grader Anna Edward developed a tooth extractor – a pair of needle-nose pliers covered with plastic tubing and rubber.

“It’s fun! It’s tops! Just give a yank. And out it pops!” her poster board read.

“The World’s Fastest Trash Can,” a motorized device operated by remote control, helps 9-year-old Jairet Harrison clean his room. One problem: His dog is afraid of it.

Benjamin Forster’s “Egg Master” cleans chicken droppings off eggs by spinning the eggs against a sponge. The 9-year-old has four hens. He sells the eggs and figures the device will save him time.

Many of the children invented devices for their pets, such as the “Puppy Holder 2000,” which is 8-year-old Jena Singer’s solution for dogs who eat and drink each other’s food and water. It’s a cardboard box with its own supply of food, water and newspaper.

Hannah Thacher, 9, is forbidden to sip soda while lying on the floor and watching TV. So she invented the “Gigant-o-Straw,” an exceedingly long straw that allows her to remain in a prone position while drinking from a cup on a table.

Kristin Cook, whose 10-year-old daughter, Whitney, participated in the project, said she was amazed by the children’s ingenuity.

“I think L.L. Bean should come and look at these,” she said.