Young Entrepreneur Tools

What can you do with all your ideas?

Develop them in your Book of Ideas.

Ideas come out of nowhere-and YES-they DO matter. You’ll be amazed at the number of ideas you come up with while doing your homework, listening to your teacher, watching your mom or dad cook, playing with friends, or just walking down the street.

Just don’t forget to write them down to help them grow!

Some of the coolest inventions and companies were created and launched by kid inventors and entrepreneurs. Some didn’t want to wash the cat food spoon. Some wanted to help people to eat. Others wanted to write in the dark, talk under water and keep their crayons from breaking.

Other videos to inspire discussion on innovation and collaboration

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uh1KxcpWz0&feature=youtu.be Watch this video on ideas then discuss as a class students’ thoughts on important takeaways. (Note: There may be a short ad before the video.)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY30wUZUfFA Sadie, a young inventor with Cerebral Palsy, describes her award-winning invention the Walker Wheeler.

• https://safeyoutube.net/w/SxVb (~2 min) Great introductory video for younger students.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6EgoiPxNDs (~ 15 min) This video about Ideo and their shopping cart design project emphasizes both collaboration and communication. (May be more appropriate for older students)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd_nkBHgX8s (~ 7 min, short ad to start) JP, an engineering student from Brazil, talks about the importance of working with a team to solve problems.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga1_a4qw-As The video is a bit fast paced so be prepared to stop and discuss if you are working with younger or ELL students. (Note: There may be a short ad before the video.)

Intellectual Property (IP): Patents, Trademarks, Service Marks and Copyright Law

As early as 500 BCE, people wanted to protect their ideas and inventions. They wanted to encourage new ideas but also wanted to stop others from imitating or copying their ideas. Giving value to an idea is an important part of intellectual property law. Intellectual property laws are designed to protect ideas and innovations. However, they are complicated and continuously being updated as new innovations are created that don’t fit old patterns. Professionals who work in this field must have a good understanding of law, business, and technology.