One by one the signs appeared, all about science and inventing.<\/p>\n
\u201cScience is messy\u201d read one.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t always work\u201d read another.<\/p>\n
But as Rick Hartman, also known as Mr. Toymaker, pulled out the 10 signs one by one, he placed them in a specific order on the large wooden structure at the front of the East Hill Elementary School gymnasium, the signs transformed into \u201cThe Gears of Invention,\u201d urging kids to use science and math to create new inventions.<\/p>\n
Hartman, a former teacher who holds several patents for toys he\u2019s created, also told the kids tales of his own failures – and those of famous inventors – to encourage them to keep trying.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe toys that I made didn\u2019t start out in shiny packaging,\u201d he told the more than 600 elementary school kids assembled for part of an all-day program that included toy-making in the morning and an evening session for families.<\/p>\n
Hartman started by telling the tale of his first invention, an old can filled with dirt, water, glue and wire that he hoped would turn itself into a radio with which he could hear aliens.<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t work, of course, but the students were enrapt, watching him squeeze glue onto the disgusting concoction.<\/p>\n
And along with the messy fun, Hartman had a message.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t realize there was any science going on in that crazy experiment,\u201d he said, using it as an example of simply trying something new.<\/p>\n
Later, he talked about how some \u201csilly ideas\u201d become great inventions.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you can have an idea that doesn\u2019t work out, but it leads to another idea,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Before his show, Hartman said his goal was \u201cintegrating science and math in a fun, real-life context for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
And throughout the performance, Hartman kept referring back to mathematical principles, like when he asked the kids if they noticed any patterns as he tried to get two gears to both spin at the same rate.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoys and girls, you just saw what we call a \u2018fraction in action,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
By the end of the performance, all 10 gears were in place and Hartman pulled a student out of the audience to crank the \u201cEveryone Invents\u201d gear and turn all 10 signs at once.<\/p>\n
This is the eighth year Hartman has done his show at East Hill, according to principal Kyle Good.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe like to show kids there\u2019s a link between math, science and literacy,\u201d Good said.<\/p>\n
Good said he hoped Hartman\u2019s show inspired kids to be creative and build inventions of their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone can do it!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For more information on Rick Hartman, visit www.toyworkshop.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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