Not all of our ideas are complete our own.  They are often based on the products that we already use in our cooking, schooling, and general day-to-day life.  For this week of 10 ideas, we were definitely piggybacking on some pretty genius ideas, including navigational compasses and the Newton’s cradle.

Terran on Genius Ideas

I, Terran, like to be outside exploring.  Our parents taught us, when we were really young, how to use a compass to find our way.  River and I have nice compasses, but then I started thinking how cool it would be if compasses could be used for other things… like figuring out who left a door open that was supposed to be shut, or who stole the last biscuit.  So, my idea was a “know-who-did-it” compass that would detect the guilty person in the room.

River on Genius Ideas

I, River, was playing with Newton’s cradle on the desk when I was writing my list and I imagined what it would be like to have a giant version in the yard.  For those who don’t know, the Newton’s cradle is an invention that involves five balls of equal size.  When you start the first ball in motion, it sends its energy through the other balls and gets the ball on the other end to swing.  The two ends keep moving for a while.  I was picturing the giant version becoming some sort of game for the daring people.

You can see some of our other ideas from the week here:

River’s List

1. Giants Newtons Cradle (for the bold)
2. Pillow Fluffer
3. Deconstructable Lizard Cage
4. Magnifying Glass Thangy
5. Disco Pants
6. Sauce Maker (Combines ingredients to make different sauces)
7. Pen Phone Charger
8. Handheld Phone Charger
9. Toaster with Cream Cheese Spreader
10. Ice Cream Maker