COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Lewis Central students, in second through fifth grade, presented original inventions to judges Tuesday at Titan Hill Intermediate School in Council Bluffs as part of a national program called Invention Convention.
WATCH KATRINA'S STORY BELOW
Inventions ranged from a motorized, phone-controlled laser toy for pets to a device designed to clean muddy dog paws and a food tray that attaches to a blanket for watching TV.
Fourth-graders Paige Benson and Roni Archarya created the motorized laser toy. I asked Roni why so many students focused on pet-related inventions.
"Well I feel like people really care about their pets right now. They want the best for their pets," she said.
Second-grader Dane Volentine invented the Sponge Muck — trays with sponges and a towel to clean a pet paws — after his dog kept tracking dirt through the house.
"My dog, Nova, never wants to dry her feet and she goes roaming all over our house with dirty feet," he said.
The program is coordinated statewide by the Jacobson Institute at the University of Iowa.
"We know that students at all age levels are going to need the innovation, inventiveness, entrepreneurial skills so that they can be ready for both college and career," said Dawn Bowlus, the institute's director.
She said the number of students participating statewide jumped from a little more than 200 last year to 1,700 this year.
Paige explained that she and Roni came up with their idea by watching her dog: "What if we made a laser chase toy, but there's other products like this, but what if we changed it and made it better?"
A state showcase is scheduled for April. The top 4 students will advance to the national competition.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
