Brainstorm an Invention

Items Needed:

Paper
Pens or pencils
Brownie Inspiring Entrepreneurs by GSUSA (one per scout)
Craft materials for prototyping (cardboard, tape, string, scissors, glue, etc.)
(Optional) Picture books, magazines, or internet access for additional inspiration

Instructions (Estimated Total Time: 30–35 minutes):

Choose a Design Setting (2–3 minutes)
- As a troop, scouts vote on which place they want to focus on for their invention ideas:
  - Home (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, chores)
  - Meeting Space or Outdoors (doors, lights, benches, playgrounds)
  - Community (parks, sidewalks, traffic crossings)
- Once chosen, they’ll use that setting to guide their brainstorming.
Brainstorm an Idea (5–7 minutes)
- Scouts think about their chosen place and look for small problems to solve.
- They ask themselves:
  - What bugs me here?
  - What could be easier or safer?
  - What would be fun to improve?
- Then they come up with invention ideas that help with that problem.
Get Inspired (3–5 minutes)
- Scouts read from the Brownie Inspiring Entrepreneurs handout.
- They can also check out books, short videos, or real examples of young inventors if time allows.
Create a Prototype (10–15 minutes)
- Each scout picks their favorite idea and builds a prototype using craft materials.
- It can be a drawing or a 3D model. Prototypes don’t need to be perfect—just a way to show how the invention works.
Reflect & Share (5 minutes)
- Scouts present their prototypes to the group and talk about:
  - What their invention does
  - What inspired them
  - What part was most fun or tricky

Tia Kennard