Invention at Play
Now Open!
Explore the playful side of invention and the inventive side of play. Tinker in the Invention Playhouse and peruse artifacts and real stories to see how play fosters creativity in real inventors.
Unleash your inner child in Invention at Play! Explore and discover the differences and similarities between the ways children and adults play and the creative processes used by innovators in science and technology.
What Did You Play With?
Dolls, games of strategy, vehicles, and construction toys such as the ones you see here have been continual favorites for centuries. But with new technologies in the 20th century--radio, movies, television, and computers--parents and educators wonder whether children are too dependent on passive entertainment and losing the benefits of traditional play. Inventors and historians wonder whether the changes in how we play will change how we invent.
Playing/Inventing: What's the Difference?
When asked what inspired them to become inventors, many adults tell stories about playing as children. Among their most frequently cited childhood play experiences are: mechanical tinkering, fiddling with construction toys, reflecting about nature, and drawing or engaging in visual modeling. There is something about the skills fostered by play that inventors value and keep using as part of their working lives.
