What would happen if we asked kids to solve some of the world's biggest problems — things like hunger, pollution, and homelessness?
Alex Rappaport, a co-founder of Brooklyn-based education company Flocabulary, wanted to find out. In 2014, along with DUMBO BID, he created Big Idea Week. Each year during the free, week-long program, 1,500 students students in high-need schools across New York City are asked to identify problems and create their own solutions.
The students work with their peers, teachers, and mentors from the community, including myself, to help them with their projects. I started the week at P.S. 120 in Brooklyn talking to 60 fourth-graders about my job as a graphic designer for Tech Insider. The other mentors and I then spent the rest of the week guiding the teams through their ideas, prototyping, and making presentations. At the end of the week they pitched to us, Shark Tank style.
While there were no investments made, the kids did come up with some imaginative solutions to very real problems happening all around us. I was blown away by the awareness and empathy these nine-year-olds had for their communities and the environment.
These are a few of the highlights:
This is The Medical Bot. This group of students invented a robot to help people who can't get to a hospital quickly. The robot is able to scan your body to tell what is wrong and then can perform anything from putting on a Band-Aid to giving you stitches.
Another idea for better health was Vita-Ice, ice-cubes made from powder that has vitamins in it. The kids didn't like how their vitamins tasted, so this was their flavorful solution.
This group recognized that kids are eating too much sugar, causing diabetes and cavities. They invented the Fruity Candy vending machine that dispenses fruits and vegetables disguised as candy. Their prototype even had a refrigeration system to keep the food fresh.
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