Imagination at play: Children's exhibit aims to develop scientific, inventive skills

For the most part, we live in an invented world. Take a minute to look around you. Probably most of what you see — whether it's bricks and glass or books and televisions — was invented at some point in history.

Every schoolchild learns of famous inventors such as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Eli Whitney. But invention is an ongoing process. Even if they might not be as well-known, countless people are still inventing things that make life better.

You, too, can be an inventor.

That's the premise behind the "Invention at Play" exhibit at Discovery Gateway children's museum. Developed by and on loan from the Lemelson Center at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in partnership with the Science Museum of Minnesota, the exhibit focuses on toys, games and activities that develop skills scientists and inventors use to create new things.

It has three main areas:

The Invention Playhouse is an imaginative space where "curiosity is king." It features things such as a wobbly surface for building towers, and a ramp with magnetic kitchen utensils lets you tinker with design. Colorful puzzles offer solving and cooperation opportunities. You can invent your own wind-powered creations and see how they fly or spin.

Playful Approaches to Invention tells the stories behind many of the things we use every day, like Velcro, Post-It Notes and Kevlar.

Issues in Play — Past, Present and Future lets you take a closer look at popular toys from the past and learn how child's play shapes learning.

"Play matters," says Susan Bellomy, director of marketing and external relations at the museum. "There are surprising parallels between the play of children and the creative process of invention. Thoughtful play can lead to lifelong creative talents."

At a media and museum member preview of the exhibit, several inventors and scientists stopped by to talk about their inventions and the process of inventing.

Jerry Bowman, a professor of mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University, invents "unique airplanes." He's come up with a micro plane that is about the size of your hand, but now he's working on a solar-powered plane. Think of the implications of that, he says. "You could fly indefinitely using the sun's energy and not need refueling."

He thinks they are about a year away from having an unmanned plane with a wingspan of about 30 feet; manned solar-powered planes are much further down the road.

For him, the inventing process begins with questions. "We define what we need to do and then brainstorm ways to do it. Maybe there will be 50 or a hundred ways. That's the fun part, and it's good to have people with imaginations there."