See the cute kid above? That’s my nephew holding a stack of kid art kits that are part of my sister’s MasterKitz line. And Ben had a hand in creating some of the tools for the Waterlillies kit. Now he is one of five nominees for Chicago’s “Young Inventor of the Year” award! How’d he do that? In my sister’s own words:
“When I was developing a kit for Monet Waterlilies, I was a little stuck. Ben was creating the drawing as I was developing it and he was not having as much fun as he did with the other kits. For my previous kits, I created a stencil that went on top of the painting to help with the composition. That is when Ben stepped up and said ‘Mom, why don’t you put the stencil underneath the paper and rub the pastel on top…isn’t that what Impressionism is…an impression?’
Of course! He put the stencil under the paper and it was like magic! Then, I thought why not let him develop the rest of the kit. I told him that I needed to find a way for kids like him to be able to make shadows in the water just like Monet did in his paintings. And that is how he created the “Shadow Maker”. He tried many things, and then finally, he cut a piece of paper just like one of the lily pads, put it on top of the pastel drawing and then dragged his finger down the paper. The “Shadow Maker” protected what he already drew and created instant shadows!”
Brilliant! And I always new Ben was a little inventor. The winner will be decided by the number of votes on the TAGIE website, which ends October 31st. The winner will be announced at a big fancy formal gala. While I was visiting Ben last week, he put on his outfit that he will be wearing to the awards show—not once, but twice! I think I even caught him in the mirror practicing — his acceptance speech perhaps? LOL!
Check out the site and see the four other inspiring competitors by clicking on the image to the left.
What a great idea for kids! Inspiring.