Little Inventors

From inception in 2016 to its heyday in 2020, Katherine was at the heart of developing Little Inventors into a thriving, internationally recognised creative education organisation working with incredible partners to create inspiring invention challenges, resources, media and books.

  • Inspiring children to invent freely...

    We created several exciting challenges including school resources, workshops, CPD and events for partner organisations, aimed at teachers and parents to encourage children of all ages to think up and draw great invention ideas with no limits.

  • Developing their ideas with makers ...

    We invited skilled experts and makers to work with children to turn their ideas into reality, from the practical to the fantastical using physical or virtual means, giving children unique insights into realising a concept from idea to object, and challenging makers to push their skills to match the children’s imagination.

  • Showcasing them to the world

    An essential part of validating children’s ideas was creating slick, beautiful online and physical exhibitions to inspire children, but also today’s scientists, makers and problem-solvers to validate children’s natural creative abilities.

Impressed by the quality of the resources developed for Little Inventors, Harper Collins commissioned a new book for 8-12 year olds to introduce the power of invention and unleashed imagination to the wider public. The Little Inventors Handbook came out in 2017, and was a steady best-seller, published internationally to great reviews. The rights sold to China set a record for Harper Collins that year. Following on from this success, Harper Collins commissioned a further three titles, revisiting the concept developed by Katherine Mengardon, who was also responsible for the writing and creative direction of the books.

  • The Little Inventors Handbook

    Conceived and written by Katherine Mengardon, this is step by step guide to thinking up fantastical, funny or perfectly practical inventions with no limits! This book encourages budding inventors to explore the process of coming up with new ideas, including problem solving, ways to make objects better, and thinking about the ways people use things.

    Complete activities and learn some cool facts about the history of inventions, science, tech, art and design along the way.

  • Little Inventors Go Green!

    This fun book is all about inventing for a greener planet. This activity book is full of ideas to help children come up with new inventions to make our world better.

    Find out about banana-eating T-rex, canvas-spinning spiders, astounding trees and many more cool facts about nature and draw inventions inspired by children.

  • Little Inventors in Space!

    The last title developed by Katherine for harper Collins and Little Inventers, In space is about becoming an inventing supernova! This activity book is full of ideas to come up with new inventions that are out of this world.

    How to make living in orbit better? Invent the next space shuttle to reach the stars? Even plan a future life on Mars? Find out about space sweepers, shooting star hunters, what it’s like to be an astronaut and many more cool facts about space. The book is filled with drawing, facts, prompts to develop original invention ideas.

Get a copy!

  • +3 million children engaged

  • Worldwide Events & Exhibitions

  • High profile Partnerships

  • Beautifully Crafted Microsites

  • International Media Coverage

  • Book series published by HarperCollins

Little Inventors in Space

In 2018, we worked with NSERC and The Canadian Space Agency to launch the Inventions for Space challenge Canada wide. We received over 3000 invention ideas, engaged +80,000 children, made 30 inventions that are now showcased in the Montreal Science Centre, and even beamed our top inventions from the International Space Station in a once in a lifetime experience for the children inventors in a space weblink with astronaut David Saint-Jacques. It doesn’t get much more out of this world than that…

 

“Giving children the opportunity to use their free thinking to design solutions and turning that into a reality is extremely empowering, helps boosts their confidence to solve some of the most pressing challenges today, and ignites their curiosity.”

— Hundred.org Academy Member