By Ruina and Ritaja
A few months ago the PTO and two Sprague teachers, Mrs. Chiesa and Mrs. Vani, created a Shark Tank program designed for kids. Mrs. Vani already had experience with inventing a product, having sold a workout product called Ab Master a while ago. Mrs. Chiesa and Mrs. Vani also do an event called the invention convention in 2nd grade, which is similar to the Shark Tank we do, so they have some experience off of that too.
After asking people involved in this activity, Shark Tank, some questions, we managed to discover their opinion on Shark Tank, as well as why they joined and what they are inventing. The kids that we interviewed, Saira, Reyna, and Nanoko, all have different reasons on why they started doing Shark Tank, and different ways that their life has been impacted by this event. Saira wants to help people who are struggling with something, while Reyna found it interesting. Nanoko saw it on TV, and when her partner asked her to join, she thought it would be fun to try it out.
It has had an impact on all their lives by seeing what it would be like from the business person/inventors point of view. Reyna and Saira have actually decided to work together with some of their other friends, such as Alexandra and Ritaja. Nanoko and Veda have decided to work on a project together as well. Reyna’s group is making “The Cookie Bucket”. This invention will cut down the time of making cookies and is easy to wash/clean. It is a bucket with markings to fill up to for some ingredient. There are inserts for whichever cookie you want to make. Nanoko and Veda are making something called the “Get Set Go Clock”, quoted by Nanoko, “A Get Set Go Clock is a reminder clock that reminds people what to do at what time so, you won’t be late in doing things”. These inventions are trying to solve different problems that people, including us, have faced, but there are other ways to figure out what product to make. Everyone had access to the Baxter Lab, to build their prototype. The Baxter Lab is a lab where there are 3D printers, lasers, wood carving machines and many more.
The day of the presentations of the Shark Tank, sharks, that are not known right now and are not Mrs. Chiesa and Mrs. Vani, will go around looking at a presentation about your product and your elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a 30 second snippet where you tell the Sharks about your product, why they should “invest” in it, and leave a memorable impact on them to keep them thinking. Your presentation can be a slideshow, poster board, keynote, whatever you like. While the Sharks won’t actually be purchasing your product, you are still allowed to sell your invention if you figure out how. Currently, the program is not giving out prizes, but if it works out this year, they are planning on adding prizes in the future.
DW Voice 