Promotion of School Children's Invention in Japan.

Abstract

In the late 1980s an American newspaper reported that by one measure--the number of patents cited by successive inventors--Japan overtook the United States in the number of inventions produced during the 1970s. The reasons for this are not clear, but educational efforts promoting creative behaviors in school children are probably essential and should not be neglected. This document describes two examples of these efforts: (1) the Contest of School Children's Invention and (2) activities in the Inventio.. Clubs for Boys and Girls. The Contest of School Children's Inventions is for primary, middle, and high school students. The Imperial Prize (top honors) was given to primary school students in 1986, 1987, and 1988. The inventions of the Imperial Prize winners for these years are described in detail and a chart listing all the grand prizes from 1986 through 1989 is also provided. The first invention club was opened in 1974 to foster the potential creativity originally possessed by youngsters, to stimulate their imagination, and to help them develop a scientific idea. The largest club (1500 members) is the Kariya Invention Club for. Boys situated in the Toyota Science Research Institute. There are 101 clubs in Japan and they cater mainly to students in the third grade of primary school through second grade in middle school. (PR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Promotion of School Children's Invention in Japan