Show the children a plain pencil. Ask them what they think is wrong with it. They might say that the eraser is too small or that it cannot write on the chalkboard. Challenge them to think of ways that they can fix some of the problems. You might want to allow them to work in small groups or as one big group. They might decide to add a larger eraser onto the end of the pencil.
Teach the students about some famous inventors such as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. After discussing the inventors, distribute paper, crayons and markers to the children. Ask them to draw and color a picture of their favorite inventor. When they are done, help them write the name of the invention that the person created on their construction paper. Hang up all of the drawings on a bulletin board or around the classroom.
Help the students to create a class timeline of inventors. You should list the inventors and the list of inventions on the board, along with the year of creation. Show students sample time lines of other moments in history. Roll out a long piece of paper with a pre-drawn time line and have each student be responsible for adding one of the inventors to the timeline. You could include statements such as "Nikola Tessa invents the radio" and "Ruth Wakefield invents chocolate chip cookies" on the timeline.
Put your students into small groups and ask them to come up with their own inventions. You should put supplies out in front of them so that they can get some ideas. Brainstorm a list of possibilities on the board too, if you feel the students need the extra help. Provide them with bowls to create their own dog dishes, string, CDs and markers to create earrings or food coloring and white flowers to make their own flower.