Monday, March 01, 2010
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We are excited to bring you one more for our "2-week" rapid challenge from our flash inventing months at BKFK!
Grow Your Business Challenge: Looking for business moguls! Come up with new ideas for businesses that you would like to launch. Entries can include but are not limited to: product based or service based businesses in virtually any industry you choose. It must be a new original idea for a business that does not currently exist.
* Want to learn more about the contest? Download our one page
Fact Sheet
* Need some help organizing your thoughts?
Read our ideation tips
Prizing:
- Best idea will win a $500 U.S. savings bond.
- 3 honorable mentions will receive a $10 i-tunes card each.
- Grand Prize winner and finalists will nominate an inspirational Teacher or mentor. Nominated teacher will be featured in the BKFK website and newsletters.
Deadline: March 12, 2010, 3:00 pm (et). Enter now
Thursday, February 18, 2010
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What is Aha Product Invention Challenge?
We are challenging kids to invent new and exciting products of all kinds – they could be for home, school, or office. They can be toys, appliances, or utility products www.bkfk.com
Deadline:February 26, 2010 3:00 pm (et)
Prizing:
-One Grand Prize: $500 Savings Bond
-3 Runner’s up: $10 i-tunes card
- Teacher Award - Grand Prize winner and finalists will nominate an inspirational Teacher or mentor. Nominated teacher will be featured in the bkfk website and newsletters.
Judging Criteria:
-Originality of Concept
-Development and Description of idea
-Marketability
Eligibility:
All youth from 6 – 18 years of age, individual entries only, and residents of U.S. and District of Columbia. All entries must be made online at www.bkfk.com and must answer all 7 entry questions in full (also found below).
- Name Your Product (Inventions could include home appliances, school supplies, office products, toys,sporting goods, etc.)
- Describe your idea in detail. How would you develop it? How does it work? What problem does it solve or make better?
- Who will use your invention the most? What’s your target age group?
- How does your idea impact your audience? Does it help them to perform a task? Does it keep them more organized?
- What makes your idea different than other existing inventions?
- What needs to happen to make your idea a reality? Is there a company or person who inspires your inventing?
- Did you build a prototype? If yes, when you built it what worked, what didn’t, what changes you made and how it improved? If No, describe how you might make a prototype in the future, what materials would you use, how would you construct it?
All entrants will be allowed to upload up to 3 digital assets (images, audio, video, documents) to support their entry.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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When 8-year-old Leanna Archer told her parents she wanted to start a business, they said she was too young to start one. But a year later, this persistent young girl had laid out a neat business plan that just couldn't be ignored. So 9-year-old Leanna started her very own company and turned her great-grandmother's homemade hair pomade recipe to a thriving home business. She is now the chief executive officer of Leanna's Inc., a hair care company and is responsible for the creations and development of the hair products. Her family helps her in bookkeeping, packaging, and product testing. Leanna Inc. sells its shampoos, conditioners, shea butter, and other products both in stores and online. 
Leanna also gives speeches to motivate kids and young adults nationwide. She has also formed a foundation to help school and feed underprivileged kids in Haiti.
Starting February 26, you can enter your very own business ideas to our Grow My Business Challenge! Start working on your idea!
The months of February and March are flash inventing time at BKFK! We just closed our first "2-week" rapid challenge and are now asking you to enter the next one too!
The Aha Product Invention Contest challenges you to invent new and exciting products of all kinds - they could be for home, school, or office. Entries can be anything from toys and appliances to utility products.
* Want to learn more about the contest? Download our one page Fact Sheet
* Need some help organizing your thoughts? Read our ideation tips
Prizing:
- Best idea will win a $500 U.S. savings bond. 3 honorable mentions will receive a $10 i-tunes card each.
- Grand Prize winner and finalists will nominate an inspirational Teacher or mentor. Nominated teacher will be featured in the bkfk website and newsletters.
Deadline: February 26, 2010, 3:00 pm (et).
Friday, February 05, 2010
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It's black history month and at BKFK we are celebrating Black Inventors!
Lewis Latimer is known as one of the 10 most important Black inventors of all time. While working as the assistant manager for U.S. Electric Lighting Company owned by Hiram Maxim, Latimer devised a way that provided a much longer life to Thomas Edison's light bulbs. His method made the bulbs less expensive and more efficient. Latimer was later hired by Thomas Edison as his chief draftsman and patent expert. Lewis was named one of the charter members of the Edison pion
eer, a distinguished group of people deemed responsible for creating the electrical industry.
Latimer helped to install the first electric plants in Philadelphia, New York City and Montreal. In addition, he oversaw the installation of lighting in railroad stations, government buildings and major thoroughfares in Canada, New England and London. Latimer also created a safety elevator, an improved version of a book supporter, and received a patent for locking racks for hats, coats and umbrellas. He also invented an apparatus for cooling and disinfecting, to make rooms more sanitary and climate controlled.
Monday, February 01, 2010
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We've given you some ideas on ways you can help kids in Haiti. But we want to know more about what you're doing - for Haiti or for Habitat for Humanity or any other way you're working to help kids. If you have a charitable idea, you have less than two weeks to let us know! Get your entries ready and get them entered in the Kids Helping Kids Challenge. You could win a $500 U.S. Savings Bond
and help kids.
Enter
here.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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Less than two days to go to enter your great toy, game and sporting good ideas. Prizing includes a trip to LA and a trip to NYC. If you are having trouble getting/giving permission, visit BKFK.com for a form.
Also, get your thinking caps on! We are about to begin a 2 month period of rapid challenges! Each will have a first prize of a $500 U.S. Savings Bond and iTunes gift cards. The first one is called Kids Helping Kids and we're looking for your ideas on how you can help needy kids around the world. Have you been raising funds for kids in Haiti? Tell us how you have been doing it and you might win and get recognized for your efforts.
Check back on Friday for the entry form!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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Friday, January 15, 2010
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If you are looking for a quick way to donate, Save the Children has recently set up a text based donation for Haitian relief for children. Make sure you have parental permission to text SAVE to 20222 and donate $10.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
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Right now, a lot of you might be wondering what you can do to help the children of Haiti. Children under 18 make up nearly 50 percent of the 10 million population of Haiti.
Often, kids feel particularly connected to children in crisis around the world, but feel helpless. But there are ways, large and small, that you can help kids in Haiti today – and tomorrow.
The devastation is immense. And it will be long lasting. The people of Haiti will not just need a bit of assistance today. In the upcoming weeks, the news will peak and then wind down but the children of Haiti will still need help.
Quick ideas on how you can find to donate in the short term:
- This morning, my daughter asked if she could forego school lunch ($2.25) and if I would give that money to Save The Children. (Yes!)
- If you’re a latte-drinker, skip it for the next few days and you could donate $15!
- This weekend, skip your second viewing of Avatar and send that $20 to a relief organization.
- Encourage your friends to do the same. Talk to them about ideas they’ve had on how to help.
- Tell us about it! We will be celebrating kids who are helping!
- WITH YOUR PARENTS PERMISSION!
- Make an automatic $10 donation to the Red Cross, text "HAITI" to 90999; the money will be charged directly to your cell phone bill.
- Donate $5 via your cellphone to Wyclef Jean's grassroots organization: text "Yele" to 501501.
You can also give supplies:
- Become a Facebook fan of Save the Children, Americares, UNICEF, The Red Cross, or another non-government agency who is helping and they will update you with specific needs as they come up.
- Many also have Twitter feeds and can update you that way.
You can give time and energy:
- You can work to teach your friends about the massive issues facing the Haitian people and what we can do to help.
RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS
- UNICEF helps children in humanitarian crisis
- Save the Children has a Children’s Emergency Fund which is used in moments exactly like this. You can donate in amounts as small as $10.
- Mercy and Sharing Works specifically in Haiti, and specifically with children
- Americares
- American Red Cross
- Doctors Without Borders
References:
Zeiler, Freddi, A Kids Guide To Giving