Looking for an engaging Indigenous inventions activity? This five-page lesson and invention project for students combines Indigenous education, entrepreneurship, STEM and creative problem-solving.
Students learn about innovations developed by Indigenous Peoples, including snow goggles, kayaks, canoes, snowshoes and toboggans. They explore the needs these innovations addressed before applying the same problem-solving process to their own invention.
Students then identify a real-world problem, brainstorm possible solutions and design an original product or idea.
Indigenous Inventions Activity Includes
☀︎ Teacher lesson plan
☀︎ Indigenous inventions student handout
☀︎ Activity examining the need behind each invention
☀︎ Indigenous Innovation Challenge worksheet
☀︎ Student invention-planning template
☀︎ Three connected entrepreneurship and innovation activities
☀︎ Five printable pages
Design an Invention Project
This invention project for students encourages learners to look closely at the world around them and consider how innovation begins with recognizing a need.
Students will:
☀︎ Identify a problem they would like to solve
☀︎ Brainstorm possible solutions
☀︎ Design an original product or idea
☀︎ Explain how their invention works
☀︎ Describe who their invention could help
☀︎ Develop creativity and critical-thinking skills
Indigenous Innovation and Problem-Solving
The lesson helps students recognize that Indigenous Peoples have always been inventors, designers and problem-solvers. Innovations developed in response to different lands, climates and community needs demonstrate detailed knowledge, experimentation and adaptability.
Whenever possible, connect each example to the particular Indigenous People or community responsible for it. For example, describe Inuit snow goggles rather than saying Indigenous Peoples invented modern sunglasses.
Perfect For
♡ Indigenous education
♡ Invention projects for students
♡ Entrepreneurship activities
♡ STEM and STEAM lessons
♡ Design-thinking challenges
♡ Canadian social studies
♡ Indigenous Peoples Day
♡ National Indigenous History Month
♡ Gifted and enrichment activities
♡ Project-based learning
This printable Indigenous inventions activity gives students an engaging opportunity to learn about Indigenous innovation before becoming inventors and problem-solvers themselves.
