Northridge : Student Inventors Vie for Brightest Ideas

With his mussed hair and his navy tie akimbo, Jared Needle looks every bit the frazzled inventor. And Jared’s looks aren’t deceiving.

The precocious boy, who is “eight and three-quarters” years old, is the proud innovator of the Writing Fork, a plastic fork soldered onto a Bic ballpoint pen designed for “Generation X-ers on the fast track to success.”

And for more upscale customers?

“It comes in brushed metal with interchangeable parts,” he explained.

Jared’s invention, a tool for folks so harried that they must do paperwork while eating dinner, was one of 31 on display Friday at the invention convention at Balboa Boulevard Magnet School. By June, one of the inventions will be selected for the national “Invent America!” competition sponsored by the U.S. Patent Office.

Participating in the competition has become a school tradition, said third-grade teacher Christy Wyatt, who has taught Balboa students about inventors, inventions, patents and innovation for five years.

At the convention, the youngsters demonstrated intricate prototypes for their products, showed how the gizmos worked and explained what problems the invention solved. They pitched their products with commercials to about 60 parents in the audience.

In more than one instance, mothers were the mothers of invention for these kids.

Victoria Moon Song designed her Comfy-Dog, an ultra-padded leash with a battery-powered lightbulb for maximum canine-human comfort and visibility, “after my mom nearly ran over a dog.”

Classmate Jordan Sara Menashe was similarly inspired by her mom’s inability to match up socks after washing laundry. With long red hair pushed behind her ears, Jordan earnestly explained that Sticky Socks, each equipped with two pieces of Velcro, solved this dilemma.

Her five pairs have been through the washing machine without getting separated, she said. An added bonus is that the pieces of adhesive line up when the socks are rolled down, she said, so that no 9-year-old ever need have uneven sock cuffs.

If Jordan’s socks make it to the Invent America! competition, the intrepid inventor said she plans to patent the concept.