Inspiring a New Generation of Inventors in the North East
The Project
To mark the 200th Anniversary of The Lit & Phil Library in Newcastle, Little Inventors invited children from Newcastle schools to come up with invention ideas inspired by the library’s book collections. Funded through The Reece Foundation, this pilot school engagement programme saw children take on an almighty challenge: how to help wildlife thrive in their busy city. From over 100 ideas generated, three were brought to life by professional makers and exhibited at the Lit & Phil for all to enjoy.
Timeline
Summer Term 2025
Project Partners
The Lit & Phil
Little Inventors
The Reece Foundation
Schools Involved
- Gosforth East Middle School
- St Paul’s C of E Primary School
Key Goals
- To nurture children’s creative confidence and problem-solving skills
- To practice literacy, drawing and making skills in a fun-filled, cross-curricular environment
- To grow pupil’s knowledge of city planning and the impact of urbanisation on wildlife
- To grow awareness of the Lit & Phil as a place of invention, imagination and public creativity – past, present and future, across the North East.
The Inspiration
In May 2025, the Lit & Phil hosted four inspiring workshops in its learning space, with over 100 children participating. Taking inspiration from books on display and a presentation bringing the collections to life, children were invited to draw their own invention ideas, before prototyping them using cardboard and recycled materials.
Participating children designed and prototyped incredibly innovative concepts such as multi-species habitat streetlamps, innovative safe animal crossings, floating islands for seals, and reimagined green cityscapes.
The three winning ideas were brought to life by professional makers from the region, contributing to the local creative economy and presenting the children with creative career pathways. Two of them met their designers on a zoom call to provide further information about their concepts, whilst another one participated in a studio visit and contributed directly to the making of parts of her idea.
Following this successful pilot project, Little Inventors has secured funding from The Reece Foundation for a three year programme to enable outreach to continue across Northumberland and the wider North East.- To find out more and get involved, email justine@littleinventors.org.
Photo – Winning inventor Ethan, aged 9,with his Decision Hat, which was brought to life by Sunderland Maker, Carl Gregg.
Outcomes
Inspiring children to solve problems through creative thinking
Over 100 children participated, creating an invention drawing and then building cardboard prototypes of their ideas, which was a hands on way for them to be creative and think about how their design might work in reality.
Experiencing Cross-Curricular Learning
Teachers praised the quality of the workshops and their cross-curricular approach to learning, merging History, Natural Sciences, Design and Technology with Art.
Raising awareness of an historic organisation
The children enjoyed the opportunity to think laterally and creatively about a contemporary challenge in an exciting historic setting. Many of the pupils had never visited the Lit & Phil before and were keen to share this with their families for potential future visits.
Future Development
Following the success of this pilot programme, a further three years of engagement has been funded by the Reece Foundation. In the next academic year, Little Inventors will be working with Northumberland schools and will be taking part in outreach sessions across the North East.
Impact
Find Out More
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