Alyssa, Amy, Kaycee and their friend Nick invented Boogie2Boogie when they were just 10-12 years old. They thought that children's body boards, commonly known as Boogie Boards, were not well designed for kids. Kids needed a body board that is made specifically for riding that kind of wave, focusing on riding in the breakers near the shore—where kids like to ride!

They created a Boogie Board that had a functional shape, that was fun to use and appealed to kids. They enjoyed "surfing" together and came up with a connector to attach to each board to the other so they could ride in tandem. Also, for parents who wanted a way of getting children's attention when it was time to come in, the kids came up with a remote signaling device so that parents could signal them from shore.

The kids entered their invention into the National TOYchallenge, sponsored by Sally Ride Science, Hasbro and Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, and they were awarded a first place in the National Competition after winning Best Engineering & Best Overall Invention in Regional Competition.

Alyssa, Amy, and Kaycee joined up with their friends Brittney and Kara and three boys last year to keep inventing. At the ages of 12-14 they formed The California Aquatics, a team of eight middle school kids. They noticed that there aren’t many pool toys out there for older kids and everyone cheats at Marco Polo. Also, nobody likes to buy lots of pieces to play different games and parents don’t like toys that take up to much space in the garage.

They created the Underwater X-treme, a cool new pool toy for kids their age. The Underwater X-treme is a new kind of pool toy that features sound and bright, blinking red lights In June 2005, the UX tied for first place in the National TOYchallenge.

At age 10, Amber decided she wanted to invent a device to help cool you down when you are outside playing and performing lifestyle activities. She wanted to come up with a way to keep cool and still be able to run around outside in the heat. She invented a vest you can wear it and still have your arms free to play any kind of game. She won the By Kids for Kids Entrepreneurial award out of 600 children at the 22nd Annual Connecticut Invention Convention.

Cassidy invented her Crayon Holder at age 11. Cassidy had a bucket of broken crayons and couldn’t use them for her drawing. She was inspired to create a way to make use of all the small pieces. Inspired by the plastic tubes used to keep roses fresh, she invented a device that would hold the crayon and give the user something bigger to hang onto, enabling them to use their broken crayons rather than throwing them away.

Cassidy received one U.S. Patent (#6,402,407) and has another patent pending and her Crayon Holder is currently offered in over 500 Walmart stores.

Chrissy, Karen and Kelly have invented the game “Hop To It” - a 21st Century Game of Jump Rope. They wanted to create a fun game that wasn’t the “same old” jump rope that their parents remembered. So this innovative team of sisters invented a device with infrared sensors mounted on a turntable that rotate in a circle at a speed determined by the players. When a player doesn’t jump high enough or at the right time, the sensors detect heat and activate the voice alarm. The players can also pre-record messages on the recorder to make the game really funThe girls have come up with three games that can be played which include “Leapfrog” for two teams, “You Croaked” for two players or more and “Croaking A Cappella” for a single player.

Jerrilee invented Swipe-It - a spelling card game that is easy to learn and fun to play. At age 9, Jerrilee wanted to create a special birthday gift for her older sister who loved word games. She wanted it to be the BEST game ever! With the help of her mother, Jerrilee brainstormed ideas and developed this fast-paced game of spelling and vocabulary. Swipe-It is a game in which the players race to complete words from multiple letter groups building from the inside out. The more words you complete, or steal, the more points you earn. The more cards left in your hand when someone goes out, the more points you lose. The rules contain several versions, and it can be played cooperatively or competitively, and in fact, it naturally has some of each built in.

Kirsten , from Novato, California was 10 when she came up with her great new invention – the "FroBow." This flying disc featuring a marker and writing surface to create new fun ways to play and communicate. With the FroBow she also imagined playing different games like tic-tac-toe or a more elaborate version of Ultimate Frisbee using the secret code for teams to protect. Now the disc has more power. Kids can send aerial messages back and forth, play games like tic-tac-toe, or integrate into a team game where the secret is written under the disc. She won the Chester Award Grand Prize in the 2004/05 By Kids For Kids Xerox National Invention Competition.

With the help of her mother, Natalie came up with the Booster Buddies when she was just 3 1/2 years old. They are brightly colored, animal shaped pillows that fasten to the car seat to hold them in place and are fun to sleep with. The Booster Buddies have been sold in retail and on the internet and Natalie has told her story on TV and in newspapers.

At the age of 11, Shanice wanted to find a better way to get kids to take their vitamins. She dreaded having to chew or swallow an unpleasant-tasting or oddly shaped vitamin. She thought “Why not make a fun way for kids to take their vitamins?”

Shanice crushed up the vitamins and put the daily amount into separate tubes and sealed them – and created VitaStix. The plastic casing keeps the sticks sealed and kid-protected. Shanice won the By Kids for Kids Entrepreneurial award out of 600 children at the 22nd Annual Connecticut Invention Convention.

Taylor , from Cincinnati, Ohio, was 10 when she invented her "Magic Sponge Blocks." These large building blocks are made from sponge that can safely stack high without worry that they could fall and hurt a child. This life size construction set lets kids build forts, houses, castles, and stages. When ready to be stored they are placed in a special vacuum bag where the air is sucked out reducing the size. She won the Chester Award Grand Prize in the 2004/05 By Kids For Kids Xerox National Invention Competition.