Elise Greiner, a fifth grader at Northwood Elementary School, has invented a tasty way to help people fall asleep. In her REACH gifted and talented class, teacher Melanie Klock challenged students to invent something that would help solve an everyday problem. Elise surveyed staff members and learned that falling asleep quickly is a common problem. So, Elise set out to find a natural remedy that even kids could use. Her research led her to discover that kiwi fruit is a natural sleep aid.
Elise’s first idea was to bake almond cookies with kiwi jelly, but the result was, well, less than delicious. Next, she put the kiwi in a food processor and froze it to create sorbet balls. When her family tried the sorbet, their mouths began to tingle, and they all thought that they were having an allergic reaction. It turns out that an enzyme in kiwi causes the tingling sensation, which isn’t harmful. Still, Elise didn’t want others to think they were having an allergic reaction, so she decided to boil the kiwi before freezing it, which eliminated the enzyme. Her test participants liked this option but requested that she add Popsicle sticks to make it easier to eat. “The sticks would make it harder to package and market, so I decided to put the sorbet in little cups,” explained Elise.
On May 15, Elise and her classmates – Isabella Callan, Madison Eichas, Elyssa Hardesty, Ricky Mooney, Makayla Pignagrande, Caden Setzer, Owen Smith, and Eric Thompson – headed to the Western NY Invention Convention at the Buffalo Museum and Science Center. Some of the other Northwood inventions included “The Clean Carrier,” a reusable bag made of Dri-Fit material; “Snow Floaters” that help dogs walk in deep snow; and “Hook Trash 22,” which keeps pets from getting in the trash can. The inventors of these designs, Caden, Owen, Ricky and Eric, won awards for presentation, communication skills, creativity and design.
Elise was one of four inventors from Western NY presented with the “Inventor of the Year Award.” She will be competing with young inventors from all around the U.S. at the National Invention Convention at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan from June 1 through 3.
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