Women Inventors that Changed History

Happy International Women's Day!

This ice breaker or energiser has been designed to spark curiosity and conversation about the origin of some the most popular inventions over the past 200 years and the great minds that came up with them.

Women are under represented as patent holders but they have had a significant role in changing the history of their fields. This activity is a fun way to bring attention to some of these wonderful ideas and the unique perspectives that allowed these women the creativity to bring them to life.

How to...

Before the session:

• All answers should be hidden with the shushing emoji covers stored on the left. Covers can be locked to reduce accidental movement.

• Participation can be expanded by adding more stickies to the guess area or by grouping participants.

In the session:

1. Read out each introduction with the female inventors name.

2. Introduce but don't describe the three emoji's that hint at the invention.

3. Allow between 1-3 minutes for teams to decipher the hint to make their guess.

4. Once the time is up or guesses are complete, remove the cover to reveal the answer.

5. Compare and discuss answers.

Discussion prompts: 

• Did the answer surprise you? 

• What about it did you find surprising? The year? The inventor? The story? 

• What unique insight may have lead to this idea? 

• How might we use the unique insight we have to invent new ways of doing things?

Bonus activity:

• Allow participants to ideate on the last question.

• Consider how we might use the unique insight we have to invent new ways of doing things.

• What problem or friction have you observed and how could you solve it?

• Is there a new way of solving an old problem?

• Or an old way of solving a new problem?

Space has been provided to write or draw these thoughts.