Shorecrest School

Young Inventor Visits Fifth Grade

Source/Author: Mila B. ‘26 and Raffi Darrow, Ebytes Editor
October 12, 2018
Middle School News


When Marissa Streng was in third grade, her school participated in a project fair called Invention Convention. She was tasked with inventing something that did not yet exist. Working solo, Marissa put her attention to her dog, Mojo, and decided to make something for dogs. Her initial idea was some sort of umbrella to use when walking dogs while it’s raining, but research showed the product already existed. Next Marissa thought about how to dry her dog faster after a bath. He always hated being cold and certainly smelled funny. She envisioned her dog stepping into a tube filled with warm air and named her invention the Puff-N-Fluff.

The Puff-N-Fluff dog dryer is a rectangular piece of material with four elastic leg holes. A dog’s paws are placed through the openings, and then the sides are brought together and easily fastened by a hook and loop closure. Drawstrings close the gaps around the head and tail. Virtually any blow dryer can be attached to its flex-hose to let warm air circulate around the dog.

At just 9 years old, Marissa Streng was the 2011 grand prize winner of the  University of South Florida Young Innovator Competition. That lead to an appearance on NBC's “Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon,” where Marissa and a few other inventors were surprised with $5000. Now, the Puff-N-Fluff sells about 35-50 products each month online and in a few Tampa Bay area stores.

This week Marissa (who is now 17 and a junior in high school) visited Shorecrest to talk to fifth graders about being inventors. She presented an early prototype of her product, talked about getting a patent, explained how profits often go back into her company for product improvement, and motivated students to keep dreaming.
 
Fifth grader Mila B. enjoyed hearing what Marissa had to say.

“In science we’re studying what an inventor does. Ms. Willis invited the girl who made the Puff-N-Fluff in so we could learn from another inventor and what it’s all about and how it works.”

Mila also learned why Marissa isn’t getting rich from product sales. “When she gets the money she uses it to make better Puff-N-Fluffs and try other colors for them.”

Fifth grade will soon be embarking on their own Innovation Fair in partnership with the Florida Invention Convention. Working in teams, classmates will participate in an award-winning invention education program that fosters problem solving and critical thinking skills. The young inventors will present at a Shorecrest Innovation Fair on February 21, 2019. More information will come home to parents soon from the fifth grade teaching team.

Mila is excited to start the project with her team. Marissa taught her a valuable lesson about entrepreneurship while she was here. “I learned you’re never too old or too young to make an invention,” Mila said.


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