Women’s History Month for Kids: An Invention Scavenger Hunt Using Things in Your Own Home
Women’s History Month for Kids: An Invention Scavenger Hunt Using Things in Your Own Home
Ask a room of kids to name a famous inventor, and you’ll probably hear the same few names. Usually men. Usually from a textbook.
Then ask them who invented the dishwasher. Or the windshield wiper. Or the chocolate chip cookie.
Watch their faces when they find out.
I’m Katrina, known on stage as Magical Katrina, a professional magician and mentalist based in Las Vegas. I’ve been named PCAM Family Entertainer of the Year, and as a woman in a field that was dominated by men for most of its history, I love helping kids discover that inventors, creators, and performers come in every form. If you’re looking for a fresh way to celebrate Women’s History Month for kids, here’s an activity that turns your home or classroom into a museum of hidden history.
It’s an invention scavenger hunt. And at the end, I’ll share the most important invention on the list. It’s one nobody has created yet.
Why an Invention Scavenger Hunt Works for Women’s History Month for Kids
Kids learn best when they’re moving, searching, and discovering. A scavenger hunt turns history into a game.
Instead of reading about inventors on a worksheet, kids hunt for real objects they use every day. When they find one, they learn the story of the woman behind it. Suddenly history isn’t something that happened far away. It’s sitting on the kitchen counter.
That’s why this activity is such a natural fit for Women’s History Month for kids. It’s hands-on, curiosity-driven, and full of surprises.
How to Set It Up
Setting up this Women’s History Month for kids activity takes about as long as writing a grocery list.
For Families at Home
Make a simple list of the objects below. Give each child a copy and a pencil. Set a timer, or let them search at their own pace. When they find an item, they check it off and bring it (or a photo of it) back to the “museum,” which can be the kitchen table.
For Classrooms
Create picture cards of each object and hide them around the room. Or send the list home as a family activity and have students share what they found the next day. A visit from Magical Katrina could make a memorable finale.
For Libraries and Community Groups
Turn it into a station-based Women’s History Month for kids event, with each station featuring an invention and a short story about the woman who created it.
Magical Katrina loves activities like this, because they’re built on the same thing magic is built on: curiosity.
The Women’s History Month for Kids Scavenger Hunt List
Here are seven everyday objects connected to women inventors. Each one comes with a short story kids can read aloud.
1. A Dishwasher
Find it: The kitchen.
The story: Josephine Cochrane received a patent for a dishwashing machine in 1886. She reportedly wanted a machine that could wash dishes faster and without chipping her fine china, so she designed one herself.
Ask kids: What chore would you invent a machine for?
2. Windshield Wipers
Find it: The family car (look, don’t touch the controls).
The story: Mary Anderson received a patent in 1903 for a device that cleared rain and snow from a vehicle’s windshield. Today, wipers are on nearly every car on the road.
Ask kids: What problem have you noticed that nobody has solved yet?
3. A Paper Grocery Bag
Find it: The pantry, the recycling bin, or under the kitchen sink.
The story: Margaret Knight invented a machine that could make flat-bottomed paper bags, the kind that stand up on their own. She received a patent in 1871.
Ask kids: Why do you think a flat bottom matters?
4. Chocolate Chip Cookies
Find it: The cookie jar, the pantry, or a recipe book.
The story: Ruth Wakefield is credited with creating the chocolate chip cookie in the 1930s at the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts.
Ask kids: If you could invent a new cookie, what would be in it?
5. Correction Fluid or Correction Tape
Find it: A desk drawer or school supply box.
The story: Bette Nesmith Graham, a typist, invented a correction fluid in the 1950s to cover typing mistakes. It became known as Liquid Paper.
Ask kids: Why is it okay to make mistakes?
6. A Home Security Camera or Doorbell Camera
Find it: The front door, if your home has one. If not, draw one.
The story: Marie Van Brittan Brown co-invented an early home security system that used cameras and a monitor to see who was at the door. It was patented in 1969.
Ask kids: How does seeing who’s at the door help people feel safe?
7. A Phone or Tablet That Connects Wirelessly
Find it: Anywhere in the house.
The story: Hedy Lamarr, a famous actress, also co-invented a frequency-hopping system patented in 1942. Ideas like hers helped lay the groundwork for some of the wireless technology we use today.
Ask kids: Can a person be good at more than one thing?
After the Hunt: Talk About It
Once the list is complete, gather everyone together. A few conversation starters:
Which story surprised you most?
Why do you think these inventors aren’t as famous as some others?
What do all these inventors have in common? (Hint: they noticed a problem and refused to accept it.)
What would you invent?
These conversations are the heart of Women’s History Month for kids. The objects are just the doorway.
Extend the Activity
Invention Journals
Give each child a notebook to sketch their own invention ideas throughout March.
Invention Fair
Host a mini fair where kids present their invention ideas, no matter how silly or ambitious. It’s a joyful way to close out Women’s History Month for kids.
Family Interviews
Kids can interview a mom, aunt, grandmother, or family friend about something she created, solved, or built, connecting Women’s History Month for kids to their own family story.
A Live Performance
Bring in a performer whose career reflects the same spirit of curiosity and creativity. That’s where magic can fit beautifully into Women’s History Month for kids.
Where Magic Fits
Magic is invention in disguise.
Every effect starts with a question: “What if this were possible?” Then comes experimenting, failing, adjusting, and practicing until the impossible looks effortless. That’s exactly how inventors work.
I also created my own theatrical show, I Am Not a Spy. This Is a Magic Show., which received the Hollywood Fringe “Take the Stage” Award. Building it from nothing taught me that creating something new always starts with curiosity and a willingness to try.
For schools, libraries, and community groups celebrating Women’s History Month for kids, a live show can show children a woman doing something astonishing, and spark the question, “How did she do that?”
Formats
A featured show for a classroom, assembly, or library event. Magical Katrina tailors the show to the children’s ages.
A virtual show for schools or families connecting online. My virtual shows range from $1,400 to $5,000, depending on format, audience size, and customization.
Magical Katrina can talk with you about what fits your group, your space, and your schedule.
Who You’d Be Booking
I’ve been performing for more than 13 years across over 20 countries. My credits include Blippi, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and Masters of Illusion. I’ve won five magic awards, including PCAM Family Entertainer of the Year, and I’m a member of The Magic Circle in London and the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood.
And one rule never changes: every child Magical Katrina invites to take part walks away feeling proud. Nobody is ever embarrassed.
Planning Tips
Start early. March fills quickly for schools and libraries. Planning now gives you the widest choice of dates for Women’s History Month for kids activities and performances.
Mix activities. Pair the scavenger hunt with books, journals, and a live performance for a richer month.
Include everyone. Women’s History Month is for all kids, not just girls. Boys benefit just as much from learning these stories.
Share your goals. Tell Magical Katrina what you’d like children to take away, and the performance can reflect it.
What It Looks Like
Picture a third-grade classroom on the first Monday in March. Twenty-two kids holding scavenger hunt lists, racing between picture cards taped to the walls.
A boy finds the chocolate chip cookie card and shouts, “A WOMAN invented these?” Half the class runs over to see.
Later that week, the class gathers for a magic show. A girl in the front row is invited to help. When the impossible happens in her own hands, she turns to her friends and says, “I want to invent a trick.”
The details always depend on your event, but that’s the kind of curiosity Women’s History Month for kids can spark.
The Invention That Doesn’t Exist Yet
So here’s what I promised.
The most important invention on the scavenger hunt isn’t the dishwasher, the windshield wiper, or even the chocolate chip cookie.
It’s the one no one has invented yet.
Somewhere in that classroom, at that kitchen table, or in that library story circle, there’s a child who will notice a problem nobody else has solved. Maybe she’ll design a better backpack. Maybe she’ll write the code for something we can’t imagine. Maybe she’ll create a magic trick that fools the whole world.
Every inventor on this list started as a kid who asked, “Why isn’t there a better way?”
That’s the real gift of Women’s History Month for kids. Not just learning who came before. Realizing you might be next.
So when the scavenger hunt is over, leave one blank line at the bottom of the list. Label it: “My invention.”
And let them fill it in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Women’s History Month activity for kids?
An invention scavenger hunt is a fun, hands-on way to celebrate Women’s History Month for kids. Children search for everyday objects connected to women inventors and learn the story behind each one.
What age is this activity for?
It can be adapted for many ages. Younger kids can search with picture cards, while older kids can research each inventor in more depth.
Can magic be part of a Women’s History Month event?
Yes. A live show can celebrate curiosity and creativity, and show children a woman thriving in a field that was historically dominated by men.
Do you offer virtual shows for schools?
Yes. My virtual shows range from $1,400 to $5,000, depending on format, audience size, and customization.
What should I include when I inquire?
Your date, location or platform, number of children, ages, and goals for the event. That helps me confirm availability and recommend the right format.
Let’s Celebrate Together
If you’re planning a Women’s History Month event for kids, I’d love to hear about it. Tell me your date, your group, and what you want the children to discover.
Get in touch to check availability with Magical Katrina, and let’s spark the curiosity of the next generation of inventors.