Kids get strange ideas this time of the year. They imagine the most wonderful things. The most unusual things start running around in their minds. It must be Santa-inspired because they seem to think that anything can come true.

A good example of what I have noticed follows. I asked my 4th grade students what they might like to invent. Basketball equipment was among the entries. If any of these worked, it could change the game forever.

Bekah would like to design the perfect basketball. “It would only work for ‘me and only me.’ It would be a perfect light purple color and have super-fast speed. I could make it do whatever I wanted it to…no one could get it away from me. It would make me a champion.” This is where I knew we needed to talk a little more about what it takes to become a champion. Allie’s perfect basketball would be able to bounce as high or as low as she wanted it to be.

“I would invent a shoe that would have springs that could make the player jump ten times his height,” writes Hailey.

One suggestion was to invent a headband that would have small air fans inside that could keep you cool so you wouldn’t have sweat running down your face. This, I think, might be just a tad more realistic, but definitely not as earth-shattering.