February 11, 2009 9:01 PM
- Text
If I Could Invent Anything In The World…
(CBS)
Don't laugh: Some of the ideas that come from the youngest inventors are worth a second look.
Ten-year-old Kelly Reinhart was able to turn her very first idea into real money. But that's what sometimes happens when adults pay attention to people who haven't learned how to fail, reports CBS News Correspondent Tracy Smith in this week's Study Hall report.
Now, Kelly is a teaching other youngsters how to make their ideas pay off.
"Every day you're going to write five more, OK?" says Kelly to her class. The 10-year-old inventor is a patent holder and a successful business owner and she's not even in sixth grade yet.
Her career began on a rainy day four years ago.
"We asked the kids to all sit down at the table, really to get them out of our hair, and draw an invention," says her father, Bob Reinhart.
"And they really didn't think we were actually going to come up with anything good," says Kelly.
They were wrong. Kelly came up with a drawing of a thigh pack, similar to a Western gun holster, that could be used for carrying video games and other "kid" valuables.
Now a lot of people might have just hung the picture on the refrigerator and left it at that. Not the Reinharts. Where other people see just a doodle, Reinhart saw dollar signs.
And so, after a few modifications, the drawing became The T-Bag and Kelly's invention was a hit.
How much has Kelly made?
"I'm not actually sure," she says. "I don't even think my dad knows. It's a lot, though."
"Well I'm going to put it this way: the family hasn't made any money per se, the money went back into other companies," explains her father.
But if the money had not gone back into other companies, "Uh, we would have made millions. I'm just going to leave it at millions" he says.
Now, dad has a new job; he's working for Kelly.
"I have been working for her for three years," he says.
And when Kelly's not in school or minding her business, she shares her secrets with other kids who have ideas of their own.
"If I could invent anything in the world it would be a remote control holder so you could find your remote and beep it when it's lost," says one of her students.
As for Kelly's future, she says she doesn't want to be a professional inventor when she grows up; she has her sights set on a seat in congress.
Ten-year-old Kelly Reinhart was able to turn her very first idea into real money. But that's what sometimes happens when adults pay attention to people who haven't learned how to fail, reports CBS News Correspondent Tracy Smith in this week's Study Hall report.
Now, Kelly is a teaching other youngsters how to make their ideas pay off.
"Every day you're going to write five more, OK?" says Kelly to her class. The 10-year-old inventor is a patent holder and a successful business owner and she's not even in sixth grade yet.
Her career began on a rainy day four years ago.
"We asked the kids to all sit down at the table, really to get them out of our hair, and draw an invention," says her father, Bob Reinhart.
"And they really didn't think we were actually going to come up with anything good," says Kelly.
They were wrong. Kelly came up with a drawing of a thigh pack, similar to a Western gun holster, that could be used for carrying video games and other "kid" valuables.
Now a lot of people might have just hung the picture on the refrigerator and left it at that. Not the Reinharts. Where other people see just a doodle, Reinhart saw dollar signs.
And so, after a few modifications, the drawing became The T-Bag and Kelly's invention was a hit.
How much has Kelly made?
"I'm not actually sure," she says. "I don't even think my dad knows. It's a lot, though."
"Well I'm going to put it this way: the family hasn't made any money per se, the money went back into other companies," explains her father.
But if the money had not gone back into other companies, "Uh, we would have made millions. I'm just going to leave it at millions" he says.
Now, dad has a new job; he's working for Kelly.
"I have been working for her for three years," he says.
And when Kelly's not in school or minding her business, she shares her secrets with other kids who have ideas of their own.
"If I could invent anything in the world it would be a remote control holder so you could find your remote and beep it when it's lost," says one of her students.
As for Kelly's future, she says she doesn't want to be a professional inventor when she grows up; she has her sights set on a seat in congress.
Popular Now in CBS News
- Teen's Facebook Sex Scam
- The Best Pregnancy Tests
- Try Your Hand at Fun Super Bowl Trivia!
- Eight Delicious Foods That Help Fight Belly Fat
- Cyberbullying Continued After Teen's Death
- Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook
- Which Yogurts Are Healthiest?
- Ten Healthiest Fast Food Chains
- How Long Foods Stay Fresh In Fridge
- Could Protein Shakes Harm Your Health?
- Captive sex slave for 10 years tells her story
- Perks of Five-Hour Energy Put to Test
- Can Exercise Make You Gain Weight?
- Best Sleep Positions To Rid Aches, Pains
- "Designer Babies" Ethical?
- Best Low-Tech Cell Phones Suitable for Seniors
- Get A Free Mammogram
Latest CBS News Headlines
on Facebook
on CBS News
- Calif. pulls builder's license after worker killed
- Diocese closes purchase of Crystal Cathedral
- Tests show no radiation increase at nuclear plant
- U.N.: Somali famine over but warns of risks
on Facebook
- Susan G. Komen reverses course, will keep funding Planned Parenthood
- 25 drunkest countries in the world
- "Person to Person": Iconic images
- Demi Moore visited by Bruce Willis, Ashton Kutcher: Report
on CBS News





