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Homeschoolers Beat Thousands In National Contest

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By SUZANNE M. SCHMIDT

IN THE LOOP

Published: March 18, 2009

As a stay-at-home mom and teacher to her children, Heather Tomasello said she is always trying to find ways to engage their imagination and creativity. One of the best tools she has found is to enter her children in contests like Toshiba's ExploraVision Program, she said.

Through the program, students in kindergarten through 12th grade had to create and explore a vision of future technology by combining their imaginations with the tools of science. Tomasello's children Colby, 7, and Catie, 5, entered the competition with fellow homeschoolers Marisa Meglino, 7, and their 7-year-old cousin Grace Nobles.

"They had to take a current technology and project more than 20 years into the future," Tomasello said. "They had to create a 10-page paper where they had to consider the consequences of their invention, the impact of the idea and explain why the idea is not in existence now."

The children decided to create an "EpiWatch" which is like an EpiPen but in a watch.

"We decided to have a watch that you can use if you have anaphylactic shock," Colby said. "There is a button you can push that will give the shot and if you faint other people can give it to you. Also, it is better then an EpiPen because of the micro-needles. It won't hurt as much to use."

Nobles said she helped to inspire the invention due to her allergies to milk.

"I have to carry an EpiPen because I can get hives and I could stop breathing," Nobles said. "We thought the watch would be good because it doesn't hurt and you wouldn't leave it behind because it would always be on your wrist."

The team joins 24 others out of the original 4,388 that entered. The four will compete in the national contest where they must now focus on creating a small film and a Web site for their invention. If the children win on the national level, each would win a $10,000 savings bond and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for a gala awards weekend in June.

Tomasello, of Land O' Lakes, also entered Colby and Catie in the Book Arts Bash, a national book writing contest. Colby won first place for his book, "Baseball ABC's." He said he was excited to win the $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble.

"These contests help because they have deadlines and structure and the children are also able to get feedback," Tomasello said. "I was able to teach the children about book making. They had to create their own illustrations and they had to learn about paper turns and pacing. I also taught them about the elements of a story including build up, conflict, beginning, middle and end. "

Even though her 5-year-old daughter Catie's book was not selected as a winner, it did not stop her from continuing to write books. Instead of writing alphabet books, Catie said she is more interested in fairy tales.

"I like to write about fairy tales and my dolls," Catie said. "I have a series of books about Annalise. In the first book, she is a little girl but she gets bigger with each book. It is fun to write because I can pretend to be a princess and write books and make plays out of the books."

For information about the ExploraVision contest, visit exploravision.org.

Reporter Suzanne M. Schmidt can be reached at (813) 948-4288 or sschmidt@mediageneral.com.

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