Tiny hands flipped through freshly published books as proud parents snapped photos and third graders shined inside LLT Academy Tampa Charter School's annual Author Tea Party.
For 35 students, the event was more than a classroom assignment, it was the moment they officially became published authors.
The two third-grade classes created a book in honor of America’s upcoming 250th birthday. Students were challenged to imagine inventions that could help the country continue to grow and improve for generations to come.
Each student developed an original invention designed to make life safer, easier or more efficient. The event not only celebrated the students’ creativity and writing accomplishments, but also encouraged audience members to think about how innovation could shape America’s future.
“Our book in both classes this year is 'Inventions for a Future America,'” said Shawn Geitner, Magnetic Reading Lead for third-grade ELA. “I told them to think about all the inventions that have been made during the first 250 years of our country and come up with something that could make America even better for the next 250 years.”
During the tea party, several students shared their inventions with family members, classmates and school staff. These ideas showed the limitless imagination of young students.
Sophia described her hurricane-proof house inspired by Florida storms, while Noa created “Animal Muffs,” designed to protect pets from loud noises during walks. Lillian S. invented the “Steel Flyer,” a solar-powered car meant to make travel faster and safer.
Armand shared his laser-shooting airplane designed for outdoor fun and Arthur shared his “Pro-Strip Candy Pill,” an invention aimed at helping stop diabetes. Lastly, author Jaysari introduced a redesigned refrigerator built to keep food colder longer.
Each student contributed two to three pages to the class book. One page featured a hand-drawn illustration of their invention, while the others explained how the invention would work, how it could be built and how it could improve the country. Every story was also written entirely in cursive.
“It’s so much fun, and the kids get excited about this event,” Geitner said. “It’s a nice legacy for them. Our class book is donated to the school library so they can go back and look at it whenever they please.”
Geitner said previous class books focused on poetry and presidential research projects, but this year’s invention theme encouraged students to think creatively about the future of America.
In addition to writing their stories, students also learned about the publishing process to gain a broader understanding of how books are created from start to finish.
"One of our biggest missions is to teach students leadership in the classroom, but then provide them real world application and opportunities," said Principal Carrie Johnson. "So just like the author's here they're aware of everything that goes into making their book that they published."
Johnson said seeing students discover and showcase their passions is one of the most rewarding parts of her job.
As the tea party came to an end, students proudly held copies of the books they helped create — books they will take home while also leaving behind on the school library shelves for future students to enjoy. For many of the young authors, the experience of seeing their ideas published for the first time is something they will carry with them for years to come.