Happy May to you all! It’s a beautiful day here in NYC. I’m participating in Big Idea Week as a mentor and this morning I got to present to a bunch of 4th graders at PS 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

The basic premise of Big Idea Week is that people from all kinds of industries (even cookbook authors apparently!) come to present their work to the kids. We talk about the problem our work addresses, the ideas we came up with to address those problems, and how those ideas become solutions to the problems we are interested in. So we present to the kids on Monday, and then they work on identifying problems they want to solve. Then, working in teams, they come up with ideas and solutions to those problems. Check out their website to learn more!

My fellow mentors included Ben Zelnick who works at Biolite creating the super clever home stove to bring a safe, affordable stove to people in countries where most people have to cook over open fires.  Lisa Yanz, works at Pensa as a product designer. Lisa recently worked on a prototype for the best bicycle for New York. It’s awesome and I want one. Regina Myer who is President of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation got the kids super excited about park design. And lastly, Michelle Tampakis at Whipped Pastry Boutique showed the kids the smart ways she is upping production at her gluten free bakery.

Proud to be part of such a cool bunch!

On Friday I get to head back to Red Hook to see what the kids came up with. I can’t wait to report back on what these smart, eager youngsters came up with!