Lexington Family Magazine issued an intriguing challenge to area kids – tell us what you would invent to make the world a greener place. Your kids responded by the hundreds as part of Lexington Family Magazine’s Fourth Annual Writing Contest. Kids told us about the Go-Green Jellybeans they would invent to plant new trees, a long-necked giraffe that would pick trash out of trees, and magic potions that would clean up all the litter in the world. Judging all of those wonderful essays is always a challenge. How do you choose only a handful of winners from so many creative entries? Eventually, we chose six winners -- one boy and one girl in each of three age categories: K-1st grade, 2nd-3rd and 4th-5th. Prizes were awarded, including gifts from American Girl Dolls, Breyer horses and Hasbro games.

Here are the Writing Contest Winners and their essays:

Sydney Sun, a kindergartner at Veterans Park Elementary

My Go-Green Invention Would Be Eatable Bags

When my mom takes me to the grocery store, we always use lots of plastic bags to put our grocery in them. My mom told me the plastic bags are bad things to the earth, because they will not go away in many years. They will make the environment where we live dirty. I want to make our world cleaner and greener, so I’m thinking to use the other things to replace the plastic bags. That’s a bag made of things that we can eat. I call it an eatable bag. So when we are shopping, we put things in the eatable bags and after we go home, we can cook the bags and eat them. I will look for the material for the bags, and next time I will tell you what I find.

Julia Hatcher, a third-grader from Seton Catholic School

The Go Green Braces

The Go Green Braces allows pollution to disappear.

Just smile by a littered atmosphere,

Not long after,

You’ll find new plants near.

Those beautiful plants will grow,

And change the whole world you know.

SMILE you people with Go Green Braces,

Show your happy faces!

So ask you dentist for some…

It’ll be a great outcome!

Shelby Swann, a fifth-grader from Versailles Montessori School

My Going Green Invention

“One day I woke up and there was a very strange machine at the foot of my bed.  I knew I had seen it before but I couldn’t think of where I had seen it.  All of the sudden it started to move.  There was a piece of trash on the floor and it went over and sucked it up.  I started to hear a putting sound and then it spit back out a baby tree.  Then I went and took it to the mayor and then he told me this was a terrific idea.”

Parker Hodge, a kindergartner from Millcreek Elementary

My Go Green Invention

Invention:  My little brother wears diapers so my go-green invention would be a diaper that would dissolve quickly when you put it in plain water. That way it wouldn't have to go into the garbage and you could even put it in the toilet. Number 1 and number 2 won't make it dissolve - it has to be plain water.  

Kyle McMillin, a third-grader from Seton Catholic School

The Incredible Exercise Air Bus

A very intelligent professor at the University of Kentucky, named Gavin Vention, has created a new vehicle.  His bus will decrease pollution and help people get healthier.  The bus has two stories and rides on air.  The bottom story is for people who want to exercise and power the bus.  The top is for people who want to ride in luxury and pay.  The more people exercising, the more air is made to help the bus hover and give it speed.  Riding while exercising on the bus will make you healthier.

Tonio Benton-Jones, a fifth-grader at Booker T. Washington Elementary

Go Green

One thing that I would do to help my community is invent a hover car that didn’t use gas. It would use recycled paper for gas.  The hover car would vaporize the pollution in the air and it would disappear into thin air and not be a problem anymore.  The hover car will also hover in the air so it can let off pollution and give off oxygen.  This invention will change the world and be a big help in the future and keep the earth green.

The following authors received Honorable Mention for their essays:

Lilly Clark, Lexington Montessori, Grade 1

Isabelle Blackman, Cassidy Elementary, Grade K

Amaris James, Homeschool, Grade 2

Erin Markel, Stonewall Elementary, Grade 2

Caroline Ezell, Seton Catholic School, Grade 3

Jazlynn Thompson, Booker T. Washington Elementary, Grade 5

Kaylee Callaghan, Strode Station Elem., Winchester, Grade 5

Kaleb Givens,   Lexington Montessori, Grade    1

Baylen Stewart, Linlee Elementary, Grade 1

Paris Edwin Geis, Veteran’s Park Elementary, Grade 3

Nick Grider, Lexington Christian Academy, Grade 3

Dalton Phillips, Versailles Montessori, Grade 4

Christopher Revis, Deep Springs Elementary, Grade 5