Rube Goldberg Machine Contest April 20-22, 2018 in Chicago

Creating a machine to complete a simple task in the most complex way possible? Sounds like childhood. If your kid is particularly adept at this, the 30th Anniversary of the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest is coming up April 20-22, 2018 in Chicago.

For starters, If you don’t know what a Rube Goldberg Machine is, here’s a video showing winners of last year’s competition on Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Basically, there’s a contest to celebrate the creative tinkering of geeklings. What could be cooler?

It’s not too late to register for the competition, where the live finals will be held at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. This year’s task: Pour a Bowl of Cereal in the most Complicated and Comical Way.

There are separate divisions for various age groups. Register now at Rube Goldberg, Inc. Students of all ages are welcome, and for the first time ever, there will be an Apprentice Division for elementary-aged kids.

Of course, when I think Rube Goldberg, I think OK Go:

So, if your kids are so inclined, or you want them to focus their creative energy into something remotely constructive (albeit incredibly inefficient), register now. Or just plan to head to Chicago to marvel at the creativity of geeklings everywhere.