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128 Birch Street
Boston, MA, 02131
United States

(617) 390-4076

Invent Boston designs and develops original products to add science + whimsy to  every day tasks at home.   Our first product is a Two Minute timer, Two Minute Turtle, a visual timer. The Two Minute Turtle helps children and adults focus on two minute tasks such as brushing teeth, physical therapy, taking a shower and speaking (practicing a presentation or learning a language).

4 lights turtle girl brushing in mirror.jpg

Invent Boston™, Home of the Two Minute Turtle Timer™

Invent Boston™ blog offers tips and stories by parents, for parents of children ages 4-12 to make toothbrushing and other healthy habits at home, more fun. We write about simple tactics to help kids do what they like to do-touch, seeing, play games and strive for independence. We recommend products to help stay healthy while being kids. We share stories to transform daily healthy habits from something kids resist (for example, toothbrushing, handwashing, toilet training, organizing, taking time-out or pausing, yoga, and taking turns) into something children are motivated to do independently, without parents’ reminders. The original physical product Invent Boston has designed for families is the new light-up Two Minute Turtle Timer, an analog, interval toothbrush timer to make brushing teeth fun for kids. Kids like to press the button, follow the flippers and brush until all the lights blink—the Victory Lap signals to brush the tongue.

Two Minute Turtle Timer, a timer not just for kids

Virginia Berman

Two Minute Turtle Timer is for visual learners of all ages.

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I Need My Two Minute Turtle

Virginia Berman

Fiona is an experienced French and Spanish high school teacher. She, like foreign language teachers everywhere, get students to speak when they prefer not to, and when they are not comfortable speaking in a foreign language. “I forgot to bring my Two Minute Turtle with me to school and I was lost!” Fiona uses the Two Minute Turtle Timer to get the students to do verb races and speak til the 2 minute timer stops.

Learning to Speak a Foreign Language with a Two Minute Timer

Learning to Speak a Foreign Language with a Two Minute Timer

I was lost when I forgot to bring my Two Minute Turtle Timer to class
— Fiona, Modern Foreign Language teacher from MA
Two Minute Turtle Timer is a fun 2 minute timer

The Two Minute Turtle Timer is a helpful tool in language class to show kids how much time is left. And it’s not the teacher but the turtle that’s telling them so you, the teacher, can push the button, sit back and listen until the Victory Lap. Let the turtle do the time telling and you do the teaching.

Curious George Goes to the Dentist

Virginia Berman

Two Minute Turtle Timers are for the curious ones. Do you know someone who may be interested in toothbrushing in a new way? With the Two Minute Turtle Timer?

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This Friend Makes Morning Routine More Fun

Virginia Berman

The Two Minute Turtle Timer is a companion for 2 minute tasks to help you focus.

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Trick or Treaters! 2 Minute Turtle Timer so you can enjoy Halloween

Virginia Berman

Halloween doesn’t mean giving up on good toothbrushing! The Two Minute Turtle is key this Halloween to helping get kids to brush teeth thoroughly for the full 2 minutes.

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When To Start Brushing a Child's Teeth?

Virginia Berman

How to avoid those early cavities? Learn from our mistakes and get started even before the baby has teeth!

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Help kids succeed. Help them to focus...in 2 minutes

Virginia Berman

Help kids focus on 2 minute tasks to give them satisfaction.

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Enjoy vacation. Eat dessert!

Virginia Berman

Enjoy French dessert-brush teeth afterwards!

Do you and your kids like dessert?  Of course we do!    Even the healthy French, where this sweet treat was made, enjoy their patisseries.  And we say yes to dessert, especially on vacation.  One way to enjoy dessert is keep those healthy habits.  Take the Two Minute Turtle timer to vacation to keep brushing teeth even after a night of treats on vacation.   This Summer take your Two Minute Turtle timer along and enjoy the pastries!   You'll brush well enough so the dessert will not hurt! 

Two Minute Turtle Timer Travels

Virginia Berman

Keep up healthy habits this Summer vacation. Bring the Two Minute Turtle with you on your trip!

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Slow, Steady Two Minute Turtle Timer

Virginia Berman

Slow and steady wins the race. Two Minute Turtle helps you slow down and get the job done.

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Independent Stores Carry the Two Minute Turtle!

Virginia Berman

Local independent stores are in charge of what they sell. These Boston stores support their neighborhoods and new. innovative products like the Two Minute Turtle.

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What Do You Want in your Two Minute Turtle Timer™?

Virginia Berman

You decide what’s best in a visual timer. Answer a 3 question survey to help design it.

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How do Children Learn?

Virginia Berman

Children are visual learners-they see everything for the first time. They see colors, shapes, pictures.   They respond to visual cues and intuitive ones too.  Toothbrushing is not an intuitive task but we ask 4 year olds to do it every day, 2 times a day for 2 minutes and when they are waking up or tired and going to bed. 

How do children learn new habits? In response to how our kids learned, we designed a two minute timer for them to watch, follow and enjoy, to make toothbrushing more appealing.  Children need visual cues especially learning something they don't want to do. And when it's bedtime--they are tired and parents are tired too. 

Learning is hard work. Sometimes it doesn't have to be as hard and that's why we created the Two Minute Turtle. And while we are on the turtle ocean topic and how to make learning more fun, a message from the Ocean to all of us...

How we learn

Two Minutes To Make Your Day

Virginia Berman

Forming healthy habits is not easy but 2 minutes is-we can do anything for 2 minutes!   Use the Two Minute Turtle to take 2 minutes to start a new habit.  What new habit will you choose? Two minutes-you can do that!  Get your today. Choose the color, press the button, let the turtle guide you. Go slow, steady...win.

How a Two Minute Turtle timer helps you Speak?

Virginia Berman

Preparing for a brief Two Minutes takes hours of practice

Preparing for a brief Two Minutes takes hours of practice

How can the Two Minute Turtle help you to speak? 

Two_Minute_Turtle_toothbrush_timer

1) Practicing for a pitch or presentation. Often 2 minutes is enough. Visual cues at each quarter of the talk, helps pace the talk.

2) Facilitating meetings. A visual timer helps the facilitator stick to an agenda while allowing participation. The Two Minute Turtle timer neutralizes the cut-off too so it's not a person but the Turtle telling when it's time. 

3) Learning a new language.   Try talking straight for 2 minutes in that language with someone. 

Why use a Two Minute Turtle when you have a phone or a clock to keep time?

1) It's colors work well for visual learners.

2) It's quick and easy -just a press of a button, no downloading or setting times.

3) It's fun-engaging and playful with the quiet countdown.

4) It works--people respond to the quarterly visual cues and no one has to be the "bad guy" reminding someone their time is up.

Breaking the 2 minutes into 4 even parts helps a speaker to pace herself.  The Two Minute Turtle timer takes the responsibility off of the instructor or facilitator and gives it to the participants-each one is using and following the same colorful lights.   Bring a Two Minute Turtle timer to your next meeting or classroom or pitch to help you pace yourself and engage the group. 

Assembling the Two Minute Turtle Timer™

Virginia Berman

Parent-designed and hand made in USA Two Minute Turtle Timer to help kids and adults with tasks that need a 2 minute timer, like brushing teeth, physical therapy stretches, taking a shower or practicing a talk. 

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Enter contest to WIN an original, hand made Two Minute Turtle Timer

Virginia Berman

WIN a Two Minute Turtle Timer!  In exchange for your email or write how you'd use the Two Minute Turtle  at home.  Does Two Minutes seem short? Day after day those 2 minutes add up.  

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Which Toothbrush Timer is Right for Your Child?

Virginia Berman

Which Toothbrush Timer is best for your family? We tested many for our family and in response, after too many cavities, we created a toothbrush timer that works for our family and hundreds of others.

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How Does a Child Learn to Brush Teeth for 2 Minutes?

Virginia Berman

Options for Two Minute Timers for Toothbrushing

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