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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.

To See Something Isn't Easy, Like Having a Friend Isn't Easy. To See Takes Time Like to Have a Friend Takes Time * Could a Turtle Timer Help You Keep Friends?

Virginia Berman

Two Minute Turtle Timer for Valentine's Day

*Georgia O’Keefe poem

The Two Minute Turtle Timer was designed for toothbrushing and it works well for that. You already know that—you brush each corner of the mouth corresponding the blinking flipper, until the Victory Lap signalling to brush the tonuge.

BUT this interval Two Minute Turtle Timer has other uses. What else would you use it for? One way I recommend-it’s simple but not easy—in this season of Saint Valentine is to use it to help see—someone you like.

Find someone you love (family, friend, lover—you know who). And ask them for 2 minutes and if they will play a game with you. The game? Press the turtle and each of you look into the other’s eyes until the Two Minute Turtle Timer stops blinking (you’ll see it from the corner of your eye!). Try it out. It’s a tried and true way to become more intimate with one you love.

This Valentine’s Day take time to look. Let the new Turtle Timer help all of us to slow down and see the beauty in those around us.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Give Your Valentine the Gift of your Time & Attention

Virginia Berman

What is the most generous gift we can give our loved ones? We think it’s simple but not easy. It’s free but you have to give something valuable—your time. The Two Minute Turtle Timer is one way to show you love someone—taking undistracted time to focus on each other. Look into your loved ones eyes for 2 minutes and watch how you shine!

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The Art of Persistence is All Around Us (even in a Two Minute Turtle Timer): Part i

Virginia Berman

When we began to work on the Two Minute Turtle Timer there were plenty of reasons to stop. My dad was clear in his message—don’t quit your day job for the Turtle Timer. And so it begins, I weigh the options and with trepidation but knowing I will regret if I don’t, I quit my job. I take on developing this new new 2 minute toothbrush timer. More reasonable questions from dad, “Why do you need a 2 minute timer really?” Then, “why not a 1 minute timer? Two minutes is a long time.” Until he goes to the dentist…and then dad has a change of heart. Maybe there is something to this Two Minute Turtle Timer? Read and find out what we mean by slow and steady.

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It will Consume You!

Virginia Berman

I was at an inventor’s meeting recently. I ran into one of the success stories—the guys who “made it”—have a product widely available on the market and appear to be profitable. Always excited to learn from those further down the road from me, I asked his advice on whether to mass produce. That’s the step we have in front of us. I appreciate honesty but even this may have been more honesty than I was prepared for…

“It (the business) will eat you up. You’ll be on the phone at 1:00 AM working, and then for the rest of the day. And you’ll be trying to make pay-roll every single week. And all I wanted to do was make things. And the large stores will order 20,000 and then change their mind. And then an order will be stuck at the harbor when there’s a Longshoreman Strike. And you’ll miss the main selling season. And you’ll be expected to pay for orders that a big store sends back to you. And you’ll wish you licensed your product. Why would you start a business?!”

Or as my wise nephew said, “those who succeed at start-ups, eat nails for breakfast.” I feel like I’m eating my nails for breakfast. And it’s OK. It’s what I signed up for. I’m in the right place. Let’s keep moving forward. Like our motto, slow, steady, forward.

Virginia Berman was told that starting up a store would require all her focus

Would You Like to Have One of the Original Two Minute Turtle Timer that Speed People Up By Slowing Them Down?

Virginia Berman

Two Minute Turtle Timer For Time Outs Too

Invent Boston designed 10 versions of Two Minute Turtle Timer prototypes til we landed on the one that met our needs for design, function and price. We made 1350 Two Minute Turtle Timers. We sold 1200. We’re excited to be coming to the end of the bunch with just 30 left. We’ve done all we can making them by hand. It’s time to find support—investors—to mass produce and overseas.

Kids like to brush teeth with 2 minute timer Two Minute Turtle Timer

Thanks to the creative customers of the Turtle Timers we have new interval timer problem solvers—Time-out Turtle, Therapy Turtle, Talking Turtle and Toilet Training Turtle. How about the Five Minute Frog for…showers?

Would you like to be a supporter of the original Two Minute Turtle Timer? We would love you to join us—receive an email, ask a local store to carry the Time-Out Turtle, find a preschool to test it out and help make daily tasks for parents and kids, easier.

How to Teach Kids a Healthy Habit Using 2 Minutes?

Virginia Berman

Learning a new habit can be daunting. But doing anything for just 2 minutes, is possible at any age. The Two Minute Turtle Timer makes starting new habits happen for even the youngest kids.

Need to get kids to brush their teeth? Bring the Two Minute Turtle Timer to the bathroom mirror. No need to borrow their parent’s phone or worry about getting screens wet or kids’ distracted by the screen at bedtime. The Toothbrushing Turtle Timer holds the children’s attention, without a screen.

Two Minute Turtle is a 2 minute toothbrush timer

Two Minute Turtle is a 2 minute toothbrush timer


Need to keep kids on the potty longer? Hand them the Two Minute Turtle Timer while they are sitting to keep them there 2 minutes longer (press again for longer!).

two minute turtle timer is better than a sand timer

Need kids to take a quiet minute? Give them the Two Minute Turtle Timer to sit or be still.

Two Minute Turtle Timer is a 2 minute timer-out timer

Need to teach kids a foreign language? Use the Turtle Timer to keep time while they speak without stopping for 2 minutes, in a foreign language.

Two Minute Turtle Timer Used for Verb Drills to Learn a Foreign Language

Two Minute Turtle Timer is Made For a Manual Toothbrush

Virginia Berman

With more data showing young kids do better without the phone. With more people using fit bits and tracking their daily healthy habits and with parents working so much we need simple solutions to teaching kids to brush their teeth well, the Two Minute Turtle Timer, made by busy working parents of a 4 year old with 7 cavities, is finally here!

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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.