Crazy Contraptions: Build Rube Goldberg Machines that Swoop, Spin, Stack, and Swivel with Hands-On Engineering Activities
Why use a simple hand motion to wipe your mouth when you can build a machine to do it for you?
Toppling dominoes, rolling marbles, racing balloon cars, springing Read More
| Paperback, $17.95 9781619308268 |
Hardcover, $22.95 9781619308237 |
eBook, $12.99 9781619308244 |
Reviews
Praise for Extinction by Laura Perdew
National Science Teachers Association Recommends
“This book uses the concept of extinction to teach a little chemistry, a little climatology, paleontology, biology (biodiversity), ecology, and a lot of geology. The science information is historical and current, drawing on three–dimensional learning, incorporating science practices to determine what factors affect extinction in general and specifically. The integration of concepts helps bring the science alive and relevant.”
Baristanet
“When it comes to keeping kids’ interest in a subject alive, combining hands-on activities with knowledge is key. That’s why the Build It Yourself books from Nomad Press are such great resources, not just for classrooms, but also for at-home application of new learning.”
Alexander’s Library
“Finally! A book about paleontology that begins with a geological time scale stretching from Earth’s beginning (about 4.6 billion years ago) to the present. Not only does the timeline map out eras, periods, and epochs, it also places the last five mass extinctions into context.
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Detailed Book Description
Why use a simple hand motion to wipe your mouth when you can build a machine to do it for you?
Toppling dominoes, rolling marbles, racing balloon cars, springing catapults, and whizzing zip-lines are all elements used to build Rube Goldberg machines in Crazy Contraptions: Build Rube Goldberg Machines that Swoop, Spin, Stack, and Swivel with Hands-On Engineering Activities. The book introduces kids ages 9-12 (and beyond!) to the wacky machines designed by Goldberg, which were based on complicated chain reactions used to accomplish very simple, sometimes ridiculous, tasks. Young engineers are invited to invent, design, create, and play as they make their own Rube Goldberg machines using the engineering design process and lots of imagination! while
Throughout Crazy Contraptions, hands-on STEM activities, contraption hints, essential questions, and links to online primary resources help readers learn the basics of force, work, motion, and simple machines, while exploring their creativity as they design and build their own crazy contraptions.
Crazy Contraptions is part of a set of two Build It Engineering books that explore the engineering technology behind our daily lives. The other titles in this series is Bots! Robotic Engineering with Hands-On Makerspace Activities.
Try these hands-on engineering projects!
- Turn on a CD player
- Screw a lid on a jar
- Pop a balloon
- Make a zipline
- Make a balloon car
- Build a catapult
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Timeline
Introduction: Who Was this Rube Goldberg Guy?
Chapter One: Things You Should Probably Know Before You Get Started
Chapter Two: Inclined Planes
Build a simple inclined plane
Work with two or more inclined planes
Chapter Three: Levers
Use dominos
Build a catapult
Ring a bell
Chapter Four: Wheels and Axles
Work with rolling logs
Make a balloon car
Use an inclined plane and a wheel and axle and a lever
Chapter Five: Pulleys
Raise a miniature flag
Make a zipline
Chapter Six: Wedges
Roll a set of dice
Turn the page of a book
Launch a boat
Chapter Seven: Screws
Turn on a CD player
Screw a lid on a jar
Pop a balloon
Chapter Eight: Go Big!
Make an over-sized contraption
Design a teeny-tiny contraption
Make a lot of noise
Glossary
Resources
Index