Experiment with Homemade Soap

Experiment with Homemade Soap

Back when Ben Franklin was a kid, making soap was a smelly affair. It’s much easier—and more fun—today. Have an adult help you with the knife and the hot glycerin (soap). Caution: An adult must help you melt the glycerin.
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Build a Shaduf

Build a Shaduf

From Engineering

Ancient farmers used a long wooden lever called a shaduf to lift water from rivers to irrigate crops and for other uses. This simple tool was incredibly effective at making it easier to move water. In this activity, you'll harness the power of a lever as you design and build a working model of a simple shaduf.

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Wind Can Do Work

Wind Can Do Work

From Renewable Energy

Use your engineering skills to design a windmill, then test how powerful the wind can be!

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Waterwheel

Waterwheel

From Wheels Make the World Go Round

Try this hands-on activity to learn more about wheels!

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Lift It!

Lift It!

From Levers Lessen the Load

Learn more about levers with this hands-on activity!

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Reviews

Praise for other titles by Alicia Klepeis:

Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Astronauts
The Children’s Book Review
“The books in this series are excellent primary resources and would be worthwhile additions to not only the personal library for future scientists but for classroom libraries as well.”

Explore Makerspace With 25 Science Projects
NSTA Recommends
“. . .  author Alicia Klepeis and illustrator Matt Aucoin demonstrate how a design and engineering center can work with ordinary materials and not much technology. The book is intended for children ages 7–10, although older students might well extend the scope of the activities well past the basics presented in each chapter.” Click to read more.

The Renaissance Inventors: With History Projects for Kids
Dig Magazine
“The Renaissance Inventors by Alicia Z. Klepeis is one in the new series “The Renaissance for Kids.” Each chapter is devoted to an inventor: Gutenberg, Alberti, da Vinci, and Mercator. Sidebars, well chosen illustrations and photos, along with a variety of boxes (Fast Facts, Wonder Why?, Words of Wonder, Connect, History’s Mysteries, and more) combine with 10 hands-on projects to make this an unforgettable read! Other titles are: “Artists,” “Explorers,” and “Thinkers”! Have fun with all four!”

Detailed Book Description

Inventor. Scientist. Diplomat. Printer. Benjamin Franklin was a very curious person, which led to lots of different roles during his lifetime.

In The Science and Technology of Ben Franklin, readers ages 9 through 12 explore the life of one of Colonial America’s most fascinating citizens. They discover what it might have been like to be a young person during the eighteenth century, when work and entertainment looked much different from today. Kids confront the same questions Franklin asked and follow him on a curiosity journey that lasted his entire life as a scientific pioneer in Colonial America. Through hands-on STEM activities, essential questions, text-to-world connections, and links to online resources, kids zoom in for a closer look into Ben Franklin’s world.

Try these hands-on engineering projects!

  • Design an unbreakable package
  • Test different types of insulating material
  • Build a prototype of a new kind of lamp
  • Make and test a Leyden jar

 

Available In:
Hardcover, $22.95
9781647410155
Paperback, $17.95
9781647410186
Includes: Table of Contents | Timeline | Charts | Glossary | Resources | Index | Metric Conversions Chart
Specs: 8 x 10 size | 4-color interior | 128 pages
Subject: Science
Content Focus: Engineering & Technology

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Timeline

Introduction
Meet Benjamin Franklin

Chapter 1
The Science of Spare Time

Chapter 2
Heat & Light

Chapter 3
Zap: It’s Electric!

Chapter 4
Home is Where Design Happens

Chapter 5
Mailings & Maps

Chapter 6
Health

Glossary
Metric Conversions
Resources
Selected Bibliography
Essential Questions
Index