Explore Makerspace!: With 25 Great Projects

by Alicia Z. Klepeis, Matt Aucoin (Illustrator)

Overview

Bridges, furniture, musical instruments, games, vehicles—all of these things were invented and improved upon by people who love to put stuff together, take stuff apart, and figure out how things work!

In Explore Makerspace! With 25 Great Projects, readers ages 7 through 10 explore what it means to be an engineer. They discover how inventors use science, art, and math to create new and exciting structures, games, and more. Readers also learn how to set up their own makerspaces at home, using inexpensive and easy-to-find supplies for their tinkering projects.

Humans have been inventors throughout history. From the wheel to the rocket, scientists and other engineers have designed new technologies that have made daily life easier and stretched our horizons far beyond our own atmosphere. But inventions don’t have to be full of computer chips or other sophisticated parts. Designing the fastest toy car made from recycled materials can be just as thrilling!

Makerspaces can be found in schools, libraries, community centers, and homes all around the country. These are places where both children and adults can work with materials and use the engineer design process to come up with new ideas. Here, imagination, art, and logic combine to produce lasting lessons in science, math, and physics.

In Explore Makerspace! With 25 Great Projects, readers learn how to think proactively when faced with a challenge and discover the trial-and-error processes that lead to new discoveries. They find out about the motivation behind some of the world’s most amazing inventions. Through STEAM projects ranging from designing a bridge to creating board games and musical instruments, children discover how to be an engineer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619305663
Publisher:	Nomad Press
Publication date:	09/15/2017
Series:	Nomad Press Explore Your World Series
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Alicia Z. Klepeis is a children’s author of both nonfiction and fiction. Her titles include The World’s Strangest Foods, Bizarre Things We’ve Called Medicine, and Understanding Turkey Today. She has also written more than 100 articles in magazines such as National Geographic Kids and FACES. She lives with her family in Hamilton, New York.

Matt Aucoin hold's a master's of fine art from the Center for Cartoon Studies and teaches drawing to preschool-age children. He lives in Windsor, VT.

Table of Contents

Timeline

Introduction: What Is a Makerspace?

Makerspace Journal

Design Your Own Makerspace

Chapter 1: Exciting Engineering

Build a Bridge

Look Out for Snow

Super Strong Newspaper

Chapter 2: Terrific Technology

Create a Binary Code Bracelet

Design a Speedy Car

Chapter 3: Making Music

Making Music with Water

Design a Drum

Create a Completely New Musical Instrument

Make a Sound Amplifier

Chapter 4: Amazing Art

Make a Tropical Bird Mask

Design a Magic Wand

Create a Suncatcher

Make a Mobile

Create Your Own Stuffed Animal

Chapter 5: Super-Cool Science

Design a Boat That Floats

Fruit That Floats

Gross Goop!

Make a Parachute

Egg Drop Challenge

Chapter 6: Great Games

Make a New-But-Old Game

Build a Game Timer

Create a New Outdoor Ball Game

Glossary Game

Glossary * Metric Conversions * Resources * Essential Questions * Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Sue Considine, Executive Director, Fayetteville Free Library

“Explore Makerspace! is a must-have for every classroom, library, and informal learning environment. The colorful, engaging layout, timeline, key words, and concepts all combine to introduce the reader to a makerspace world of tinkering, invention, and entrepreneurship. Explore Makerspace! will spark curiosity and interest in young and old alike and will inspire readers to think like problem solvers, idea generators, Makers!”

Editorial Reviews

Reviews for other titles in the series: Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future with 20 Projects.


Publisher's Weekly:“Ceceri’s cartoon-illustrated activity book, an addition to the ‘Build It Yourself’ series, introduces readers to robotics, with information on its history, different robot technologies, and the evolution of the field . . . Light in tone but dense with information, this guide should appeal to those who already have a strong interest in the topic and are ready for a hands-on challenge. Ages 9–12.”

From the Publisher