Gizmos & Gadgets: Creating Science Contraptions That Work

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-Hauser gives directions for making a bunch of gadgets, gizmos, contraptions, and doohickeys constructed with stuff often found in cupboards, closets, garages, and "junk" drawers. Materials such as plastic soda bottles, marbles, buttons, straws, and cardboard tubes are cut, trimmed, shaped, and bent in order to be glued, stapled, sewn, and taped. They are ultimately formed into objects to be tossed, balanced, spun, flung, and strung-all to demonstrate various principles of physics. Also included are nudges to encourage individual forays into the worlds of problem solving and inventing. Fun to make-and probably fun to play with-the crafts, if followed sequentially, introduce such basic topics as motion, energy, balancing, and gravity. Even if used as random crafts, they will lead to questions regarding the predictable behaviors of such objects as boomerangs and yo-yos. Classroom teachers can team this with Vicki Cobb's Why Can't You Unscramble an Egg? (Lodestar, 1990; o.p.) and Bernie Zubrowski's Raceways: Having Fun with Balls and Tracks (Morrow, 1985; o.p.).
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Parents' Choice®
Using simple household items to create toys that spin, fling, collide, and whiz, kids will grasp the basics of concepts of gravity, inertia, balance, and energy. Projects are very hands-on. Most activities can be completed with minimal assistance. Every page is jam-packed (in age-appropriate vocabulary) with factoids, fun facts about famous inventors, and inspiration for science lovers of all ages. A 1999 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor. (Parents' Choice®)