Put a Fan in Your Hat!: Inventions, Contraptions, and Gadgets Kids Can Build

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0070116571 ISBN 13: 9780070116573

Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 1750

Encourages and fosters the spirit of invention by describing how to build such gadgets as a homemade motor, a hat with a fan in it, and a motorized shoe buffer

From the Back Cover:

Cool gizmos that will get kids' brains buzzing and COULD even lead them to create their own inventions When children are challenged and motivated, they become increasingly receptive to learning. That's the premise of this innovative book filled with creative and thought-provoking projects. Besides providing 12 ultra-neat projects such as a battery-operated, air-conditioned hat to keep them cook in summer, it encourages them to invent their own contraptions. Middle school children will have a blast building these nifty inventions, contraptions, and gadgets-some practical, some whimsical-that automate their world while they learn basic scientific principles. They will love impressing their friends and have fun using all of these easy-to-build projects, which include: Automatic fish feeder; Shoe buffer; Drink mixer; Jewelry carousel; Solar-powered hot dog cooker; Fountain with lights. With the help of step=by-step explanations and fun, instructive drawings children will learn how to use recycled toys and other common household items to create each invention. And, at each turn, the book encourages them to experiment with variations on each project, leading them to come up with their own creative inventions.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8. Carrow helps youngsters bring Yankee ingenuity back into style with this user-friendly handbook. In 12 chapters, students are invited to make a natural battery, build a motor, and create such diverse items as a hat with a cooling fan, a fish-tank food dispenser, a battery-operated drink mixer, a motorized shoe-buffer, a solar hot-dog cooker, a continuously rotating ice-cream cone, and an automatic toilet-paper dispenser. Each chapter poses a problem, suggests at least one solution, provides the "Science stuff" (usually basic chemistry or physics) that makes the proposed solution work, and offers tips to make the activity more successful. For each project, two complete approaches are fully described: the "just-add-water" method is the easier implementation, followed by a more involved "make-it-from-scratch" solution. Drawings of the inventions and cartoon-style sketches of children actively utilizing them are well done and perfectly complement the text. Boxed entries add interesting historical tidbits such as a story about an escaped convict whose unshined shoes led to his capture. A list of equipment suppliers is provided. One of the book's virtues is its appeal to parents to create inventing partnerships with their children. Carrow's easy-to-follow directions suit the needs of adults with minimal mechanical know-how. A fun, resourceful, and challenging title for future innovators.?Jerry D. Flack, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.