Customer Reviews

Amazing Ben Franklin Inventions You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ben Franklin's creativity and ingenuity has always amazed me. His fingerprints are all over American history. He was a statesman, an inventor, an author, and a scientist. Now we can get to know Ben and recreate some of his greatest triumphs with Amazing Ben Franklin Inventions You Can Build Yourself.

The inventions are either replicas of actual Ben inventions or they represent a concept of an invention or contribution. The projects range from making a Feather Pen (five minutes) to making a Long Arm for objects out of reach (35 minutes plus drying time for glue). Projects which require adult supervision are clearly marked. Other projects include a Solar-Powered Oven and a Street Light (powered by a flashlight).

As creative and entertaining as the projects are, this is more than a classroom project book. Ben's personality shines through, whether he's powering himself across a pond with kite power at age ten, or proposing as an adult that the streets of Philadelphia be paved with bricks to ease travel and keep the city cleaner. The author includes a glossary, a timeline of Ben's life, and dozens of his Poor Richard sayings. The book is a pleasure to read, thanks to Van Vleet's lively writing and her careful research. Bonus--some Almanac-style fonts and many pictures.

So whether you want to get crafty or whether you just want to rediscover Ben Franklin, Amazing Ben Franklin Inventions You Can Build Yourself is an excellent choice.

Being a teacher of gifted and high achieving students, I'm always on the look out for ways to tie Social Studies and Science together. My class loves hands-on projects, so I thought this might be a good fit for us. Boy, was I right! The projects are easy to follow, the steps and supplies are well planned, and most importantly, the kids LOVED the projects. Wave bottles were a major hit, and we'll be making Bubble Bath next.

The historic details about Ben's life were not only great additions to the descriptions of his inventions, but there were lots of quirky details about him that my kids loved (although they're going to skip the air baths!).

I'll definitely pick up more of Ms. Van Vleet's project-based books to use with my class!

I purchased this book for Hanukkah for my 12 year old grandson. He is a science lover and adores experimenting. The book incorporates English usage as well as history so it is a multi-learning experience. That's always good. I think other than for buying supplies and being on hand, these are experiments that he can do by himself.
I'll need to do another review after he works with the book.