Periodically I share resources that you may like to add to your library. This is one I purchased to use with one of our summer fundraisers.
Anderson, Maxine. Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself. White River Junction, VT: Nomad Press, 2006.
From the back cover
Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself introduces readers to the life, world, and incredible mind of Leonardo da Vinci through hands-on building projects that explore his invention ideas. Most of Leonardo’s inventions were never made in his lifetime – they remained sketches in his famous notebooks. Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself shows you how to bring these ideas to life using common household supplies. Detailed step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and templates for creating each project combine with historical facts and anecdotes, biographies and trivia about the real-life models for each project. Together they give kids a first-hand look into the amazing mind of one the world’s greatest inventors.
My review
Maxine Anderson opens Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself with some introductory material and a brief biography of Leonardo da Vinci. The book is then divided into sections based on the different types of things da Vinci did – the artist and dreamer, useful machines, water, flight, and war inventions.
I was a bit disappointed in the hands-on projects. While the materials are generally easy to find, I was hoping they would require materials I already have. I will have to purchase at least one thing for most of the projects. And even the “recycled” materials aren’t ones that everyone would necessarily have. I will need to re-think how I will use this title.
I purchased this book as a supplemental resource for our Engineering and Inventing summer class. I would not hesitate adding it to my k-12 Christian School library.
Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions: You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself)
