Inventors / Inventions

STEM Tuesday — Inventions that Changed the World — In the Classroom

By on September 10, 2024   /   Inventors / Inventions, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

 

Inventions are new ideas or things that people create to make life easier or more fun. They help solve problems and improve how we live, like how light bulbs give us light or airplanes help us fly. Inventions make the world a better and exciting place! How have inventions changed your life? These books explore inventors and their inventions. They make a great starting point for invention classroom discussions and activities!

Invent It!
Written by Rob Beattie

This fun and informative guide walks readers through the entire invention process, from brainstorming and prototyping all the way through production and marketing. Kids can follow along with their own ideas, learning practical tips along the way while being inspired by some of history’s best breakthroughs…and biggest flops!

 

Classroom Activity

We use inventions every day, at home, work, and school. Ask students walk about the classroom and write down the inventions they find. Have each student pick one invention and answer the following questions:

  • What is the invention?
  • What problem does it solve?
  • How was this problem addressed before this invention existed?
  • What else solves this problem?
  • How does this invention make life easier?

Tell students to imagine the invention does not exist. Have them brainstorm an alternate way or new invention to solve the problem.

 

Engineered!: Engineering Design at Work
Written by Shannon Hunt & illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock

This book is eye-opening because it shows young readers that engineering can solve many problems, from how to land a rover on Mars to saving a herd of caribou from potential extinction. A helpful seven-step flowchart of the engineering design process is also featured, encouraging future engineers.

Classroom Activity

Everyone can be an inventor! Most inventions are created to solve a problem. Have students identify a problem and brainstorm possible solutions. Students can design an invention to solve the problem. Students should follow the step-by-step engineering design process. Next, students can build a prototype of their invention using common classroom or home materials. When the prototypes are built, students can demonstrate them for the class. In their classroom demonstration, students should answer the following questions: How does their invention work? What problem does it solve? How will their invention make life easier?

 

Black Inventors: 15 Inventions that Changed the World
by Kathy Trusty

This biography compilation chronicles the journeys of 15 incredible inventors who changed the world with products like hair brushes, traffic lights, and home security systems. Each chapter includes a short biography of an inventor, information about the significance of their invention, and follow-up questions for reflection and further investigation.

 

How to Become an Accidental Genius
Written by Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky, & illustrated by Jenn Playford

Structured as a how-to guide for would-be inventors, this fun book cultivates the mindsets needed for innovation. The chapters are organized to highlight the role that experimentation, failure, and coincidences can play in the engineering process and the importance of being open to new possibilities. The inventor profiles feature a mix of well-known pioneers, like George Washington Carver; lesser-known historical figures, like Hedy Lamarr; and contemporary young people, like Hayley Todesco.

Classroom Activity

Inventors have changed the world with their inventions. Students can select a famous or lesser-known inventor to research. Ask them to investigate their inventor’s personal history, challenges, and contributions to the world. Using the information they have learned; students can create a homemade replica of one of the inventor’s inventions. Students can create a presentation about their inventor and his/her inventions for the class.

 

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Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. An award-winning author of numerous nonfiction science books for kids and teens, she hopes to spark a healthy curiosity and love of science in today’s young people. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and dog. Find her at http://www.carlamooney.com, on Facebook @carlamooneyauthor, or on X @carlawrites.

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STEM Tuesday — Inventions that Changed the World — Book List

By on September 3, 2024   /   Inventors / Inventions, STEM Tuesday   /   Leave a comment

Inventions make the world go round and allow technology to evolve. This book list not only highlights such remarkable inventions (including those made by children), but also encourages critical thought. By fostering an analytic mind that enables one to understand how things work and how problems can be solved, readers can inspire to make their own inventions.

Kid-ventors: 35 Real Kids and their Amazing Inventions

Written by Kailei Pew & illustrated by Shannon Wright

This is an especially inspiring book because it chronicles a slew of inventors who are children, proving that even the youngest people can change the world. From Popsicles® to swim fins to robots and glitter shooting prosthetics, sometimes, it takes the imagination of a child to create something new.

 

 

Invent It!

Written by Rob Beattie

This fun and informative guide walks readers through the entire invention process, from brainstorming and prototyping all the way through production and marketing. Kids can follow along with their own ideas, learning practical tips along the way while being inspired by some of history’s best breakthroughs…and biggest flops!

 

 

Engineered!: Engineering Design at Work

Written by Shannon Hunt & illustrated by James Gulliver Hancock

This book is eye-opening because it shows young readers that engineering can solve many problems, from how to land a rover on Mars to saving a herd of caribou from potential extinction. A helpful seven-step flowchart of the engineering design process is also featured, encouraging future engineers.

 

 

How to Become an Accidental Genius

Written by Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky, & illustrated by Jenn Playford

Structured as a how-to guide for would-be inventors, this fun book cultivates the mindsets needed for innovation. The chapters are organized to highlight the role that experimentation, failure, and coincidences can play in the engineering process and the importance of being open to new possibilities. The inventor profiles feature a mix of well-known pioneers, like George Washington Carver; lesser-known historical figures, like Hedy Lamarr; and contemporary young people, like Hayley Todesco.

 

Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor

Written by Temple Grandin

This book was voted as a Teacher’s Pick on Amazon. Not surprising, as it’s written by world-renowned autism spokesperson, scientist, and inventor Temple Grandin. She successfully chronicles personal stories, inventions, and facts in a way that both educates and inspires. She encourages young readers to ask questions and follow up by researching the answers.

 

 

How Things Work: Discover Secrets and Science Behind Bounce Houses, Hovercraft, Robotics, and Everything in Between

Written by T. J. Resler

This book encourages critical thought, with the simple question of “how does it work” as the perfect springboard. The book includes true stories, biographies of real scientists and engineers, diagrams and illustrations, accessible explanations, trivia, and fun features. Sometimes, you just need to take something apart to figure out how it works!

 

 

The Science and Technology of Leonardo da Vinci

Written by Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan & illustrated by Micah Rauch

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the world’s most captivating and enduring inventors. This book chronicles his achievements in art, engineering, anatomy, mathematics, astronomy, and aeronautics, while weaving in important scientific and historical context. Each chapter includes hands-on activities, which allow readers to follow in da Vinci’s footsteps using a homemade “inventor kit.”

 

 

Inventions and Discoveries series by Capstone Press

Various authors and illustrators

Eye-popping images and engaging, short, snappy text allow these inventions to come to life in this graphic novel series. Some books focus on classic moments in history, like how the Wright Brothers invented the airplane, while others focus on lesser known figures, like how the Z-Boys skateboarding team influenced modern skateboarding.

 

Black Inventors: 15 Inventions that Changed the World

by Kathy Trusty

This biography compilation chronicles the journeys of 15 incredible inventors who changed the world with products like hair brushes, traffic lights, and home security systems. Each chapter includes a short biography of an inventor, information about the significance of their invention, and follow-up questions for reflection and further investigation.

 

 

1001 Inventions and Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization

by NatGeo Kids

This book was created as a companion to the award-winning “1001 Inventions” exhibit, which has traveled the globe to raise awareness about the golden age of Arabic science. Each spread is packed full of eye-catching photographs and fascinating facts about everything from pottery to architecture to the elephant water clock. It features female innovators prominently, who contributed to the development of mathematics, medicine, astronomy, and the arts, among others. Find the teacher guide at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pdf/1001-muslim-inventions-ed-guide.pdf.

 

This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:

Author Lydia Lukidis

Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 50+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023), which is a Crystal Kite winner, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, and Cybils Award nominee. A science enthusiast from a young age, she now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program. For more information, please visit www.lydialukidis.com.

 

 

author Callie Dean

 

Callie Dean is a researcher, writer, and musician living in Shreveport, LA. She writes stories that spark curiosity and encourage kids to explore their world. Her first picture book will be published in 2026. For more information, please visit https://calliebdean.com.

 

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STEM Tuesday Cool Inventions and the People Who Create Them – Interview with author Mary Kay Carson

By on May 22, 2018   /   Author Interviews, Inventors / Inventions, STEM, STEM Tuesday  

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview & Book Giveaway, a repeating feature for the fourth Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today we’re interviewing author Mary Kay Carson who wrote this month’s featured cool invention book, Alexander Graham Bell for Kids: His Life and Inventions 

Find out how Alexander Graham Bell invented not only the telephone, but also early versions of the phonograph, the metal detector, airplanes, and hydrofoil boats. This Scottish immigrant was also a pioneering speech teacher and a champion of educating those with hearing impairments, work he felt was his most important contribution to society. Bell worked with famous Americans such as Helen Keller and aviators Glenn Curtiss and Samuel P. Langley, and his inventions competed directly with those of Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers.

May Kay’s books include  a number of titles in Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s award-winning SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD series, including  Park Scientists and The Bat Scientists, an ALA’s 2011 Notable Children’s Books for Middle Readers. Her book Exploring the Solar System was the 2009 recipient of the American Institute ofAeronautics and Astronautics Children’s Literature Award and the State Library of Ohio selected Beyond the Solar System as a CHOOSE TO READ OHIO book for 2015 & 2016. Visit her at marykaycarson.com  or on Twitter at @MaryKayCarson

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JAS: Thanks for joining us today, Mary Kay. This is a fabulous book! I love how you found such a unique trait to describe this historical figure. I mean, everyone knows that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, but not many know why. Can you tell us how you discovered this fact? And also why you used it to create your whole book?

MKC: In today’s terms, we’d call Alexander Graham Bell a third-generation speech therapist. Bell’s father and grandfather worked with people trying to overcome speech impediments like stuttering or pronunciation struggles because of hearing impairments. Alexander Graham Bell was born into a family where the proper mouth position for making the sound of S was dinner table talk. Bell naturally went into this line of work, as well. Growing up with a mother who couldn’t hear gave him a deep understanding of both the isolation of the hearing impaired as well as a motivation for understanding how sound is made, transmitted, and perceived.

JAS: How did you come up with all of the activities? And why did you choose to add activities to your book?

MKC: I knew Alexander Graham Bell For Kids would include activities as a title in the Chicago Review Press “For Kids” series, all of which have 21 activities. It’s actually why I thought the book would be such a good fit for the series. Bell’s experiments, investigations, and inventions run the gamut from sound and light to flying machines and sheep genetics. The telephone invention alone lends itself to activities about electricity, sound, vibrations, and batteries. I’ve written four other books in this series with activities and Alexander Graham Bell For Kids was by far the easiest to come up with activities for. He was a wellspring of ideas.

JAS: The use of original sketches of Bell’s inventions are really great. How difficult was it to get permission to use them?

MKC: The Library of Congress has a huge Alexander Graham Bell archive, much of it digitized and in the public domain. It includes laboratory notebooks, invention blueprints, journals, personal letters, and photographs. It’s a real treasure trove of primary source material.

JAS: Why do you think learning about inventors is a so important for kids?

MKC: One of my favorite Bell quotes is: “The inventor is a man who looks around upon the world and is not contented with things as they are. He wants to improve whatever he sees, he wants to benefit the world.” To me, Bell’s description of an inventor actually describes young people in general. Most see the world as overdue for upgrades and improvements. Many have ideas on how to make things better, too. Being able to envision something different is the first step to inventing. Whether we’re talking about tackling a changing climate or designing a fun video game, it all starts with “What if…”

JAS: How would you suggest a teacher use your book in the classroom?

MKC: There are quite a few ways teachers can use the book in the classroom. The biography itself is instructive on how life experiences shaped the inventor that Bell became. The primary source material is cited and resources given for older kids who want to dig deeper into Bell’s life and legacy. Some of the activities in the book are simple enough for even kindergarteners to explore sound and light. Other activities are more open ended and challenge students to think of and execute an idea of their own.

Buy a Copy of the Alexander Graham Bell book

Praise for Alexander Graham Bell: “Many of the activities featured throughout the chapters, such as making an ear trumpet and feeling sound vibrations, use materials readers likely have at home, fairly easily giving them a taste of the devices used during Bell’s time and illustrating properties of sound. Avid readers can also pursue activities that require special purchases, such as seeing sound and making a pie-tin telegraph. Numerous black-and-white photographs of Bell and his family, period scenery, and artifacts immerse readers in the world of this prolific inventor, from his free-roaming childhood through his adulthood as a teacher of the deaf, an inventor many times over, and a family man. Children who enjoy exploring different symbolic communication codes, historical sciences, and inventions will find much to dig into in this detailed volume.

Thorough and well-rounded. (timeline, resources, glossary, notes, bibliography)”–Kirkus

 

Win a FREE copy of the Alexander Graham Bell book!   Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment below. The randomly-chosen winner will be contacted via email and asked to provide a mailing address (within the U.S. only) to receive the book.

Good Luck! 

Hosting this week is Jennifer Swanson, fellow science nerd, and author of Astronaut Aquanaut: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact and other nonfiction books for kids. @JenSwanBooks

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