Tinkering is a way of learning through hands-on activity --
experimenting with materials and devices to see how they work, taking
things apart, making small changes and improvements, exploring and
inventing. Tinkering may seem like a form of play -- and it is -- but it
is also a powerful way of discovering truths about science, engineering,
and math. With this book, Curt Gabrielson follows up on his best-seller
Tinkering: Kids Learn by Making Stuff with this all-new volume that
features more than three dozen fun and educational tinkering projects
based on his years of working with kids in the tropical island nation of
Timor-Leste. Step-by-step instructions accompanied by full-color photos
take you through a range of enjoyable projects that explore life
sciences, physics, chemistry, earth sciences, and mathematics. You'll
discover how math is used to make baskets, how fungi create
fermentation, how electricity can make a magnet, how the greenhouse
effect creates warming, and much more. The author also enlivens his
latest batch of tinkering projects with colorful tales of his
experiences in the tropic and the lives of the people he' s met there.
Inside you'll find:
Clear directions for making simple projects and doing activities that
teach science, mathematics and engineering
Projects rooted in day to day life and experience in a small, developing
nation in the Asian tropics
Full-color photographs throughout
Explicit connections to standard STEAM concepts, K-12
Activities doable with less than $5 worth of common materials
This book is perfect for parents, teachers, and students with an
interest in hands-on, tinkering-based science and mathematics education,
whether in traditional schools or in home-schooling situations. It will
also be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about developing
nations, the culture and unique history of Timor-Leste, tropical nations
or Asian cultures, with specific links to Indonesia, Portugal, or
Australia.
