Why was the Renaissance such an important period of time in Western
history? Who were the innovators who thought of the inventions we still
use today?
In The Renaissance Inventors with History Projects for Kids, readers
10 through 15 explore the period of European history from the fourteenth
to seventeenth centuries while focusing on the biographies of five
inventors from that time and the creations they brought to the world.
The lives of Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Leon Battista Alberti,
Johannes Gutenberg, and Gerardus Mercator are brought to life as kids
discover the challenges these men faced and the discoveries they made
using their critical and creative thinking skills combined with their
passion for science and engineering.
Imagine a world without inventors and scientists. How would people
understand the environment around them? What new technologies would
improve people's lives? During the Renaissance, inventors and other
creative thinkers designed and constructed many new things, including a
more accurate map that showed the spherical Earth on a flat paper, a
printing press that brought books beyond just the realm of the rich, and
a machine that measured the speed of the wind. In The Renaissance
Inventors, readers learn about what it is to be an inventor, both now
and in the past. They also discover how brainstorming and tinkering with
everyday materials can lead to the development of great problem-solving
skills, not to mention the creation of new inventions.
With 10 hands-on projects that use the engineer design process, kids
create their own versions of many amazing inventions from the
Renaissance. Activities such as making a parachute and creating a globe
from an orange let middle schoolers stretch their inventive wings and
learn what it's like to be an inventor. Fun facts, primary source
illustrations, fun STEAM activities, and links to online resources all
spark an interest in the Renaissance. Even without a time machine,
learners can experience the Renaissance!
The Renaissance Inventors is one of a set of four books in the
Renaissance for Kids series. Books in the Renaissance for Kids
series invite readers ages 10 to 15 to learn about the inventors,
artists, explorers, philosophers, scientists, and politicians who lived
in Europe and around the world during the Renaissance and who made
contributions to the wealth of human knowledge and experience that have
lasted far into the future. Primary sources, color photography, relevant
quotes, and hands-on STEAM activities that promote the scientific method
or engineering design process keep even the most curious kids satisfied!
Titles in this series include The Renaissance Thinkers: With History
Projects for Kids; The Renaissance Inventors: With History Projects
for Kids; The Renaissance Artists: With History Projects for Kids;
and The Renaissance Explorers: With History Projects for Kids.
