
Science Toys You Can Make With Your Kids
Photo: the simplest steam engine you will ever see. It has no valves, no moving parts (in the traditional sense of the phrase), and yet it can propel it’s little boat easily across the largest swimming pool or quiet duck pond.
The site includes many simple projects to create toys and teach scientific principles in a fun way with simple materials. Gonzo Gizmos, is the book the site is based on.
Projects include: the impossible kaleidoscope, a simple rocket engine, building a radio in 10 minutes and building your own solar battery.
This cool site is definitely worth a visit.
April 29th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Do your own experiment on quantum erasing – see Quantum Erasing in the Home for instructions…
February 21st, 2008 at 8:36 am
That kids get tired of many toys long before the toys are worn out is not a recent revelation Those frustrated by this waste surely number in the millions in the last few decades alone…
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm
“Groups such as Siemens and Bosch are among hundreds of companies giving materials and money to kindergartens to try to interest children as young as three in technology and science…”
August 5th, 2008 at 8:45 am
“The Tinkering School offers an exploratory curriculum designed to help kids – ages 7 to 17 – learn how to build things…”
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:57 am
Playtime is one of the most fundamental parts of childhood development. Children play in a variety of ways with a number of different toys. Each activity has a different affect on development. Toys and other objects are important extensions of a young child.
December 29th, 2008 at 6:10 am
That is way cool! I’m sitting here, a few days after Xmas, surrounded by discarded toys – some of which have yet to be removed from their box, most of which teach my two boys nothing other than how to machine gun zombies (on a good day). I will certainly be trying to get them interested in this.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:31 am
My 10-year old boy loves to “experiment” and make his own toys. Every summer break from school, he always have a “project”. Last summer break, he made a toy he called “marble slide”…LOL. he made it out of old illustration boards of his dad, cut into shapes, glued together and viola! The toy he made is not really that good looking, but I am amazed by his ingenuity. Sometimes, we must not limit our kids to explore or try things out. Allowing our kids to make their own toys can improve their brain development. Also, my kid made a raw egg parachute. He tied the egg on a plastic wrap and dropped it from our rooftop…he said he wants to find out if the egg will break or not once it gets on the ground…LOL. Things like this can allow kids to learn while playing.
August 20th, 2009 at 1:39 am
This is pretty cool and bet a lot of kids would get a kick out of it too. Who knows maybe you could start their mind going and have the next James Watts or Nikola Tesla on your hands.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Wow, that’s a super cool toy. I’m still a little confused how it works… I love the simple ideas they have on that site. It really shows how you can find fun and entertainment in anything, and if it teaches you something, well then all the more better! Anyway, it’s better than playing video games all day!
December 4th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Wow, that’s a really cool toy. I think it would be more suitable for children over 12, but it uses fire. Besides that, I think it’s cool and I am going to test it out. Man, a video would have been cool.