In this guide written by a Teacher-of-the-Year winner, your kids will learn how to construct race cars from ordinary, affordable household materials, while learning the science behind how they work, in language easy enough for a 7th grader to understand.
Learn how to make personalized gifts for your friends by adding names, inspiring words, and special messages to make your friendship bracelets one-of-a-kind! This quick and simple guide will show you step-by-step braiding techniques to take your knotted crafts to the next level, plus an inspiring tutorial on how to make your own original pattern. Author Suzanne McNeill has written more than 230 craft and hobby books that share her passion for creating.
The startling new science behind sudden acts of violence and the nine triggers this groundbreaking researcher has uncovered We all have a rage circuit we can’t fully control once it is engaged as R. Douglas Fields, PhD, reveals in this essential book for our time. The daily headlines are filled with examples of otherwise rational people with no history of violence or mental illness suddenly snapping in a domestic dispute, an altercation with police, or road rage attack. We all wish to believe that we are in control of our actions, but the fact is, in certain circumstances we are not. The sad truth is that the right trigger in the right circumstance can unleash a fit of rage in almost anyone. But there is a twist: Essentially the same pathway in the brain that can result in a violent outburst can also enable us to act heroically and altruistically before our conscious brain knows what we are doing. Think of the stranger who dives into a frigid winter lake to save a drowning child. Dr. Fields is an internationally recognized neurobiologist and authority on the brain and the cellular mechanisms of memory. He has spent years trying to understand the biological basis of rage and anomalous violence, and he has concluded that our culture’s understanding of the problem is based on an erroneous assumption: that rage attacks are the product of morally or mentally defective individuals, rather than a capacity that we all possess. Fields shows that violent behavior is the result of the clash between our evolutionary hardwiring and triggers in our contemporary world. Our personal space is more crowded than ever, we get less sleep, and we just aren't as fit as our ancestors. We need to understand how the hardwiring works and how to recognize the nine triggers. With a totally new perspective, engaging narrative, and practical advice, Why We Snap uncovers the biological roots of the rage response and how we can protect ourselves—and others.
If you've ever wondered how an Etch A Sketch writes on its gray screen, or why a boomerang comes back, or how an R/C car responds to a radio controller, now you'll have your answers. The Way Toys Work explains the technology, history, and trivia behind 50 popular toys, with patent blueprints and photos of the &“guts&” of devices including: * Kaleidoscope * Magna Doodle * Slinky * Nintendo * Super Soaker * Big Mouth Billy Bass * Rubik's Cube * Silly Putty * Video Game Light Gun * Furby * Dunking Bird * View-Master * Yo-Yo * Push 'n' Go Car * Wiffle Ball * Gyroscope * Operation * Hula Hoop You'll also find pointers on how to build your own versions using recycled materials and a little ingenuity, experiments that can be done with certain toys, and tips on reverse engineering old toys to get a better look at their interior mechanics. The only thing you won't learn is how the Magic 8 Ball is able to predict the future--some things are best left a mystery.
There is no secret to creating a winning Pinewood Derby car; all racers need is a great design and an understanding of these tips that trick their cars out for maximum speed. In three sections, this handbook takes builders from the beginning of car construction to ultimate derby-winning modifications. The "basic car" section addresses broad building concerns such as cutting the design, attaching and lubricating the wheels, and balancing the weight. "Winning car" secrets include extending the vehicle base, polishing axles, and modifying and aligning the wheels. Finally, the championship techniques of the "ultimate car" are revealed, allowing builders to shave those last tenths of a second off their times and go home with the trophy.
Though students aren’t yet old enough to drive, that doesn’t mean they can’t satisfy their need for speed. Author and physics teacher Bobby Mercer will show readers 25 easy-to-build racecars that can be driven both indoors and out. Better still, each of these vehicles is constructed for little or no cost using recycled and repurposed materials. The Racecar Book will teach readers how to use mousetraps, rubber bands, chemical reactions, gravity, and air pressure to power these fast-moving cars. They will learn how to turn a potato chip can, a rubber band, and weights into a Chip-Can Dancer, or retrofit a toy car with a toy plane propeller to make an air-powered Prop Car. An effervescent tablet in a small canister makes an impressive rocket engine for a Mini Pop Car, and old CDs, a small cardboard food box, and drinking straws become a Mac-n-Cheese Roller. Every hands-on project contains a materials list and detailed step-by-step instructions. Mercer also includes explanations of the science behind each racecar, including concepts such as friction, Newton’s laws of motion, kinetic and potential energy, and more. Teachers will appreciate the opportunity to augment their STEM curricula while having fun at the same time. These projects are also perfect for science fairs or design competitions. Bobby Mercer has been a high school physics teacher for over two decades. He is the author of The Flying Machine Book and Smash It! Crash It! Launch It! and lives with his family outside of Asheville, North Carolina.
Here's help in selecting current, nonfiction books that will get boys excited about reading. Enticing boys to read is still a hot topic. With chapters like "Disasters and Mysteries," "Gross and Disgusting," "Machines and the Military," and "Prehistoric Creatures," Gotcha Again for Guys!: More Nonfiction Books to Get Boys Excited about Reading is a treasure trove of recent nonfiction books that will interest boys in grades 3-8. This sixth entry in Baxter and Kochel's Gotcha series covers books published between 2007 and 2009, with a few oldies-but-goodies also included. The book is organized into 12 thematic chapters, each of which offers booktalks for a select number of titles, followed by a list of other high-interest, well-reviewed titles that correspond with the chapter's topic. Features new to this volume include numerous booklists to be copied and saved, as well as profiles of new and innovative nonfiction authors writing for this age group. In addition, the book features interviews with seven male authors of nonfiction books for boys.
Follow Dash Derby on an adventure through the 7 easy steps to building your first Pinewood Derby race car. No woodworking skills are required for this family fun project--just patience and the desire to have a good time!