Books in Make It! series

While basic circuits may be easy to understand, creating a circuit requires a different way of thinking. The purpose of this book is to show how it's done. Being creative, instead of just following instructions, is part of the Maker ethic. This should include designing circuits to do what you want. The hands-on projects in this book progress from simple to complex, breaking circuits into modules to make them easier to understand. It is suitable for adult learners, as well as for teens ages 12 and up. (Younger readers can work through it with adult assistance.) Unique pictorial diagrams included in the book show circuits as they actually appear on a breadboard (not just schematics). Teaches the fundamentals of electronic circuitsStarts with basics and builds to more sophisticated designsExplains how to read and draw circuit diagramsEncourages experimentation and hands-on buildingIncludes cartoons and full-color photographs and line drawingsOne of the relatively few entry-level books on circuit designShifts the focus away from explaining components and onto showing how to link them togetherMake: Design Your Own Circuits is a standalone book that doesn't require familiarity with Charles Platt's other popular Make: Electronics books.

Make: Rockets, Down to Earth Rocket Science, is for all the science geeks who look at the moon and try to figure out where Neil Armstrong walked, watch in awe as rockets lift off, and want to fly their own model rockets.Starting from the ground up you how to build all sorts of rockets and associated equipment with clear, step-by-step directions. It's easy to skip the more detailed material, but when you are ready, Make: Rockets will help you rise to new heights with detailed coverage of the math and science behind building, flying and tracking rockets. You will learn:* How to safely build and fly solid propellant, water and air powered rockets.* All the techniques needed to build model rockets, launchers and trackers.* How to recover rockets by parachute, streamer, glider, helicopter recovery and more.* How to fly payloads like cameras, altimeters and the ever popular egg lofter!* How to pick the right motor and parachute for any rocket or payload.* Aerodynamic principles for designing stable, low drag rockets that slip through the air--including one rocket that can hit 500 mph!* How to use free rocket simulators to figure out about how high a rocket will go before you fly it.* How to track the rocket and figure out how high and fast it really went.If you are a hobbyist just getting started with rocketry, a teacher or parent looking for ways to get kids interested in math and science, or an advanced rocketeer who wants a deep understanding of the science and math behind rocket flight, this book is for you.

Do helicopters need more or less energy to stay in the sky than an airplane? What pushes a rocket to leave the atmosphere? Why can airplanes have smaller motors than helicopters? Help your students learn the answers to these and other questions! Written for educators, homeschoolers, parents--and kids!--this fully illustrated book provides a fun mix of projects, discussion materials, instructions, and subjects for deeper investigation around the basics of homemade flying objects. With the projects in this book, you can spend more time learning and experimenting, and less time planning and preparing. Complete with download links to PDF templates that expand your teaching, this is your one-stop manual for learning about, interacting with, and being curious about airflow, gravity, torque, power, ballistics, pressure, and force. In Make: Planes, Gliders, and Paper Rockets, you'll make and experiment with: Paper catapult helicopter--add an LED light for night launches!Pull-string stick helicopterRubber band airplaneSimple sled kite25-cent quick-build kiteAir rockets with a parachute or a gliderFoam air rocketRocket standsBounce rocketLow- and high-pressure rocket launchers

Creative kids will love to transform their nails into fabulous works of art with this fantastic activity book. There are clear and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions on how to create 25 different nail designs, plus 1020 special nail stickers to use to create super-funky nail designs. As well as nail decorating, there are quizzes to take, cool coloring and doodling to do, as well as pages of stickers to have fun with.

How can you consistently pull off hands-on tinkering with kids? How do you deal with questions that you can't answer? How do you know if tinkering kids are learning anything or not? Is there a line between fooling around with real stuff and learning? The idea of learning through tinkering is not so radical. From the dawn of time, whenever humanity has wanted to know more, we have achieved it most effectively by getting our hands dirty and making careful observations of real stuff. Make: Tinkering (Kids Learn by Making Stuff) lets you discover how, why--and even what it is--to tinker and tinker well. Author Curt Gabrielson draws on more than 20 years of experience doing hands-on science to facilitate tinkering: learning science while fooling around with real things. This book shows you how to make: A drum set from plastic bottles, tape, and shrink-wrapMagnetic toys that dance, sway, and amazeCatapults, ball launchers, and table-top basketballA battery-powered magic wand and a steadiness game (don't touch the sides!)Chemical reactions with household itemsModels of bones and tendons that work like real arms and anklesSpin art machine and a hovercraft from a paper plate!Lifelong learners hungry for their next genuine experience

Creative kids will love to make friendship bracelets for their best friends with this fabulous activity book. There are clear and easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions on how to make 12 patterned bracelet designs using the seven different colored braiding threads which come with the book. As well as super-cool bracelets to make, there are quizzes to take, fabulous coloring and doodling to do, plus pages of stickers to have fun with.

In this irresistibly sweet activity book for smaller hands, kids create their own vibrant princesses! With sturdy board pages ready to press out, color, and decorate, this book includes five cute princesses each accompanied by a little animal pal with stand. Stickers make accessorizing these enchanting princesses easy and fun. A simple craft for kids to use their creativity, maker skills, and imagination.