Gutenberg — The Inventor of Printing

How long does it take to print a book? For Johanne Gutenberg it took more than 30 years! What was the hold up? Well, since it had never been done before he had a lot of problems to work out. Many were related to the invention itself: finding the right metal formula for the type, making an ink that wasn’t too runny or too sticky, figuring out how to space the letters and get them consistently raised off the slug and the designing and building of the press itself. His other problems involved money. He dealt with lawsuits, partnerships gone awry, denied inheritances and fund raising opportunities lost (something to do with selling souvenirs to pilgrims traveling to see remnants of the clothes of Christ).

Fine Print takes you on a fascinating look at the man who was determined to invent mass–produced printing and persevered. It’s a wonderful lesson in persistence and a very interesting glimpse into 15th Century Germany.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Cut a letter in a potato and then print it:

Okay, this involves a knife, so some parental involvement is probably necessary.  Cut a medium sized red potato in half, then cut away anything that you don’t want to print. Remember, you have to create your letter backwards on your stamp.

Now put some ink or paint on your stamp and press. Viola!

Learning to Read While Learning History

This is what I was reading in 1st grade:

Given the choice, I would rather have been reading this:

Today we are bombarded with more choices than ever, whether we are in the shoe store, on the car lot or in the cereal aisle. In my day everyone was wearing saddle shoes, driving station wagons, eating Wheaties for breakfast and, of course, learning to read with Dick and Jane. Well, happily, that whole variety of options thing has carried over to beginning readers! Step Into Reading offers a batch of entertaining and educational titles on five levels. Step 1: ready to read (preschool to kindergarten), Step 2: reading with help (preschool to 1st grade), Step 3: reading on your own (1st to 3rd grade), Step 4: reading paragraphs (2nd to 3rd grade), Step 5: reading chapters (2nd to 4th grade).

Step 3 is a collection of over seventy books about nature, action heroes, princesses, witches, folk tales and familiar characters like Arthur. And I'm drooling over all the history titles available at this beginning reader level. Here they are:

• Abe Lincoln's Hat
• Babe Ruth Saves Baseball!
• Barack Obama: Out of Many, One
• The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto (my review)
• Christopher Columbus
• Dinosaur Days
• Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race
• The First Thanksgiving
• George Washington and the General's Dog (my review)
• The Great Tulip Trade
• Johnny Appleseed: My Story
• Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President
• Listen Up!: Alexander Graham Bell’s Talking Machine
• Man O'War: Best Racehorse Ever
• The True Story of Pocahontas
  
• Paul Revere's Ride
  
  

Leonardo da Vinci

This painting, Young Girl with Ermine, and the most famous painting ever, the Mona Lisa, are two of only ten paintings that Leonardo da Vinci was known to have finished. I took Art History in college but I don’t recall learning that, along with so much more I found in the 100 pages of Who Was Leonardo da Vinci? This book is an artist’s delight with it’s tales of making brushes, painting techniques, and determining subject matter.

Leonardo was born out of wedlock to a well-to-do young man and a peasant girl, neither of which cared to raise him. It’s hard to believe that someone from these awkward and lonely beginnings wound up immortalizing himself through his creative mind and outstanding abilities. To put the timing of his life into perspective, he was finishing his masterpiece The Last Supper the same year Christopher Columbus was making his third voyage to the New World. Besides having a gift for capturing a mood with a paintbrush he was also an adept inventor, musician, engineer and scientist. The book details many of his clever ideas, loosely replicating his work in a casual pen and ink style that made me long to see the real thing. I do feel this book is a great children’s introduction to this 15th century genius.

Also included are sidebars on the making of parchment and paper, art apprenticeships, the Renaissance, astronomy, Raphael, Michelangelo, and drawing techniques.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Can you imagine if the Mona Lisa was painted today? What would she be wearing? What would be in the background? Print out this Mona Lisa template and with markers, create your own modern day masterpiece.

The History of Energy

Cavemen gathering around a fire, Benjamin Franklin flying a kite in a lightening storm and a mushroom cloud exploding over Hiroshima; everything you think about when you think of energy is here, and more. The History of Energy contains over fifty pages filled with data about fire, wind, water, coal, steam, oil and nuclear energy. There is lots of cause and effect to boot. Did you know that in order to power his lightbulbs, Thomas Edison built the first commercial power station? Did you ever think about how nuclear energy was a precursor to procedures in the medical field...radiation therapy and CT scans for instance? Did you ever consider what a dangerous mess it was to fill your car with gasoline before there were gas stations?

This book follows the chronological order of man's attempts to harness energy while making the distinction between renewable and nonrenewable. And speaking of nonrenewable, it is amazing to realize that the first big oil boom was just 109 years ago. Think of all the oil we have used up since then! A detailed timeline is included.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Imagine what future skies will look like filled with solar powered flight! The Aviation and Space Education Commission is sponsoring a poster contest titled Flying With the Sun. The deadline is April 12. Here is more information.

The Wright Brothers and the Wright Sister

This book has the three main ingredients for a scrumptious read: a unique perspective, a great voice and pleasing illustrations. My Brothers' Flying Machine provides insight into the Wright family through the eyes of Orville and Wilbur's devoted sister Katharine. A really charming way of showing how the Wright Brothers evolved from boys into the inventors of flight, and the part Katharine played in that process. We loved it.

Ages 6-9
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Activity: Use your crayons to commemorate the first flight with this Wright Brothers coloring page.