Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities (19)

For Kids

by Laurie Winn Carlson

Thomas Edison, one of the world's greatest inventors, is introduced in this fascinating activity book. Children will learn how Edison ushered in an astounding age of invention with his unique way of looking at things and refusal to be satisfied with only one solution to a problem. This book helps inspire kids to be inventors and scientists, as well as persevere with their own ideas. Activities allow children to try Edison's experiments themselves, with activities such as making a puppet dance using static electricity, manufacturing a switch for electric current, constructing a telegraph machine, manipulating sound waves, building an electrical circuit to test for conductors and insulators, making a zoetrope, and testing a dandelion for latex. In addition to his inventions and experiments, the book explores Edison's life outside of science, including his relationship with inventor Nikola Tesla, his rivalry with George Westinghouse, and his friendship with Henry Ford. A time line, glossary, and lists of supply sources, places to visit, and websites for further exploration complement this activity book.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, American History, History

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Kim Thomas]

Carlson, L. 2006. Thomas edison for kids: his life and ideas: 21 activities. Chicago Review Press.

Reference Type: Biographical Reference

Call Number: REF 92

Description: This is a reference about Thomas Edison and his life about how he became a Scientist. There are many activities to complete as the student gains information about Thomas Edison.

Review:

"A solid addition to the Edison shelf." —Kirkus Reviews
"Approachable and educational...a valuable resource for units on electricity, communication, or inventors." —VOYA

"A wonderful addition to your homeschool library. Nothing dry and dull here." —Home Educator’s Family Times

"Inspires kids to be inventors and scientists and persevere with their own ideas." —Georgia Family Magazine

"An engaging introduction to the life and work of inventor Thomas Edison."

—KLIATT

"Blends the historical and the practical beautifully." —Library Media Connection

"This book will inspire kids to be inventors and scientists." —Parents Express

"This cool book will inspire the curious minds of a new generation." —Charlotte Parent

Barnes &, N. (2013). Editorial reviews. Retrieved from http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thoma...

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book! We've been working on this book of and on for 2 months. It was well worth the read. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it and we had a lot of conversations with every reading. We were amazed at how much Thomas Edison really did invent.

This book included a lot of information about his personal life, the struggles he faced getting funding and working with people, his inventions and the process he went through to invent each item, mini-biographies of other famous people and several examples of his limitless optimism during so many hard times. There are also 21 engaging activities for you to work on that have to do with his major inventions. This book is packed with information!

We look forward to reading the other books in this series.

[Lindsay Johnson]

Thomas Edison for Kids: His Life and Ideas is an awesome book for students to not only learn about the biography of Thomas Edison, but also do some hands on activities that simulate some of his inventions. It includes the instructions for 21 activities for kids to try, so it would be a great book not only for literature, but also science as well. This would be a great book to use as part of a science lesson. For example, I could read aloud different, specific sections of the book to the students, and then prepare the activities for the students to do that were given in the book. This book includes information on Thomas Edison’s life, his ideas, what made him famous, and pictures of him throughout his life.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book made me feel smarter, because there is so much information in it! All about Thomas Edison's life, friends and family, works, and it even explained those works. Thomas Edison was a genius, and he was involved in numerous things. I am glad I read this, and I'm thinking about reading the two other books like this that we have in our house. I recommend it!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read 3 or 4 books on Thomas Edison for my Son's Science club...and this was by far the best one! I want to own this book! The combination of biography, pictures, experiments, and other resources were FABULOUS!!!

[Salomon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book about an inportant man