Have you ever wanted a robot that did your chores? Well, you’re not alone. For centuries, people have been imagining and inventing robotlike machines to make their lives easier.
Late 1400s: Artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci builds a mechanical lion. He also draws plans for a “robot-knight” run by pulleys, wooden disks and gears.
1600s: Mechanical puppets called karakuri dolls are built in Japan. Some can serve tea.
1738: French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson builds a human-sized flute player that plays 12 songs and a mechanical duck that flaps its wings, sits, eats grain and even poops.
- From Robots: From Everyday to Out of This World by the Editors of Yes Mag, 2008.
Step 1: flatten out your coffee filter so it will lay flat on a table.
Step 2: color all over the coffee filter with the markers (I used blue and red to make it patriotic but you can use whatever colors you want.) Make sure you color as much space as possible and all the way to the edges of the coffee filter.
Step 3: lay your coffee filter on a water-proof surface and spray water all over the coffee filter to blend the markers.
Step 4: let the coffee filter dry completely. (This could take up to 15-20 minutes depending on where you leave the filter to dry).
Step 5: take the coffee filter and place one end into the open end of the clothespin.
Step 6: slowly squish the coffee filter done into the clothespin. You want to fit the entire filter inside the clothespin, leaving the edges hanging out as evenly as possible on both sides of the clothespin. You may need an adult to help you with this step.
Step 7: smooth out the edges of your coffee filter to make the butterfly’s wings.
Step 8: wrap the pipe cleaner around the top of the clothespin (opposite the open edge) for the antennae.
Now your done! Enjoy your butterfly and make a few more to give away as gifts.
Posted on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 by yogalibrarian
Did you know that a girl struck out the legendary Babe Ruth?
On April 2, 1931 history was made at a minor-league exhibition game in Tennessee when the New York Yankees played against the Chattanooga Lookouts. She was a seventeen-year-old pitcher and she made baseball history. BTW, that was only the beginning.
I am not a great painter, but I wonder if I would be better if I used my hands instead of a brush? You have 4 minuets to figure out what this painting is…
Posted on Friday, June 26, 2009 by Centerville Library
Have you seen these funny inventions? Some of them are actually very good. Which ones do you like? Do you have any of them? Want to share your creative ideas? Respond in the Comments box.
Creative play is great – but it doesn’t have to be expensive. And preparing inexpensive play dough can be part of the fun. You should have all the things you need on hand already.
Traditional Play Dough
1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup salt
food coloring
Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled. Will last for a long time. [http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/art/playdough061699.html]
Check the Library for craft books and magazines. Here are a few examples:
“Provides simple directions for making inexpensive pastes, compounds, inks, paints, dried flower preservatives, and papier-mache and includes tips on using them with good results” [J745.5 SATTLER]
“Arranged by type of material, this guide gives many craft ideas for using such household items as aluminum foil, plastic berry baskets, beans, buttons, catalogs and magazines, clothespins, cookie cutters, and milk cartons. Several projects are also suggested for less commonly found materials, such as beads, beeswax, jingle bells, and fabric paint. Clear, step-by-step instructions include detailed black-and-white illustrations.” [J745.5 SADLER]
To all you animal lovers out there, Jean Craighead George’s book, How to Talk to Your Dog, is a wonderful introduction into “dog speak.” Filled with humor, love and great imagery you will be able to learn the best ways to communicate with your dog.
Did you know that the best way to say hello to your dog is by taking a sniff towards his or hers nose. By doing this small act you are dog talking. Your dog will answer by pulling his ears back and close to his head. He is saying “Hello, leader.” And the two of you are having a conversation.
This book will show the reader how to read and understand what a tail wag means, how facial changes can give you a world of information, and how eye contact between the two of you is a way to bond that brings you and your doggie friend closer and closer together.
“No one will ever love you as much as your dog does.” This book will show you how to establish and maintain that friendship in a language that you both can share.
Please remember there a plenty of dogs that need a good and loving home just waiting to be adopted at your local shelter or rescue group!
Are you a musician? Do your pets love to “supervise” when you practice? Click the play button to watch a cute, hungry hamster hanging out with his musician buddy while he is practicing the piano.
John August Miller strived his entire life to get his roller coasters to go higher, steeper, faster, make sharper turns, even spin upside down.
Born August John Mueller in 1874, in Homewood, Illinois, he changed his name when he began working with LaMarcus Adna Thompson, a roller coaster designer and engineer. Thompson is credited with having created the first roller coaster which debuted in Coney Island, New York, in 1884. The following year he patented his “Roller Coasting Structure.” Miller eventually became Thompson’s chief engineer.
In 1920, Miller and Harry C. Baker created a joint company, Miller and Baker, Inc., which gave Miller the impetus to create a large number of coasters. Three years later he established his own company, where he perfected, manufactured, and invented many of the technologies for roller coasters as we know them today
His devotion to coasters never ceased. He died on June 24, 1941, while working on a coaster in Houston, Texas.
From the book, Incredible Inventions, 2009, by Lee Bennet Hopkins.
Have you ever wanted a robot that did your chores? Well, you’re not alone. For centuries, people have been imagining and inventing robotlike machines to make their lives easier.
Traditional Play Dough
To all you animal lovers out there, Jean Craighead George’s book, 
The Roller Coaster
