Bots! Robotics Engineering: With Makerspace Activities for Kids

Description

Age range 9 to 12 An action-packed book for middle schoolers that explores the roles robots play in our world, including the history, engineering, and key players in this STEAM field - plus loads of hands-on robotics activities so kids can learn design, engineering, and coding, and develop their own innovative ideas for future robots! Robots are everywhere! They vacuum our houses, work in our factories, help us learn at school, and play with us at home. They sample rocks from other planets, survey disaster zones from the air, and bring back images from the bottom of the ocean. In Bots! Robotics Engineering with Makerspace Activities for Kids, kids learn the how, why, and who behind the robots we have today.

Kathy Ceceri is a STEAM educator and the award-winning author of more than a dozen books of hands-on learning activities for kids and adults, including Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future and Video Games: Design and Code Your Own Adventure from Nomad Press. Kathy presents low-tech/no-tech engineering workshops for students and teachers at schools, libraries, museums, and makerspaces, and is a popular speaker at Maker Faires around the country. Her other titles include Paper Inventions, Fabric and Fiber Inventions, and Making Simple Robots. Formerly the Homeschooling Expert for About.com, Kathy has two sons, a video game programmer and a filmmaker. Kathy lives in Schuylerville, New York. Lena H. Chandhok earned her degree from the Center for Cartoon Studies in 2011. Her work has been featured in Slate Magazine and in various anthologies. Lena currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Praise for Video Games by Kathy Ceceri Cathe Post, Senior Editor, GeekMom.com "This is an enjoyable journey through the history of video games. It would be great for kids and even grandparents who want to know more about what their kids (and grandkids) are playing!" Praise for a previous edition of Robotics Publisher's Weekly "Ceceri's cartoon-illustrated activity book, an addition to the Build It Yourself series, introduces readers to robotics, with information on its history, different robot technologies, and the evolution of the field . . . Light in tone but dense with information, this guide should appeal to those who already have a strong interest in the topic and are ready for a hands-on challenge." School Library Journal Gr 4-6-This title covers the many robots dreamed up by inventors and encourages readers to try out their own accessible projects. Ceceri urges readers to collect materials from yard sales and junk drawers and to tinker fearlessly (though safety guidelines are offered). Projects include basic pressure and tilt sensors, a solar-powered wobble bot made from garden lights, and gelatin-based skin for soft robots. Unlike other makerspace activity guides, this book takes an age-appropriate but surprisingly in-depth look at the social and cultural dimensions of robotics. Discussion topics include robots in history, current technological advances in cybernetics, and ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence. Diagrams, photos, and full-color comic strips add appeal for reluctant readers. Activity directions are fairly straightforward but complex enough that readers will likely require adult guidance. VERDICT: This book would make a fantastic addition to an elementary or middle school library, makerspace, or STEM-integrated classroom. A delightfully comprehensive dive into the world of robots for a tween audience.