Amazing Leonardo Da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself

by Anderson, Maxine

• ISBN13: 9780974934426
• ISBN10: 0974934429
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-01
• Publisher: Nomad Press

Summary

From armored tanks and gliders to "plastic glass" and drawing machines, this interactive book explores the incredible mind of Leonardo da Vinci through hands-on building projects and activities. Most of Leonardo's inventions were never made in his lifetime and remained sketches in his famous notebooks; kids examine some of these original sketches and learn about the models Leonardo made of his inventions. From there they delve into detailed step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and templates for each project, which are interpersed with historical facts, biographical anecdotes, and trivia. Most of the building can be done using simple household supplies: construction paper, tape, markers, glue, cardboard tubes, aluminum foil, and cardboard boxes. Background about the Renaissance as a period of remarkable achievement in art and science appears throughout the book.

Author Biography

Maxine Anderson is the author of Great Civil War Projects You Can Build Yourself. She is a former teacher and an avid amateur historian, focusing on inventions and innovations in a historical context. She lives in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
What Was the Renaissance?	p. 3
Biography of Leonardo	p. 7
Leonardo the Artist and Dreamer	p. 11
Perspective and Leonardo's "Perspectograph"	p. 14
Masks for a Masque	p. 23
"Plastic Glass" and Paint	p. 27
Leonardo and Luca Pacioli's "Divine Proportion"	p. 32
Leonardo the Jokester	p. 37
Monster Shield	p. 43
Leonardo's Useful Machines	p. 49
The Camera Obscura	p. 52
Leonardo's Weather Predictions	p. 56
Leonardo's Hydrometer	p. 60
Leonardo's Monkey Wrench	p. 63
Leonardo and Water	p. 66
Walk-on-Water Shoes	p. 69
Leonardo's Webbed Gloves	p. 74
Leonardo in Flight	p. 77
Leonardo's Ornithopter	p. 79
Leonardo's Helicopter	p. 83
Leonardo's Parachute	p. 88
Leonardo's Anemometer	p. 92
Leonardo's War Inventions	p. 97
Leonardo's Safety Bridge	p. 100
Leonardo's Trebuchet	p. 103
Leonardo's Tank	p. 108
Image Credits	p. 116
Glossary	p. 117
Bibliography/Resources	p. 119
Index	p. 121
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