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Inventions and Inventors

Do you know any creative kids who love to tinker, build things (and take things apart ...), and solve problems? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about inventions and inventors.

Try pairing fiction with nonfiction books and exploring different genres [6] (like poetry and biographies) and formats (like graphic novels and audio books). You'll be creating your own "text sets" — collections of texts focused on a specific topic, such as inventions and inventors. Reading widely in this way helps children build background knowledge [7], vocabulary [8], and comprehension skills.

You might also want to explore DIY Science Camp: Be an Inventor! [9]

Inventions and Inventors

How to explore this theme:

  • Read fiction and nonfiction books
  • Try some hands-on activities
  • Build writing skills with these fun ideas
  • Dig deeper with kid-friendly websites
  • Listen and learn with these podcasts especially for kids
  • Play and learn with mobile apps

More themed resources:

  • Growing Readers tip sheets (English & Spanish)
  • Video interviews with children’s authors
  • Washington DC for kids
  • Share on Facebook [1]
  • Tweet Link [2]
  • Pin It [3]
  • Send by email [4]
  • Printer-friendly version [5]
Start with a Book is made possible with support from the Park Foundation [10]
 How to use Start with a Book [11]

 How to use Start with a Book [12]

River Rangers [13]

Other topics to explore

  • Builders and Buildings [16]
  • Detectives and Explorers [17]
  • Flight [18]
  • Heroes and Superheroes [19]
  • Stars, Planets and the Night Sky [20]

Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books

Age Level: 3-6 years old

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cover of "Clink" showing robot

Clink

By: Kelly DiPucchio

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Clink is a robot that used to be state of the art; now he's outdated and missing parts. Nobody...

Purchase on Bookshop [26]

Purchase on Amazon [27]

From the Good Mountain: How Gutenberg Changed the World

By: James Rumford

Age Level: 3-6 years old

The world changed when rags and bone, sticky stuff, and other things came together in the hands of...

Purchase on Amazon [28]

cover of "If I Built a Car" showing a boy showing a man a car

If I Built a Car

By: Chris Van Dusen

Age Level: 3-6 years old

In Seussian rhyme and lively illustrations, Jack imagines and describes the car he will build...

Purchase on Bookshop [29]

Purchase on Amazon [30]

If I Built a House

By: Chris Van Dusen

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Imaginative Jack is ready to build the house of his dreams, complete with a racetrack, flying...

Purchase on Bookshop [31]

Purchase on Amazon [32]

Polo: The Runaway Book

By: Regis Faller

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Fiction

The chase is on when Polo's book is stolen by a small alien. Polo, an engaging hound, pulls...

Purchase on Amazon [33]

cover of "The Most Magnificent Thing" showing girl pulling red wagon full of junk

The Most Magnificent Thing

By: Ashley Spires

Age Level: 3-6 years old

A girl decides to make something magnificent with the help of her assistant — her dog, but they...

Purchase on Bookshop [34]

Purchase on Amazon [35]

cover of What Do You Do WIth an Idea? showing a child looking down at a chick.

What Do You Do With an Idea?

By: Kobi Yamada

Age Level: 3-6 years old

This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As...

Purchase on Bookshop [36]

Purchase on Amazon [37]

Young Frank, Architect

By: Frank Viva

Age Level: 3-6 years old

Young Frank is an architect. He lives with his grandfather, Old Frank, who is also an architect...

Purchase on Bookshop [38]

Purchase on Amazon [39]

Age Level: 6-9 years old

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illustrated cover of "Clever-Lazy" showing two people in front of a river with hills in front of them

Clever-Lazy

By: Joan Bodger

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Far away, and on the other side of time, there lived Clever-Lazy, an explorer who loved to invent...

Purchase on Amazon [40]

Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World

By: Elizabeth Rusch

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Move over Tom Edison! This intriguing look at Tesla’s importance in early use of electricity is...

Purchase on Bookshop [41]

Purchase on Amazon [42]

Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed their World

By: Allan Drummond

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

It's windy on the Danish island of Samsø. Meet the environmentally friendly people who now...

Purchase on Bookshop [43]

Purchase on Amazon [44]

Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

By: Margot Lee Shetterly, Winifred Conklin

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

The true story of four African American women whose talent and tenacity led to careers at NASA...

Purchase on Bookshop [45]

Purchase on Amazon [46]

cover of "How Ben Frankling Stole the Lightning" showing Ben Franklin hanging from a lightning bolt

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning

By: Rosalyn Schanzer

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Benjamin Franklin was amazing. He was a musician, a printer, a cartoonist, a shopkeeper, an...

Purchase on Bookshop [47]

Purchase on Amazon [48]

Hurricane

By: David Wiesner

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Fiction

As the sky grays and the leaves swirl by in a "green blizzard," two young boys and...

Purchase on Amazon [49]

cover of "I, Galileo" showing man looking through telescope

I, Galileo

By: Bonnie Christensen

Age Level: 6-9 years old

The voice of an old, blind Galileo Galilei is used to look back on a life that started in Pisa...

Purchase on Amazon [50]

Iggy Peck's Big Project Book for Amazing Architects

By: Andrea Beaty

Age Level: 6-9 years old

This workbook book features art and the characters from the picture book Iggy Peck, Architect...

Purchase on Bookshop [51]

Purchase on Amazon [52]

Iggy Peck, Architect

By: Andrea Beaty

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Iggy has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re...

Purchase on Bookshop [53]

Purchase on Amazon [54]

illustrated cover of "Imaginitive Inventions" showing a piggy bank, a pie, and gum behind a jester

Imaginative Inventions

By: Charise Mericle Harper

Age Level: 6-9 years old

A lively, brief, rhyming look at various inventions and the people who created them weaves...

Purchase on Bookshop [55]

Purchase on Amazon [56]

Lewis Latimer: The Man Behind a Better Light Bulb

By: Nancy Dickmann

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Lewis Latimer's invention of the carbon filament made light bulbs more affordable and longer...

Purchase on Bookshop [57]

Purchase on Amazon [58]

cover of "Marvelous Maddie" showing young girl surrounded by sketches of inventions

Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor

By: Emily Arnold McCully

Age Level: 6-9 years old

How did a curious girl became one of America's most prolific inventors? Mattie's childhood...

Purchase on Bookshop [59]

Purchase on Amazon [60]

cover of "Marveltown" showing giant robot holding up book title

Marveltown

By: Bruce McCall

Age Level: 6-9 years old

A romp through the possibilities of the unbound imagination. Marveltown is a place where flights...

Purchase on Amazon [61]

cover of "Mr. Ferris and His Wheel" showing a ferris wheel

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel

By: Kathryn Gibbs Davis

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

Defying gravity and impossible odds, the engineer George Ferris created the sensation of the 1893...

Purchase on Bookshop [62]

Purchase on Amazon [63]

illustrated cover of Neo Leo showing a seated man with planes flying around

Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci

By: Gene Baretta

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Even though Leonardo da Vinci lived a long time ago (born in 15th century Florence), his ideas...

Purchase on Amazon [64]

Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin

By: Gene Barretta

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

What would you do if you lived in a community without a library, hospital, post office, or fire...

Purchase on Bookshop [65]

Purchase on Amazon [66]

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein

By: Jennifer Berne

Age Level: 6-9 years old

As a child, he was a late talker but as he grew up, Albert Einstein never stopped asking questions...

Purchase on Bookshop [67]

Purchase on Amazon [68]

cover of "Papa's Mechanical Fish" showing man in fish-shaped submarine

Papa's Mechanical Fish

By: Candace Fleming

Age Level: 6-9 years old

A fictional account based on events in the life of eccentric inventor Lodner Phillips as told...

Purchase on Bookshop [69]

Purchase on Amazon [70]

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum

By: Meghan McCarthy

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Though it's unlikely that anyone has ever heard of Walter Diemer, chances are they've...

Purchase on Bookshop [71]

Purchase on Amazon [72]

cover of "House of Inventions" showing a house with items on the wall, like a saw, a lawnmower, and a clock

Pop-Up House of Inventions: Hundreds of Fabulous Facts About Your Home

By: Robert Crowther

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Each room of every house holds items, objects, and other surprises that were invented at one...

Purchase on Amazon [73]

Regards to the Man in the Moon

By: Ezra Jack Keats

Age Level: 6-9 years old

When the other kids make fun of Louie and call his father "the junkman," his dad explains that the...

Purchase on Bookshop [74]

Purchase on Amazon [75]

Rosie Revere's Big Project Book for Bold Engineers

By: Andrea Beaty

Age Level: 6-9 years old

This activity book features art from the picture book Rosie Revere, Engineer and will...

Purchase on Bookshop [76]

Purchase on Amazon [77]

Cover of Rosie Revere Engineer showing a girl with a red bandana in her hair holding a string.

Rosie Revere, Engineer

By: Andrea Beaty

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Rosie may seem quiet during the day, but at night she's a brilliant inventor of gizmos and gadgets...

Purchase on Bookshop [78]

Purchase on Amazon [79]

Snowflake Bentley

By: Jacqueline Martin Briggs

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Strong lines and narrative combine in this picture book biography of the Vermonter who figured...

Purchase on Bookshop [80]

Purchase on Amazon [81]

cover of "So You Want To Be an Inventor" showing musical instruments and two men on the phone

So You Want to Be an Inventor?

By: Judith St. George

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Ever wonder who invented the first dishwasher? How about Ben Franklin's inventions? Need...

Purchase on Amazon [82]

Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak: Geek Heroes Who Put the Personal in Computers

By: Mike Venezia

Age Level: 6-9 years old

It is difficult for today's young readers to imagine a time when personal computers were not widely...

Purchase on Amazon [83]

Sweet Dreams, Sarah

By: Vivian Kirkfield

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

Originally enslaved, Sarah E. Goode moved to Chicago after the abolition of slavery and started...

Purchase on Bookshop [84]

Purchase on Amazon [85]

Purchase audio version [86]

illustrated cover of The Bluest of Blues showing a young girl outside and everything is in shades of blue and white, except red flowers.

The Bluest of Blues: Anna Atkins and the First Book of Photographs

By: Fiona Robinson

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

Born in England in the early 19th century, Anna was encouraged by her father to observe, study,...

Purchase on Bookshop [87]

Purchase on Amazon [88]

cover of "The Boy Who Harnesses the Wind" sowing boy and a windmill

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

By: William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer

Age Level: 6-9 years old

When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba's Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone's crops...

Purchase on Bookshop [89]

Purchase on Amazon [90]

cover of "The Boy Who Invented TV" showing boy holding a tv

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth

By: Kathleen Krull

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Two machines captivated young Philo Farnsworth: a telephone and a phonograph. Both had cranks...

Purchase on Amazon [91]

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos

By: Deborah Heiligman

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Paul Erdos grew up in Hungary and was always an unusual child. He enjoyed numbers, was inept at...

Purchase on Bookshop [92]

Purchase on Amazon [93]

The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

By: Natashcha Biebow

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

You may not have heard of Edwin Binney but chances are you’ve used his invention: Crayola...

Purchase on Bookshop [94]

Purchase on Amazon [95]

cover of "The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont" showing a crowd and planes in front of the eiffel tower

The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont

By: Victoria Griffith

Age Level: 6-9 years old

While the Wright Brothers were gliding over Kitty Hawk, the charming Brazilian Alberto Santos-...

Purchase on Amazon [96]

The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague

By: Julia Finley Mosca

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

After touring a German submarine in the early 1940s, young Raye set her sights on becoming an...

Purchase on Bookshop [97]

Purchase on Amazon [98]

The Hole Story of the Doughnut

By: Pat Miller

Age Level: 6-9 years old

A seafaring cook named Hanson Crockett Gregory is credited with inventing the sweet fried treats...

Purchase on Bookshop [99]

Purchase on Amazon [100]

The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan

By: Joan DiCicco

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

Using his ingenuity and tenacity, Garrett overcame racial barriers and forged a career as a...

Purchase on Bookshop [101]

Purchase on Amazon [102]

Ticktock Banneker's Clock

By: Shana Keller

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

The story of 18th century African American scientist Benjamin Banneker and his three-year...

Purchase on Bookshop [103]

Purchase on Amazon [104]

Weird & Wacky Inventions

By: Jim Murphy

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Images of unusual inventions are presented with possible uses, explained when the page is turned...

Purchase on Amazon [105]

Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions

By: Chris Barton

Age Level: 6-9 years old

Nonfiction

As a kid, Lonnie fiddled around with toy rockets and more. But all of his tinkering led to a...

Purchase on Bookshop [106]

Purchase on Amazon [107]

Purchase audio version [108]

Purchase Kindle version [109]

Age Level: 9-12 years old

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Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle

By: Deborah Lee Rose

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Nonfiction

The true story of Beauty, the wild bald eagle that made world news when she was illegally shot,...

Purchase on Bookshop [110]

Purchase on Amazon [111]

Black Pioneers of Science and Invention

By: Louis Haber

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Nonfiction

...

Purchase on Amazon [112]

Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer

By: Traci Sorell

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Nonfiction

Mary Golda Ross designed classified airplanes and spacecraft as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's...

Purchase on Bookshop [113]

Purchase on Amazon [114]

Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast Ships, and a Journey to the New World

By: David Macaulay

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Nonfiction

This fascinating story of the development of steam engines is told against the backdrop of David...

Purchase on Bookshop [115]

Purchase on Amazon [116]

Purchase Kindle version [117]

Curious Jane: Science + Design + Engineering for Inquisitive Girls

By: Sterling Children's

Age Level: 9-12 years old

“Curious Jane” activities started as a summer project to keep the author’s girls engaged. It has...

Purchase on Bookshop [118]

Purchase on Amazon [119]

cover of "Generation Fix" showing six teenagers, a lightbulb, and a tree

Generation Fix: Young Ideas for a Better World

By: Elizabeth Rusch

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Nonfiction

Young people see a need and work to better their world in this upbeat chronicle of youthful...

Purchase on Amazon [120]

Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women

By: Catherine Thimmesh

Age Level: 9-12 years old

In kitchens and living rooms, in garages and labs and basements, even in converted chicken coops,...

Purchase on Bookshop [121]

Purchase on Amazon [122]

Hooray For Inventors!

By: Marcia Williams

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Discover the stories behind some of the world's greater and lesser inventions. Beginning with a...

Purchase on Bookshop [123]

Purchase on Amazon [124]

Mistakes that Worked

By: Charlotte Jones

Age Level: 9-12 years old

None of the inventions described in these pages were planned; in fact, some of the inventors had no...

Purchase on Bookshop [125]

Purchase on Amazon [126]

Robot: DK Eyewitness Books

By: Roger Bridgman

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Take a detailed look at the fascinating world of robots — from the earliest single-task...

Purchase on Bookshop [127]

Purchase on Amazon [128]

Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future

By: Kathy Ceceri

Age Level: 9-12 years old

A fun and educational introduction to the exciting field of designing, building, and operating...

Purchase on Bookshop [129]

Purchase on Amazon [130]

Tesla’s Attic

By: Neal Shusterman

Age Level: 9-12 years old

The first in the Accelerati Trilogy, 14-year old Nick, his younger brother and his father have...

Purchase on Amazon [131]

cover of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" showing an intricate lock

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

By: Brian Selznick

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Image and text combine in a unique presentation to tell the story of an orphan boy who lives...

Purchase on Bookshop [132]

Purchase on Amazon [133]

The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle

By: Don L. Wulffson

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Did you know that the ice cream sundae was invented because of a law forbidding the sale of ice...

Purchase on Bookshop [134]

Purchase on Amazon [135]

cover of "THe Kid's Invention Book" showing photo of two kids. One is holding a lightbulb about her head.

The Kids' Invention Book

By: Arlene Erlbach

Age Level: 9-12 years old

The author uses the success of 15-year-old Chester Greenwood, who invented earmuffs in 1873, as the...

Purchase on Bookshop [136]

Purchase on Amazon [137]

photo cover of "The Next Wave" showing waves hitting rocks

The Next Wave: The Quest to Harness the Power of the Oceans

By: Elizabeth Rusch

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Journey to the wave-battered coast of the Pacific Northwest to meet some of the engineers and...

Purchase on Bookshop [138]

Purchase on Amazon [139]

cover of "Toys" showing different kinds of toys

Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions

By: Don Wulffson

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Have you ever wondered who invented Lego, Mr. Potato Head, or toy trains? Here are the fascinating...

Purchase on Bookshop [140]

Purchase on Amazon [141]

What Color Is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors

By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Age Level: 9-12 years old

Nonfiction

Basketball legend Abdul-Jabbar champions a lineup of little-known African-American inventors in...

Purchase on Bookshop [142]

Purchase on Amazon [143]

Hands-on Activities

Build on what you're learning together through books with these family-friendly activities, experiments, and crafts.

  • 30 Ways to Use a Cardboard Box [144]
  • diagram for creating a balloon rocket
    Balloon Rocket [145]
  • Someone making a small robot with a toothbrush head.
    Bristle Bots! [146]
  • Building Stories: Design a House [147]
  • Cardboard "Automata" [148]
  • child hooking electrodes to clay balls
    Electric Playdough [149] video
  • photo of a bird's nest
    Engineer a Bird's Nest [150]
  • Geodesic Gumdrops [151]
    Exploratorium
  • Giant Robot Fingers [152]
  • photo of balloon attached to a paper plate
    Hovercraft [153]
  • A robot decorated to look like a bee using office supplies.
    Invent a Pollinator Robot [154]
  • Inventions Alphabet Book [155]
  • young boy wearing a homemade jet pack
    Jetpack [156]
  • Makey Makey Inventions [157] $
  • Marble Run (Complex) [158]
  • Marble Run (Simple) [159]
  • photo of a marble slide
    Marble Run (Simple) [160]
  • photo of boy blowing through the end of a paper cone
    Music to Our Ears [161]
  • Mystery Object Investigation [162]
  • Paper Making [163]
  • homemade sligshot using a pencil, rubber band, and toilet paper rolls
    Paper Tube Slingshot [164] video
  • Random Robot [165]
  • photo of a man and two boys stacking bagels and tennis balls
    Repurpose Four Everyday Objects [166] video
  • Silly Putty Investigations [167]
  • photo of a soda can made to look like a bug with wings
    Soda Can Vibrating Bug [168]
  • Space Jell-O [169]
  • boy holding a paper bird on a string
    Swinging Bird Toy [170] video
  • Tangrams (Printable) [171]
    Parents
  • photo of tin can robot
    Tin Can Magnetic Robots [172]
  • Tin Can Telephone [173]
  • photo of two long balloons being used as balloon rockets
    Two-Stage Balloon Rocket [174]
  • Voice Pipe [175] video
  • Water Wall [176]
  • Zoom Ball [177] video

Summer Writing

Give kids a chance to flex their writing muscles all summer long. Try one of these prompts, selected from our writing contest archives and other literacy organizations.

  • daVinci 1503: Breaking the Codex (Time Warp Trio) [178]
  • Invent Something! (Inspired by Lemony Snicket) [179]
  • Inventors, 1877: Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge? (Time Warp Trio) [180]
  • Robots at Work [181]

Great Websites for Kids

Dive deeper into topics of interest with these media-rich and interactive sites.

  • Airplane Anatomy: Helping Orville and Wilbur Assemble the 1903 Flyer [182]
  • Dad Can Do [183] $
  • Design a Car [184]
  • Design Squad Nation [185]
  • Discover Design [186]
  • DIY [187]
  • Engineer Girl [188]
  • Exploring Leonardo [189]
  • Famous African American Inventors [190]
  • Fidgit Factory Games [191]
  • Invention at Play [192]
  • Invention Playhouse: Cloud Dreamer [193]
  • Invention Playhouse: Puzzle Blocks [194]
  • Invention Playhouse: Tinker Ball [195]
  • Inventor's Toolbox [196]
  • Kids Think Design [197]
  • Makedo [198]
  • MetKids Time Machine [199]
  • National Geographic Kids [200]
  • National Inventors Hall of Fame [201]
  • National Museum of American History [202]
  • Roller Coaster Builder [203]
  • Scratch [204]
  • Tangrams (Interactive) [205]

Great Podcasts for Kids

Listen and learn with these podcasts especially for kids. These podcasts are free and easy to listen to from any device via Apple Podcasts [206], Google Podcasts [207], or Stitcher [208] — or from Listen Notes [209], a podcast search engine.

  • Clocks: A Brief History of Telling Time [210] audio
    Brains On: Forever Ago
  • How do airplanes fly? [211] audio
    Brains On!
  • How do elevators work? [212] audio
    Brains On!
  • Hugomatic 3000 and the Future of Soft Robotics [213] audio
    Wow in the World (NPR)
  • Inventoritos [214] audio
    Wow in the World (NPR)
  • Lucy Wow [215] audio
    Go Kids Go
  • Reinventing The Wheel [216] audio
    Tumble Science Podcast
  • Skateboards: When Roller Skates Met Surfboards [217] audio
    Brains On: Forever Ago
  • Smart-Bots [218] audio
    Wow in the World (NPR)
  • Umbrellas: The Magic Invention of the Sculptress [219] audio
    Brains On: Forever Ago
  • Young Ben Franklin [220] audio
    Gen-Z Media

Educational Apps

Educational apps recommended by Common Sense Media and other trusted reviewers.

  • Amazing Alex [221] $
  • BallFallDown [222] $
  • Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts [223] $
  • Busy Water [224] $
  • Crazy Gears [225] $
  • DIY Nano [226]
  • DIY: Get Skills, Be Awesome [227]
  • littleBits Invent [228]
  • Mathmateer [229] $
  • Robots [230] $
  • Tangram for Osmo [231]
  • The Robot Factory by Tinybop [232] $
  • TinkerBox [233]
  • Toca Builders [234] $
  • Toca Robot Lab [235] $
  • Wizard School [236]

More Themed Resources

Growing Readers Tip Sheets

Simple activities for parents and kids to do together to build reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Read online or print the PDF.

  • Cause and Effect [237]
    Download PDF: English [238] | Spanish [239]
  • IF kids code, THEN...what? [240]
    Download PDF: English [241] | Spanish [242]
  • Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions [243]
    Download PDF: English [244] | Spanish [245]
  • Making Predictions [246]
    Download PDF: English [247] | Spanish [248]
  • Preparing 21st Century Learners [249]
    Download PDF: English [250] | Spanish [251]
  • Science vs. Science Fiction [252]
    Download PDF: English [253] | Spanish [254]
  • STEM Tools at Home [255]
    Download PDF: English [256] | Spanish [257]
  • Steps in the Scientific Process [258]
    Download PDF: English [259] | Spanish [260]
  • The Night Before the Museum [261]
    Download PDF: English [262] | Spanish [263]
  • Think Like an Inventor! [264]
    Download PDF: English [265] | Spanish [266]
  • Meet the Author

    Automata. Caldecott Medal winner Brian Selznick [267] describes how these complicated wind-up toys inspired his best-selling book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Our Summer Blog

Our Summer Blog

  • Sun versus Shade Experiment [268]
  • Do Architects Build Dollhouses? [269]
  • Imaginations Take Flight [270]

Washington DC for Kids

Places

  • National Air and Space Museum [271]
  • National Archives [272]
  • National Geographic Museum [273]
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture [274]
  • National Museum of American History [202]
  • Thomas Jefferson Memorial [275]

See all DC Places > [276]


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[4] https://www.startwithabook.org/printmail/print/summer-reading-learning/inventions-and-inventors
[5] https://www.startwithabook.org/print/print/summer-reading-learning/inventions-and-inventors
[6] https://www.startwithabook.org/great-kids-books
[7] https://www.startwithabook.org/background-knowledge
[8] https://www.startwithabook.org/vocabulary-and-word-play
[9] https://www.startwithabook.org/summer-science/diy-science-camp-be-inventor
[10] http://www.parkfoundation.org/
[11] https://www.startwithabook.org/how-to
[12] https://www.startwithabook.org/summer-program-staff
[13] https://www.startwithabook.org/river-rangers-book-based-science-adventure
[14] https://www.startwithabook.org/we-are-storytellers-exploring-multicultural-folktales-fairy-tales-and-myths
[15] https://www.startwithabook.org/space-rangers-book-based-science-adventure
[16] https://www.startwithabook.org/summer-reading-learning/builders-and-buildings
[17] https://www.startwithabook.org/summer-reading-learning/detectives-and-explorers
[18] https://www.startwithabook.org/summer-reading-learning/flight
[19] https://www.startwithabook.org/summer-reading-learning/heroes-and-superheroes
[20] https://www.startwithabook.org/summer-reading-learning/stars-planets-and-night-sky
[21] https://www.overdrive.com/
[22] https://www.audible.com/ep/kids-audiobooks
[23] https://www.tales2go.com/
[24] https://www.getepic.com/
[25] https://www.startwithabook.org/finding-audiobooks-and-ebooks
[26] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9780061929281
[27] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/006192928X/readingrockets-20
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[31] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9780803737518
[32] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0803737513/readingrockets-20
[33] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/159643189X/readingrockets-20
[34] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9781554537044
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[36] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9781938298073
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[38] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9780870708930
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[40] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0887764185/readingrockets-20
[41] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9780763658557
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[43] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9781250056764
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[45] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9780062742469
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[47] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9780688169930
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[51] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9781419718922
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[53] http://bookshop.org/a/24266/9780810911062
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[144] http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/CCM_30_Ways_to_Use_a_Cardboard Box.pdf
[145] http://www.education.com/science-fair/article/volume-air-far-balloon-rocket-travels/
[146] http://pbskids.org/designsquad/build/bristle-bots/
[147] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/BuildingStories.pdf
[148] http://tinkering.exploratorium.edu/sites/default/files/Instructions/cardboard_automata.pdf
[149] https://www.pbs.org/video/adventures-learning-electric-dough/
[150] http://www.greatstems.com/2016/01/how-to-engineer-a-birds-nest.html
[151] http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/geo_gumdrops.html
[152] http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/robotFinger/index.html
[153] http://pbskids.org/designsquad/build/hovercraft/
[154] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/PollinatorRobot.pdf
[155] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/inventionsatoz.pdf
[156] http://www.themomcreative.com/2012/11/tutorial-kids-soda-bottle-jet-pack.html
[157] http://imaginationsoup.net/2014/02/empower-inventive-thinking-in-kids-with-makey-makey/
[158] http://tinkering.exploratorium.edu/sites/default/files/projectpdfs/Marble_Machines.pdf
[159] http://www.powerfulmothering.com/diy-marble-run-from-toilet-rolls/
[160] http://frugalfun4boys.com/2012/09/05/paper-plate-marble-track/
[161] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/music_to_our_ears.pdf
[162] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/objectinvestigation.pdf
[163] http://tinkerlab.com/how-to-make-paper/
[164] http://pbskids.org/designsquad/build/indoor-slingshot/
[165] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/RandomRobot.pdf
[166] http://pbskids.org/designsquad/video/repurpose-four-everyday-objects/
[167] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/sillyputty.pdf
[168] http://www.instructables.com/id/Soda-Can-Vibrating-Bug/
[169] http://www.amnh.org/ology/features/stufftodo_einstein/jello.php
[170] http://madebyjoel.com/2013/06/oscillating-bird-science-toy-for-kids.html
[171] https://www.startwithabook.org/sites/default/files/tangrams.pdf
[172] http://kidoinfo.com/ri/kidoinfo-diy-tin-can-magnetic-robots/
[173] http://madebyjoel.com/2010/04/tin-can-telephones.html
[174] https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/two-stage-balloon-rocket
[175] http://babbledabbledo.com/simple-engineering-project-diy-voicepipe/
[176] http://babbledabbledo.com/make-freestanding-diy-water-wall/
[177] http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2015/03/inertia-zoom-ball.html
[178] http://www.timewarptrio.com/teachers-parents/lessons/pdf/twt-lesson-leonardo.pdf
[179] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/InventSomething.pdf
[180] http://www.timewarptrio.com/teachers-parents/lessons/pdf/twt-lesson-inventors.pdf
[181] http://www.startwithabook.org/content/pdfs/RobotsWork.pdf
[182] http://airandspace.si.edu/wrightbrothers/classroomActivities/k-3_flash.html
[183] http://www.dadcando.com/default_SPECIAL.asp?section=Making&project=Making_Homepage
[184] http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/kidsite/portfolio/car-comparision/
[185] http://pbskids.org/designsquad
[186] https://www.discoverdesign.org/
[187] https://diy.org/featured
[188] http://www.engineergirl.org/
[189] http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeoHomePage.html
[190] http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/inventors/index.htm
[191] http://pbskids.org/designsquad/games/
[192] http://invention.si.edu/try/do-try-home
[193] http://invention.si.edu/cloud-dreamer
[194] http://invention.si.edu/puzzle-blocks
[195] http://invention.si.edu/tinker-ball
[196] http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/InventorsToolbox.html
[197] http://www.kidsthinkdesign.org/
[198] https://mymakedo.com
[199] https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/time-machine
[200] http://kids.nationalgeographic.com
[201] http://invent.org/
[202] http://americanhistory.si.edu/
[203] http://static.lawrencehallofscience.org/kidsite/portfolio/rollercoaster-builder/
[204] http://scratch.mit.edu/
[205] http://www.abcya.com/tangrams.htm
[206] https://apps.apple.com/us/app/apple-podcasts/id525463029
[207] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.podcasts&hl=en_US
[208] https://www.stitcher.com/
[209] https://www.listennotes.com/
[210] https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clocks-a-brief-history-of-telling-time/id1440083927?i=1000425254894
[211] https://www.brainson.org/shows/2016/06/28/how-do-airplanes-fly
[212] https://www.brainson.org/shows/2017/03/28/how-do-elevators-work
[213] https://www.npr.org/2019/12/13/787966994/hugomatic-3000-and-the-future-of-soft-robotics
[214] https://www.npr.org/2020/03/30/824136806/two-whats-and-a-wow-inventoritos
[215] https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/lucy-wow-gokidgo-EQMP4xJ-aLd/
[216] https://beta.prx.org/stories/322276
[217] https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/skateboards-when-roller-skates-met-surfboards/id1440083927?i=1000424359491
[218] https://www.npr.org/2019/08/23/753861154/smart-bots
[219] https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/umbrellas-the-magic-invention-of-the-sculptress/id1440083927?i=1000426183249
[220] https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/young-ben-franklin-gen-z-media-LWaBfZ0PQYl/
[221] http://www.commonsensemedia.org/mobile-app-reviews/amazing-alex
[222] https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/ballfalldown-deluxe
[223] http://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/banjo-kazooie-nuts-bolts
[224] https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/busy-water
[225] https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/crazy-gears
[226] http://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/diy-nano
[227] https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/diy-app-creative-community-for-kids
[228] https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/littlebits-invent
[229] http://www.commonsensemedia.org/mobile-app-reviews/mathmateer-formerly-rocket-math
[230] https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/robots-for-ipad
[231] https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/tangram-for-osmo
[232] https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/the-robot-factory-by-tinybop
[233] http://www.commonsensemedia.org/mobile-app-reviews/tinkerbox
[234] https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/toca-builders
[235] https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/toca-robot-lab
[236] https://www.commonsense.org/education/app/wizard-school
[237] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/43150/
[238] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/43150-en.pdf
[239] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/43150-es.pdf
[240] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/59790/
[241] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/59790-en.pdf
[242] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/59790-es.pdf
[243] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/43410/
[244] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/43410-en.pdf
[245] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/43410-es.pdf
[246] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/40745/
[247] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/40745-en.pdf
[248] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/40745-es.pdf
[249] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/54854/
[250] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/54854-en.pdf
[251] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/54854-es.pdf
[252] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/50445/
[253] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/50445-en.pdf
[254] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/50445-es.pdf
[255] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/40703/
[256] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/40703-en.pdf
[257] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/40703-es.pdf
[258] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/40493/
[259] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/40493-en.pdf
[260] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/40493-es.pdf
[261] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/31910/
[262] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/31910-en.pdf
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[264] http://www.readingrockets.org/article/50968/
[265] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/50968-en.pdf
[266] http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/edextras/50968-es.pdf
[267] http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/selznick/
[268] https://www.startwithabook.org/blog/sun-versus-shade-experiment
[269] https://www.startwithabook.org/blog/do-architects-build-dollhouses
[270] https://www.startwithabook.org/blog/imaginations-take-flight
[271] http://airandspace.si.edu/
[272] http://www.archives.gov/
[273] http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/locations/center/museum/
[274] https://nmaahc.si.edu/
[275] https://www.nps.gov/thje/index.htm
[276] https://www.startwithabook.org/dc-for-kids