Best Selling Books by Kathy Ceceri

Paper is incredible stuff. It''s easy to cut, but amazingly strong. It''s disposable, but can last for centuries. It can stand as stiff as a board, pop up like a spring, or float like a leaf. And its invention changed the world forever. Perfect for kids, parents, and educators, Make: Paper Inventions is a project-based book with full-color illustrations, step-by-step instructions, supply lists, and templates that enable you to follow along with the book or devise something entirely new. Each chapter features new projects that will challenge and intrigue, from beginners to experienced makers. Learn the history of papermaking and how to use simple STEAM principles to make fun and creative paper inventions of your very own!

Once, robots were only found in science fiction books and movies. Today, robots are everywhere! They assemble massive cars and tiny computer chips. They help doctors do delicate surgery. They vacuum our houses and mow our lawns. Robot toys play with us, follow our commands, and respond to our moods. We even send robots to explore the depths of the ocean and the expanse of space. In Robotics, children ages 9 and up learn how robots affect both the future and the present. Hands-on activities make learning both fun and lasting.

In this book you''ll create your own fabric inventions as you learn to make wearables, playthings, and decorative items using textile arts--both old and new. Easy projects using will get you started knitting, adding color to your wardrobe with silkscreen and batik, and transforming old clothing into useful items. Then you''ll find out how soft circuits can give your creations personality with light, sound, and motion. Fabric and Fiber Inventions will show you how to turn everyday materials into unique designs everybody will love.

Believe it or not, there''s a lot of inventing going on in the kitchen. Unless you only eat fruits and veggies right off the plant, you are using tools and techniques invented by humans to make food more tasty and easier to digest. When you cook food, you start to break it down into a form your body can absorb. When you add chemicals to make it thicker, gooey-er, or puffy-er, you turn a bunch of boring ingredients into a mouth-watering snack. Edible Inventions: Cooking Hacks and Yummy Recipes You Can Build, Mix, Bake, and Grow will show you some unusual ways to create a meal, and help you invent some of your own. Projects include: 3D printing with food Chemical cuisine and molecular gastronomy Prepared foods like jellies and pickles at home Growing your own ingredients Cooking off the grid

Catch a glimpse inside a school bus and you’ll see lots of kids looking down. What are they doing? They’re deciding on strategy, building cities, setting traps for monsters, sharing resources, and nurturing critical relationships. Over 90 percent of kids ages 2–17 play video games. In Video Games: Design and Code Your Own Adventure, young readers learn why games are so compelling and what ancient games such as mancala have in common with modern games like Minecraft. Kids will even create their very own video games using software such as MIT''s Scratch! Using a familiar, high-interest subject, Video Games introduces foundation subjects such as geometry, physics, probability, and psychology in a practical framework. Building Tetris pieces out of Rice Crispie Treats and designing board games are some of the hands-on projects that engage readers’ building skills, while writing actual game code opens digital doors readers may not have known existed.

Making Simple Robots is based on one idea: Anybody can build a robot! That includes kids, school teachers, parents, and non-engineers. If you can knit, sew, or fold a flat piece of paper into a box, you can build a no-tech robotic part. If you can use a hot glue gun, you can learn to solder basic electronics into a low-tech robot that reacts to its environment. And if you can figure out how to use the apps on your smart phone, you can learn enough programming to communicate with a simple robot. Written in language that non-engineers can understand, Making Simple Robots helps beginners move beyond basic craft skills and materials to the latest products and tools being used by artists and inventors. Find out how to animate folded paper origami, design a versatile robot wheel-leg for 3D printing, or program a rag doll to blink its cyborg eye. Each project includes step-by-step directions as well as clear diagrams and photographs. And every chapter offers suggestions for modifying and expanding the projects, so that you can return to the projects again and again as your skill set grows.

From Roman times until the Age of Exploration, the Silk Road carried goods and ideas across Central Asia between two major centers of civilization, the Mediterranean Sea and China. In The Silk Road: Explore the World’s Most Famous Trade Route, readers ages 9–12 will learn about the history, geography, culture, and people of the Silk Road region. Marco Polo was just one of many who set out on the Silk Road in search of wealth, power, or knowledge. These adventurers braved vast deserts, towering mountain peaks, warring tribes, and marauding bandits. Silk garments, wool rugs, and fine glass were the prizes for those who survived the trip. Activities using everyday materials bring the Silk Road to life. Young readers will see how ideas in math, science, religion, and art were spread by travelers along with the treasures they found. The Silk Road takes readers on an exciting, interactive adventure to a faraway place and celebrates its important role in human history and development. .

All societies have their own myths and legends, but they''re much more than just stories. Myths and legends tell us about a people’s history, science, and cultural values—the things they knew, the things they believed, and the things they felt were important. World Myths and Legends retells tales from the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. From the Greek myths to ancient epics like Gilgamesh and the trickster tales of Anansi the Spider, it helps readers think about why the same themes, characters, and events may show up in different parts of the globe. Along the way kids will also find lots of fun and interesting projects that let them experience the stories first-hand. World Myths and Legends unveils wonders of the ancient world as it takes readers on a fascinating adventure of mystery and imagination.

People have been playing music on homemade instruments for thousands of years. But creating new instruments is much more than an art form. When you want to make a note sound higher or lower, you have to change the sound waves coming out of the instrument. That''s science! When you explore the way different materials produce different sounds, that''s engineering. When you speed up or slow down a song, you''re counting beats -- using math. And technology makes electronic instruments and devices to record and play back music possible.

For anyone who''s ever dreamed of ruling over their own empire, here''s your chance! Micronations are imaginary countries that have a lot of the same things as real ones: laws, customs, history, and their own flags, coins, and postage stamps. Micronations: Invent Your Own Country and Culture takes readers step-by-step to create their own unique realm, using examples from real nations, micronations, and fictional lands. What makes a country a country? What symbols and systems define a country and help it function? Learn about geography and government, technology and the environment, art and culture, and the literary device of "world-building" used in works like The Hobbit and Harry Potter. Kids get to invent their own language, music, games, clothing, food, and holidays to fit their micronation''s tradition. Whether they create a land of time travel where every city exists in a different epoch or an underwater monarchy whose chief export is fish, Micronations: Invent Your Own Country and Culture will engage kids'' imagination and teach make-believe rulers how the real world works. This title meets Common Core State Standards for literacy in language arts, history and social studies; Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity.

It’s fast becoming a geek world out there, and all moms need to show off their tech smarts and superhero-like skills in order to keep their savvy kids entertained and engaged. Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st-Century Families explores the many fun and interesting ways that digital-age parents and kids can get their geek on together. Imaginative ideas for all ages and budgets include thrifty Halloween costumes, homemade lava lamps, hobbit feasts, and magical role-playing games. There are even projects for moms to try when they have a few precious moments alone. With six sections spanning everything from home-science experiments to superheroes, this comprehensive handbook from the editors of Wired.com’s popular GeekMom blog is packed with ideas guaranteed to inspire a love of learning and discovery. Along the way, parents will also find important tips on topics such as determining safe online communities for children, organizing a home learning center, and encouraging girls to love science. Being geeky is all about exploring the world with endless curiosity. Geek Mom is your invitation to introducing the same sense of wonder and imagination to the next generation.

"These projects first appeared in Home Education Magazine in a different format"--Copyright page.

Hands-on STEM activities, essential questions, and coding challenges