Update!

 

Hi, it's been awhile! If you're wondering what I'm doing now, visit me at kathyceceri.com!

Making Simple Robots! My new book from MAKE magazine

Where to go after you've worked through the no-tech/low-tech projects in my first robobook, Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future? New from Maker Media -- publishers of MAKE magazine and sponsors of Maker Faires around the world -- my book Making Simple Robots helps newbies take it up a level, with electronics and programming activities.

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.

I loved the challenge of learning new skills like soldering, and then figuring out how to make it simple enough for any beginner to try. I hope you'll check out Making Simple Robots and let me know what you think!

My New Book -- Science, Technology and Geeky Fun!

This past year has been busy -- but the result has been a new book with amazing science and geeky projects for kids and families!


Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future with 20 Projects, a book for kids ages 9-12 from Nomad Press, is packed full of information about how robots work and contains "low tech/no tech" projects based on actual robotics research. No special tools or skills are needed to build any of the working robotics models in this book -- just ordinary crafts materials and recycled electronics parts!

Robotics is available from Amazon or can be ordered by your favorite local bookstore. See sample projects and photos and read more about the books on my website Crafts for Learning  and my Amazing Robotics Projects Facebook page!

Now FInd "Home Science" Projects at Your Bookstore!

It's been a while since I updated this blog. Among the things that has been keeping me busy is contributing ideas to GeekDad editor Ken Denmead's series of activity books for parents and kids. The latest in the series, The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists: The Coolest Experiments and Projects for Science Fairs and Family Fun, contains a dozen projects first seen here and on my other "home science" blogs. (Check the sidebar if you've never seen them!)

 What's even more exciting is that I'm now at work along with my three co-editors at GeekMom.com on our own book! It is due out in the Fall of 2012 from Potter Crafts, a division of Crown Publishing. And my own activity book for kids, Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future with 20 Projects, will be out this summer from Nomad Press.

There's a lot going on, but in the meantime, drop by GeekMom.com and GeekDad.com for more great family activities!

Plasma Experiments on "Integrated Science"

More interesting experiments on our current blog Integrated Science at Home:

Integrated Science at Home

If you haven't visited our current science blog, Integrated Science at Home, go take a look. We're working our way through a Teaching Company video lecture series called The Joy of Science, which explains the major science concepts using a chronological approach. The series is a handy way of making sure we cover some of the basic material we may have skimmed or skipped over in our more focused courses.

As we watch each episode, I've been jotting down ideas for labs we can do related to each topic. So far most of the topics have been related to Classical Physics. (You know, that stuff I thought would be too boring to go over last year.) I've really been enjoying the projects we've done. Tonight when it got dark we did a demonstration of Total Internal Reflection using a laser pointer and a soda bottle full of water. Check it out!

The Pop-up LHC: A Big Bang in a Book

My review of the pop-up book version of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is over at GeekDad. It's a little more complicated than most pop-up books -- but then, the topic IS nuclear physics!

Buy it at Amazon!