Klutz Labs is a company that produces a wide range of educational books that include hands-on learning supplies and kits as part of the book. About Physics recently acquired some of their books, and we continue to review more as time goes on. Below are the books that we've reviewed, in order of age from youngest to oldest.
Build and Launch Foam Rockets
Klutz Labs/Chicken Socks
A simple kit for young children (ages 4 and up) is the foam rockets book. It doesn't have much detail about the science behind rocketry, but is great plain fun for kids. Unfortunately, the rockets go further if you just use the foam tubes and don't attach the punch-out forms that give the rockets wings.
Foam Gliders
Klutz Labs
Another simple aerodynamic kit, designed for ages 4 and up, Foam Gliders allows for the creation of five different styles of basic foam gliders. Again, the book doesn't provide much in the way of scientific explanations for why the gliders work ... but that's not really the point of a kit like this. Young children will get hours of enjoyment with these flying machines.
Rubber Band Powered Flying Machines
Klutz Labs
For ages 8 and up, this kit allows for the creation of more elaborate flying machines, which are powered by the winding of a rubber band. This is a great introduction to powered flight, as a prelude to more costly electronic motor-driven airplane models ... and it's just cool to watch these things take off under their own power. The book includes not only the directions on how to assemble three different planes, but also some discussion of the underlying scientific principles involved in aeronautics.
