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Mousetrap Racers: The Complete Builder's Manual ($14.95)
may be the one book you add to your homeschool curriculum collection
that gets dad more involved in your homeschool. It is not curriculum
in the sense of a textbook or a unit study guide. However, Mousetrap
Racers is definitely a great learning tool.
Written by Alden J. Balmer, also known as "Doc Fizzix", this book
goes beyond the how-to-build-it instructions the title implies;
it explains the physics behind mousetrap cars as it gives both
details and easy-to-follow directions for building. Reading through
the text and studying the many detailed illustrations, it is easy
to forget you're learning about principles like friction (fluid
and surface), motion, traction, and energy. While most of the "academics" are
snugly hidden in Chapter 2, the principles are reinforced throughout
the text. Some of the illustrations are humorous, and all of them
are clear.
More advanced racers and building techniques are presented later
in the book. Included in these are Doc Fizzix's super-secret tips
for improving distance racers. Of course, we won't spoil the fun
by revealing these. Suffice it to say, both dad and child will
probably want to move on to more advanced methods of building better
and faster cars. For those who do get hooked, there is a chapter
devoted to "just in case techniques" and a chapter on advanced
science labs. Do these and give your student credit for having
a good time learning important physics concepts.
Any home center has an ample supply of mousetraps, but what about
the guy who just wants a kit? We went out and bought parts at the
home center and acquired several PSA discs from a local radio station
to serve as wheels. That's probably the most economical way to
get the goods you need to build a racer. For those who would prefer
a kit, Doc Fizzix has a website devoted to all things mousetrap
racing at www.docfizzix.com.
There are kits, science labs, and building guides for all types
of racers--balloon, rubber band, and, of course, mousetraps. The
first step is to get your hands on a copy of Mousetrap Racers:
The Complete Builder's Manual, the definitive guide for the
dad who wants a fun way to get his feet wet as a homeschool teacher.
Product review by Tony Silva, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine,
LLC, September 2010
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