February is a busy month. We celebrate love. We celebrate the many contributions of African-Americans. We celebrate U.S. Presidents. We celebrate Mardi Gras. On February 11th we also celebrate the birth of Thomas Alva Edison. Named "the most influential figure of the millennium" and called the "Wizard of Menlo Park," Edison was an American inventor, scientist and businessman known primarily for the electric light bulb.
Some interesting facts (from biographer Gerald Beals) on this famous "wizard" include:
*He did not learn to talk until he was almost four years old.
*He patented 1,093 inventions. 1,093!
*He was a fan of Shakespeare and considered being an actor.
*He was hearing impaired.
You may also be aware of these famous quotes that I think are wonderful to share with children:
"Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
"Genius is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework."
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
Maybe you have a budding Edison? Kobold Toys has several suggestions to keep your little inventor inspired.
Build the amazing Wind Generator from 4M and teach your child about renewable energy.
Celebrate electricity! The Enviro Battery from 4M is a science kit designed to demonstrate how natural materials like lemons or even mud can produce enough electricity to light a bulb, power a digital watch, or activate a music chip.
Inspiration comes at any time so be prepared with the smART bag from HABA. Compartments for pencils and a note pad to jot down your child's life-changing ideas for new biofuels.
The ZOOBMover Power Building Set adds a new dimension to open-ended building. Kids snap, click, and pop ZOOB pieces onto the ZOOBMover to create anything they can imagine--from creatures to robots to sculptures. When they're done building, they make their creations move with a remote control unit. Cool!
Miss E loves the opportunity to do a project. Last weekend Miss E and her Dad did an impromptu experiment about weights with balloons from the grocery store. It was great to hear the giggles and ahas from the kitchen!
There is truly much to celebrate this month, so take time to invent entertainment with your child. Be inspiring!
1 comments:
I keep want to start this comment with ‘good’ or ‘nice’ or ‘great’ but none of these seems strong enough, or appropriate enough for what you just posted.Just fantastic and mindblowing blog keep it up..!!!
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