About this item
What does woodworking have to do with physics and fun? You're about to find out!27 fun projects for exciting contraptions that illustrate STEM principles (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Easy-to-make wooden action toys and games that whiz, spin, pop, and flyStep-by-step instructions, detailed patterns, color photography, tools and materials lists, and instructions for using the finished toyBeginner-friendly advice with toy-making basics, time saving tips, and how-to advice for working with small childrenEngaging family activities for children and parents to complete togetherMaking Inventive Wooden Toys is filled with high-octane, exciting, and slightly wacky toys for kids and parents to build together! These creative projects combine ingenuity and woodworking with real-life lessons in science, technology, engineering, and math - aka STEM.
About the Author
After learning woodworking from his father, Bob Gilsdorf shares the fun with kids everywhere.
Woodworking has always been a multigenerational craft for Bob Gilsdorf. During Bob's childhood, his father had a small woodshop and was always working on furniture and other projects, showing Bob the ways in which wood could be miraculously transformed into new objects. This creative environment sparked a strong early interest in woodworking: when Bob turned ten years old, he told his parents that what he wanted for his birthday was to build something. His father designed a gravity-powered go-kart and presented Bob with the pieces. Although nothing more than a pile of wood, four wheels, and a salvaged steering wheel, it was "the ultimate gift" to Bob. His interest in building and creating grew in imaginative directions after his mother gave him his first book on crafting wooden toys. He began to focus on that subject, enjoying the fun of projects that could be both built and played with.
Bob's love of toymaking only grew deeper after he became a father himself and found that his children enjoyed sanding, hammering, and building just as much as he did. He also discovered the delight of experiencing children's perspectives on woodworking. "One of the best parts of making toys with kids is that every project turns out perfect," he says. "I build a birdhouse with my four-year-old son and let him draw the shape for each side and roof. There wasn't a straight line or 90-degree angle anywhere, but my son said that it was exactly the way he wanted it." Bob continues to do just what his parents did for him: enabling children to discover the challenges and joys of working with wood. Meanwhile, his own interest in toymaking has led him to develop project after project - "probably hundreds."
Bob's ideas for toys come from a variety of places. Some have simple kinetic origins: the idea for the quarter flipper came about when Bob found himself flipping a quarter over and over, trying to make it spin faster and launch higher. Could he replicate this motion with wood? Likewise, his ping pong ball launcher originated in the manual flick of a ping pong ball and the stinging fingertip which resulted. Was there a way to enjoy the flight of a flicked ping pong ball without the pain? In other cases, Bob's ideas are born out of the wish to make a completely one-of-a-kind toy as a gift for a particular person. But for the most part, Bob says, his ideas don't simply appear out of the air; rather, they arise from time spent sitting down with a blank page, intentionally brainstorming new mechanisms to explore or setting new challenges to overcome. Sometimes the idea is specific: replicating the mechanism of a clicking ballpoint pen in order to launch a ball. Other times, it's less clear-cut: figuring out how to dispense a gumball without using one's hands.
