Look Inside!
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- Ben Franklin sign at Bakken Museum
The Science And Technology Of Ben Franklin
Published by 
Inventor. Scientist. Diplomat. Printer. Benjamin Franklin was a very curious person, which led to lots of different roles during his lifetime.
In The Science and Technology of Ben Franklin, readers ages 9 through 12 explore the life of one of Colonial America’s most fascinating citizens. They discover what it might have been like to be a young person during the eighteenth century, when work and entertainment looked much different from today. Franklin’s frequent forays into science and technology drive the story forward as kids grow more and more eager to see how Franklin solves the problems he’s confronted with. Even when Franklin’s experiments failed or his inventions flopped, he continued to take risks in order to push the limits of people’s knowledge of the world back then. His dedication to invention and experimentation gave the world new insight into electricity, heat, and much more.
Kids confront the same questions Franklin asked and follow him on a curiosity journey that lasted his entire life as a scientific pioneer in Colonial America. Through hands-on STEM activities, essential questions, text-to-world connections, and links to online resources, kids zoom in for a closer look into Ben Franklin’s world.
Try these hands-on engineering projects!
- Design an unbreakable package
- Test different types of insulating material
- Build a prototype of a new kind of lamp
- Make and test a Leyden jar
Resources:
- Click Here for a Classroom Guide
- Click Here To Download An Activity!
- Check Out Alicia’s PBS Books Author Talk – Trailblazer: Ben Franklin & STEM
- Watch Alicia Experiment with Electricity
PBS Books Author Talk slide
School Library Journal
“These combination biographies/experiment guides are a unique way to introduce famous scientific figures. A timeline of significant events is followed by an introduction to the scientist. Details of their work are interspersed with suggested activities. Readers might design swim paddles as Ben Franklin did…QR codes lead to primary sources and suggested keywords for further internet searches are listed in the back matter…VERDICT An interesting way to provide readers with the details of the life and work of famous scientists.”
