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Book Review |
By Mark I. Montrose |
Make Amazing Toy and Game Gadgets
Make Cool Gadgets for Your Room
Published by Greey de Pencier Books
Inc. (Owl Books) in Canada and by
Harper Collins in the United States
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Cover photos by Ray Boudreau |
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Having spent years involved
with books that deal exclusively with technology, filled with math and targeted
for graduate students or practicing engineers, it is refreshing to pick up a
book that is targeted toward kids. Amy Pinchuk, the mother of four children,
has written two books that will excite not only kids ages 9-13, but also adults
who will probably want to build these projects themselves. Adults do like to
have fun, after all, with and without their kids.
Illustrated by Allan Moon, Tina Holdcroft and Teco Rodrigues, the diagrams and
instructions show that someone has developed a learning tool that presents engineering
principles to kids in a fun manner. With step-by-step directions, “test-as-you-go”
troubleshooting, lively fact sidebars and hot web link, these amazing project
books join the hugely successful kid’s television series and website (www.pm4kids.com).
There is also a section that deals with EMC.
Amy Pinchuk has a PhD in engineering and runs an electromagnetics and EMC consulting
firm in Montréal, Canada. For those who attended the IEEE EMC Symposium
in Montréal (August 2001), kids were welcomed to build gadgets and experiment
with items detailed in these books in the Hospitality Suite for spouses and
guests. This kids program at the Symposium was a huge success, and will be continued
at future symposia, with the program based on this book series.
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Page 38 of Make Amazing Toy and Game
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Amy Pinchuk received her B. Eng, M. Eng and Ph.D. from the Department of Electrical Engineering at McGill University in Montréal. She also completed a year as Visiting Scholar with the Department of Electrical Engineering at Cambridge University in England. She received the Montréal Prix d’Excellence for her PhD Thesis on the subject of Computational Electromagnetic Analysis using the Finite Element Method. After many years of industrial experience in the areas of Computational Electromagnetics and Electromagnetic Interference, in 1994 Amy founded InField Scientific Inc. InField specializes in Electromagnetic Analysis, EMI/EMC, Radiation Hazards and Control of Electromagnetic Environments for complex systems such as Ships and Aircraft. Amy has also taught Software Engineering at McGill University, was a member of the steering committees for the Montréal 2001 IEEE EMC Symposium and the Montréal 1997 IEEE APS/URSI Symposium. She was also the Canadian URSI Section E (Electromagnetic Noise & Interference) Chairman from 1996 to 1999.
Amy Pinchuk has written two critically acclaimed children’s books, Make
Amazing Toy and Game Gadgets, and, Make Cool Gadgets for Your Room.
These two Popular Mechanics for Kids books are published by Greey de Pencier
Books Inc. in Canada, and Harper Collins in the United States. Amy is in the
process of writing a third book in the series.
Amy enjoys raising and riding horses, stone sculpting and skiing. She lives with her husband and four children just outside Montréal, Quebec.
These 64 page full-size books are not about making cute papier-mâché
crafts. The focus is to build electro-mechanical gadgets that work with lights,
batteries, motors and buzzers. There are five projects in Make Amazing Toy
and Game Gadgets, while six projects are in Make Cool Gadgets for Your
Room. All projects are definitely very, very cool for kids.
Projects in the Make Amazing Toy and Game Gadgets book include: Outta Site Light Box, Flashy Jewelry, Spy Camera, Buzz Off Game, and Cool Shades. In Make Cool Gadgets for Your Room, we have: Flashy Key Chain, See It-Hear it Doorbell, Bouncy Animal, Secret Code Machine, Quiz Game and Alarm in a Box.
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Everyone had a great time during the children’s session in Montréal, including (clockwise from left) Tami Lee Joffe, a couple of clowns, author and Montréal Symposium Committee member Amy Pinchuk, and EMC Society Board member Henry Benitez. Tami Lee enjoyed the session so much that she was inspired to write an article for this Newsletter (see insert this page). |
These are not a do-it-fast project. Every item has between four and twelve sections, each with four or five steps. Each step is illustrated clearly. Most require some purchased material, a power tool, and adult assistance. The end result of creating an electromechanical device is that kids will be proud of their work, such as building a doorbell for their room that buzzes and lights up. After each subsection, the “Test-This” aspect is given. This helps uncover problems that developed, such as glue that is not sticking or a battery that is weak. Not only is this a step-by-step project, reasons how and why this item works is detailed in the sidebars. In certain boxes, interesting related facts are provided that gives insight and history on how the device came about. A glossary defines unfamiliar terms, and explains how to read circuit diagrams. In addition, there are tips on the safe use of X-Acto knives, how to glue, and splitting, stripping and connecting wires.
A sample from Make Amazing Toy and Game Gadgets, page 38 is included with this book review to illustrate the format of the book. Both are available in the United States, Canada and worldwide, in bookstores as well as the web. EMC
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