Humans have been obsessed with conquering the skies for millennia. This book documents that journey from the earliest days of projectiles to modern-day rockets. Armed with this crucial background information, students will then be directed through a step-by-step project to make their own rocket. Additional high-tech projects will keep their hands busy and their imaginations soaring.

Learning the ins and outs of robotics can take a lifetime, but learning the basics just takes reading one book! Different types of robots and their components, functions, and purposes are explored in a way that students will find helpful and encouraging when they begin working on their own projects. More than just a beginner’s guide, this may be the spark to ignite limitless possibility for kids who love to use their minds and hands.

Microcontrollers are small computers embedded in many everyday devices. The average person interacts with several of them each day without even thinking about it. But why have microcontrollers become so ubiquitous, in what devices are they found, and—most importantly—how does one go about making one? All this and more is explained in the engaging text. It will turn even the technologically illiterate into budding tech wizards.

Music has been a powerful tool for self-expression for thousands of years. And while modern instruments are often very expensive, the truth is that anyone can make their own! With the information, projects, and resources found within these pages, young musicians will quickly be making and playing their own instruments.

The possibilities of what can be made with a 3D printer are endless. This guide presents the basics of 3D printing, beginner’s projects, and additional resources to set young makers on their way to becoming masters. With up-to-the-minute information, simple language, and hands-on projects, this is the prefect launching point into the exciting world of 3D printing.

Electronic gadgets are fun to play with, but they’re even more fun to build! Students will unlock the mysteries of electronics, sensors, and LEDs with this book as it provides both technical information and step-by-step projects. Clubs, online communities, and additional resources are also discussed to help ambitious makers progress to the next level in their newfound hobby.

Robert Goddard changed the face of air and space travel forever when he launched his invention—the first liquid-fueled rocket. This book introduces readers to Goddard’s early days, from the moment he set his eyes to the vast sky and the space beyond, to his first explosive experiments. Readers will learn about the technology behind Goddard’s first rockets and how they affected the design and use of later rockets. This is a high-interest approach to introducing important STEM topics, as well as history. Readers will love paging through the authentic photographs and exploring the information-rich text and timeline for a deeper understanding of this exciting biography.

The ultimate collection of DIY activities to do with your kids to teach STEM basics and beyond, from a wildly popular online dad. With more than 3 million fans, TheDadLab has become an online sensation, with weekly videos of fun and easy science experiments that parents can do with their kids. These simple projects use materials found around the house, making it easier than ever for busy moms and dads to not only spend more quality time with their children but also get them interested in science and technology. In this mind-blowing book, Sergei Urban takes the challenge off-screen with fifty step-by-step projects, including some that he has never shared online before. Each activity will go beyond the videos, featuring detailed explanations to simplify scientific concepts for parents and help answer the hows and whys of their curious children. Learn how to: explore new fun ways to paint; make slime with only two ingredients; defy gravity with a ping-pong ball; produce your own electricity, and more! With TheDadLab, parents everywhere will have an easy solution to the dreaded "I'm bored" complaint right at their fingertips!

Popular Science gives our readers the information and tools to improve their technology and their world. The core belief that Popular Science and our readers share: The future is going to be better, and science and technology are the driving forces that will help make it better.

The first magazine devoted entirely to do-it-yourself technology projects presents its 30th quarterly edition for people who like to tweak, disassemble, recreate, and invent cool new uses for technology. Until recently, home automation was an unfulfilled promise -- systems were gimmicky, finicky, user-hostile, or potentially unsecure. But today, thanks to a new crop of devices and technologies, home automation is useful, fun, and maker-friendly. Using smartphones, wireless networks, the internet, simple microcontrollers, and even gesture recognition, DIY-style Smart Homes can now do everything promised and more, for much less -- and MAKE shows you how in Volume 30.