Alexander Graham Bell for Kids: His Life and Inventions, with 21 Activities

Winner of the 2019 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Book

Alexander Graham Bell invented not only the telephone, but also early versions of the phonograph, the metal detector, airplanes, and hydrofoil boats. This Scottish immigrant was also a pioneering speech teacher and a champion of educating those with hearing impairments, work he felt was his most important contribution to society. Bell worked with famous Americans such as Helen Keller and aviators Glenn Curtiss and Samuel P. Langley, and his inventions competed directly with those of Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers.

This unique biography includes a time line, a list of online resources, and 21 engaging hands-on activities to better appreciate Bell’s remarkable accomplishments. Kids will:

Construct a Pie Tin Telegraph and a Pizza Box Phonograph

See and feel sound by building simple devices

Communicate using American Sign Language

Send secret messages using Morse code

Investigate the properties of ailerons on a paper airplane

Build and fly a tetrahedral kite

And more!