New Releases by Laurie Carlson

Unplug and get creative with more than 150 craft and art activities for kids. Kids Create features more than 150 engaging and thought-provoking art projects and crafts for kids, ages three to nine. Arranged by craft medium, and ranging from beginner to advanced, these projects, including seasonal options, are great for homeschooling, school projects, and weekends. Illustrations and step-by-step instructions demonstrate each activity and what it should look like along the way. Activities include shadow silhouettes, sponge art, a windsock recycling craft, a globe-making activity, and many more, including holiday themed-decorations. Also included is an informative section for parents on the stages of a child’s artistic development. This is a perfect book for creative families who want to make something great together.

Dolls have a unique place in childhood. They are about play, empathy, and developing communication and socialization skills. Dolls are important symbols to children of what adults value, and handmade dolls convey that the individual is important and that to be unique—less than perfect—is just fine. These concepts guide award-winning children''s author Laurie Carlson''s Doll Crafts, which opens up the world of doll making to children. The emphasis is on following basic instructions that are clearly illustrated with line drawings in order to help children develop creative, open-ended projects that result in unique dolls and doll play. Using inexpensive, everyday, or even recycled materials, children make clever paper dolls, simple folk art dolls, soft cuddle pals, or 18-inch felt dolls as well as cute and easy doll clothing, accessories, and basic houses. Short, informative sidebars throughout explore dolls in various cultures and religions, relate doll trivia and fun facts, and expand readers'' ideas about what constitutes a doll by examining the history of action figures, scarecrows, robots, and more.

Dive into the wonderful and creative world of fiber arts and crafts with this easy-to-follow activity book packed with over 70 projects across a variety of fiber arts including knitting, felting, knotting and braiding, spinning, weaving, crocheting, and dyeing. Clear instructions and illustrations guide you in creating these cute, useful crafts. Learn to: felt a handy bag, braid a small rug, weave a colorful tapestry, knit comfy slippers, crochet an eye-catching belt, make and use natural dyes, repurpose old clothing, and much more! Along the way you''ll learn fascinating fiber facts and history, such as how Viking ships'' woolen sails were made, the history of rope bridges, how artists in Japan craft giant straw sculptures, and much more. Fun for younger kids to explore with a caregive or older kids to work through alone, Knit, Hook, and Spin belongs in any craft-loving kid''s home or classroom.

&&LDIV&&R&&LDIV&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RIllusionist, escape artist, movie star, aviator, and spy—Harry Houdini was all these and an international celebrity and the world’s most famous magician. This fascinating biography looks at all the facets of Houdini’s amazing life and includes 21 magic tricks and illusions for a hands-on learning experience. Children will be inspired by this Jewish immigrant who grew up in poverty and, through perseverance and hard work, went on to become one of the most popular and successful entertainers of all time. Houdini was an artist who created his acts carefully, practicing them for years in some cases. He performed such seemingly impossible stunts as escaping several sets of handcuffs and ropes after jumping off a bridge into a flowing river. &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&RKids will learn how he devised his most legendary stunts and will also learn the science and logic behind many of Houdini’s acts including his famous milk can escape. Kids can amaze their family and friends with these simple, entertaining, and fun tricks and illusions: &&L/P&&R Stepping through an index card Performing an odd number trick Making a coin appear Mind reading with a secret code Making a magic box Lifting a person with one hand Making a talking board And much more &&LP style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"&&R &&L/P&&R&&L/DIV&&R&&L/DIV&&R

Thomas Edison, one of the world''s greatest inventors, is introduced in this fascinating activity book. Children will learn how Edison ushered in an astounding age of invention with his unique way of looking at things and refusal to be satisfied with only one solution to a problem. This book helps inspire kids to be inventors and scientists, as well as persevere with their own ideas. Activities allow children to try Edison''s experiments themselves, with activities such as making a puppet dance using static electricity, manufacturing a switch for electric current, constructing a telegraph machine, manipulating sound waves, building an electrical circuit to test for conductors and insulators, making a zoetrope, and testing a dandelion for latex. In addition to his inventions and experiments, the book explores Edison''s life outside of science, including his relationship with inventor Nikola Tesla, his rivalry with George Westinghouse, and his friendship with Henry Ford. A time line, glossary, and lists of supply sources, places to visit, and websites for further exploration complement this activity book.

The bestselling author of Kids Create! combines her intuitive sense of each child''s need for self-expression and interaction with nature with her wealth of imaginative experiences. All the projects use recyclable, reusable, household materials and/or items found in nature.

Kids can re-create a long-ago world of kings, castles, jousts, jesters, damsels, magic fairies, and Robin Hood—all they need are their imaginations, materials they can find at home, and the activities in this book. Dressing up in a coat of armor made from plastic milk jugs, whipping up a batch of curds and whey, writing secret messages in invisible ink, and telling time with a sand glass made from soda bottles are just some of the fun projects. Every activity is illustrated, and sidebars highlight colorful facts about life hundreds of years ago.

Travel back in time to see what life was like in ancient Greece and Rome while having fun with hands-on activities such as making a star gazer; chiseling a clay tablet; weaving Roman sandals; making a Greek mosaic; creating Roman jewelry; throwing Greek pottery; casting a vote in a Roman-style election; and much more. Learn how these civilizations contributed to our present-day world by participating in art, math, cooking, science, and geography activities. Interesting facts and trivia are included throughout. Helpful illustrations explain project steps.

Gives instructions for preparing foods, making clothes, and creating other items used by European settlers in America, thereby providing a description of the daily life of these colonists.

Take your students on any number of learning journeys: join Lewis and Clark on an expedition; journey into the woods with fur traders; or ride a wagon train to the Oregon Territory as you learn how the quest for gold led to a feverish migration. Experience the excitement of resettlement following the Homestead Act, and ride off to a roundup during the cowboy era. Your students will explore the West with activities such as sewing a sunbonnet, panning for gold, cooking flapjacks, singing cowboy songs, and more. Helpful illustrations are included to explain project steps.

Budding gardeners will learn what it takes to make things grow with fun activities that require only readily available materials.

Activities to help young campers build an awareness of the environment, learn about insect and animal behavior, boost their self-esteem, and learn the basics for fun, successful camping.

Kids discover traditions and skills from the people who first settled this continent, including gardening, making useful pottery, and communicating through Navajo codes.