This Book Thinks You're an Inventor

A creative fill-in book conceived with the Science Museum to encourage children to think like an inventor by questioning everything and dreaming up new ideas.

This activity book helps children to think like an inventor by introducing key engineering concepts in a highly visual and entertaining way. Through fun activities and Harriet Russell’s playful illustrations, it encourages readers to engage with new ideas and think about problems in a creative way.

The book explores the six key aspects of engineering that are essential to any successful inventor: problem-finding, designing, making and testing, improving your invention, building techniques and how to find new uses for existing objects. Each spread centres on an open-ended question that introduces a different way of approaching an invention. Activities include making a bridge from toothpicks and mini marshmallows; inventing a way to lift this book without touching it; building a painting robot; designing your own remote control; and harvesting electricity from a banana. At the end of the book is a tinkering lab, which includes paper-based crafts and engineering activities.