Leonardo da Vinci was a great inventor, military engineer, scientist, botanist, and mathematician, as well as a consummate painter and sculptor. Children will love learning about the man who painted the Mona Lisa and invented the bicycle among countless other machines—the armored tank, diving suit, and airplane—centuries before they were built. History, science, and art come alive in this book as children learn about the Renaissance and the Plague, simple machines and the mystery of flight, and the use of perspective and vanishing point in painting. Da Vinci's interests and accomplishments are explored in 21 engaging and fun activities where children can:
- Sketch birds and other animals as da Vinci did as a child
- test perceptions of height and distance and then measure the actual height of a tree
- Determine the launch angle of a catapult, like a military engineer, and hit a target on the first shot
- Make a map from a bird's-eye view
- Try mirror writing as da Vinci did in his notebooks
- Make a lute like his gift to Ludovico, the ruler of Milan
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