Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things


Book Description

The original, practical guide that offers readers “a chance to become real-life MacGyvers” with “sections on gimmicks, gadgets and survival techniques” (Publishers Weekly). Do you know how to generate battery power with simple household items? Or how to create your own home security system? Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things—and more than 40 other handy gadgets and gizmos—in Sneaky Uses For Everyday Things. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection teaches you how to transform ordinary objects into the extraordinary just a few minutes. With more than 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun




Super Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things


Book Description

The popular Sneaky Uses series continues with an all-new volume of more than thirty outlandish inventions made from ordinary objects and materials. Author and mad scientist Cy Tymony has turned his passion for tinkering into sneaky science movement, teaching parents and kids all over the world how to turn ordinary household items into amazing inventions. In this volume of his popular Sneaky Uses series, he shares more than thirty new projects, including homemade toys, games, fashion, science tricks, and more! Each activity begins with a complete list of materials followed by easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, and helpful illustrations. Fans of all ages will use their ingenuity to turn everyday objects into something extraordinary with the help of Super Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things.




Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things, Revised Edition


Book Description

“A science activity book “offering readers a chance to become real-life MacGyvers... [with] sections on gimmicks, gadgets and survival techniques. . . .” (Publishers Weekly) Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the $20 bill in your wallet is a fake? Or how to generate battery power with simple household items? Or how to create your own home security system? Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things and more than forty other handy gadgets and gizmos in Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun. You'll be seen as a superhero as you amaze your friends by: * Transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations. * Creating your own personalized electronic greeting cards. * Making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry. * Thwarting intruders with a single rubber band. By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you'll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes. Whether you use Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things as a practical tool to build useful devices, a fun little fantasy escape, or as a trivia guide to impress friends and family, this book is sure to be a reference favorite for years to come.




Everyday Use


Book Description

Presents the text of Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use"; contains background essays that provide insight into the story; and features a selection of critical response. Includes a chronology and an interview with the author.




How to Do Things


Book Description

A useful and entertaining guide to practical skills for homesteaders—or anyone who likes to do things with their own two hands. For anyone who wants to learn how to make cheese, catch a runaway pig, mend a fence post, milk a cow, or throw an unforgettable barn party, this engaging volume delivers timeless advice on accomplishing tasks big and small around the house, garden, and farm. Featuring original text and illustrations from the 1919 first edition, this volume presents a new generation of readers with expert guidance on every facet of homesteading. With projects that range from practical (ridding a yard of poison ivy) to downright bemusing (organizing a potato peeling contest), this delightful book is equal parts useful and entertaining. An ode to self-reliance brimming with wit, wisdom, and nostalgia, this is a must-have for anyone who enjoys doing things with their own two hands, on the farm or in the backyard, the kitchen, or the workshop.




Sneakiest Uses for Everyday Things


Book Description

The third volume in the Sneaky Uses series features fifty all-new amazing projects made from ordinary household items. Master of homemade inventions Cy Tymony is back with the absolute Sneakiest Uses for Everyday Things! Would-be inventers, junk drawer aficionados, and science-fair parents rejoice as Cy helps you bring out your inner MacGyver. In these pages you will learn how to turn a piece of paper into a Frisbee, a business card into a boomerang, a TV tray into a robot, and more. Beginning with a complete list of materials and some sneaky science fun-damentals, Cy presents easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions paired with helpful illustrations. Most projects will be completed in just minutes using common items found around the house.




Men Explain Things to Me


Book Description

The National Book Critics Circle Award–winning author delivers a collection of essays that serve as the perfect “antidote to mansplaining” (The Stranger). In her comic, scathing essay “Men Explain Things to Me,” Rebecca Solnit took on what often goes wrong in conversations between men and women. She wrote about men who wrongly assume they know things and wrongly assume women don’t, about why this arises, and how this aspect of the gender wars works, airing some of her own hilariously awful encounters. She ends on a serious note— because the ultimate problem is the silencing of women who have something to say, including those saying things like, “He’s trying to kill me!” This book features that now-classic essay with six perfect complements, including an examination of the great feminist writer Virginia Woolf’s embrace of mystery, of not knowing, of doubt and ambiguity, a highly original inquiry into marriage equality, and a terrifying survey of the scope of contemporary violence against women. “In this series of personal but unsentimental essays, Solnit gives succinct shorthand to a familiar female experience that before had gone unarticulated, perhaps even unrecognized.” —The New York Times “Essential feminist reading.” —The New Republic “This slim book hums with power and wit.” —Boston Globe “Solnit tackles big themes of gender and power in these accessible essays. Honest and full of wit, this is an integral read that furthers the conversation on feminism and contemporary society.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Essential.” —Marketplace “Feminist, frequently funny, unflinchingly honest and often scathing in its conclusions.” —Salon




Deceptively Delicious


Book Description

Counsels parents on how to promote healthy eating in children, providing a selection of vegetable-enhanced classic recipes, from macaroni and cheese with pureed cauliflower to spinach brownies.




Made by Dad


Book Description

The Snail Soup Can Decoy to keep the candy stash safe. The Customizable “Keep Out” Sign to deter meddlesome siblings and parents. A Bunk Bed Communicator made from cardboard tubes (“Psst! Can you keep the snoring down?”). Clever, whimsical, and kind of genius, here are 67 unique projects that will turn any dad with DIY leanings into a mad scientist hero that his kid(s) will adore. No screens, no hi-tech gadgetry. Made by Dad combines the rough-edged, handmade ethos of a Boy Scout manual or The Dangerous Book for Boys with a sly sense of humor that kids love. Scott Bedford, a creative director by day and Webby Award–winning blogger by nights and weekends, wields an X-ACTO knife, magic marker, and prodigious imagination to create endlessly delightful projects for his two sons. He knows that kids like contraptions and gadgets, things that are surprising—a chair that appears to be balanced on eggshells. Things that are complex—a multilevel city, with buildings, tunnels, and roads, built from old boxes around the legs of a table. And especially things with humor—the Snappy Toast Rack, made to resemble a crocodile’s gaping mouth. The projects are shown in full-color photographs, and the instructions are illustrated in detailed line drawings that exude personality. Some are quick and simple enough to be done in a coffee shop; others are more of an afternoon project— yielding hours and hours of rich, imaginative playtime.




Junie B. Jones #4: Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying


Book Description

“Hilarious. Barbara Park makes reading fun.” —Dav Pilkey, author of Dog Man Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold! Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! Junie B. is the bestest spier in the world. That’s ’cause she has sneaky feet. And her nose doesn’t whistle when she breathes. But guess what? Junie B. might be real sneaky. And real peeky. But when she spies on Mrs., she could get into real trouble! USA Today: “Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.” Publishers Weekly: “Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.” Kirkus Reviews: “Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.” Time: “Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”