Electric Mischief: Battery-Powered Gadgets Kids Can Build

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

Alan and Lynn Bartholomew have created a delightful book, a practical,
hands-on guide to making electrical gadgets that actually work.

Electric Mischief exemplifies the Kids Can Press style—engaging and
humorous writing, clear instructions, and lots of illustrations. The
introduction is followed by a short but thorough description of the
materials used, the tools needed, and the sources of supply. Next
follows a section on making battery connections and switches (each
project requires a battery and a switch), before jumping right into the
11 projects. Each project has a tools-and-materials list, followed by
step-by-step instructions that are usually supported by color
illustrations. The projects include creating a back scratcher, an
illuminated fork, some electric dice, a noisemaker, an airplane bottle,
and a robot hand.

The book provides a good introduction to the basics of electricity that
is easy to understand. Bartholomew has paid careful attention to safety
concerns and the skill levels of the young builder. The most difficult
and risky operations are flagged by a symbol suggesting adult
assistance.

My only concern is when an adult uses the clothes-peg switch; even my
relatively small fingers had a hard time pushing down the clothes peg
without having it come into contact with the wrapped wire. Are there any
suggestions for protecting the adult user from this hazard? Or are
adults to be strictly hands-off?

This latest volume in the Kids Can Do It series is highly recommended.