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Description edit
"The problem wasn't how much money we were spending, it was how we were spending our time. Did we really want to raise our kids in an environment of prepackaged diversions, theme-park rides, trips to the mall, freeway traffic, and incessant e-mails?" -from Made by Hand From his unique... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Quotes edit
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“What I've learned from Mister Jalopy and other DIYers is that mistakes are not only inevitable--they're a necessary part of learning and skill building. Mistakes are a sign that you're active and curious. In fact, recent brain research suggest that making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn.”
Mark Frauenfelder -
“No one talks of failure as anything but shameful; this is wrongheaded and foolish," he wrote. "Mistakes are synonymous with learning. Failing is unavoidable. Making is a process, not an end. It is true that deep experience helps avoid problems, but mainly it gives you mental tools with which to solve inevitable problems when they come up." He argued that " the act of failing again and again" is the only way to equip oneself with the mental toolbox of a successful DIYer.”
Tom Jennings in Make magazine -
“Of course, I'm envious of artists and craftsmen who are far more skilled and dedicated than I am at making things of beauty. They put my meager efforts to shame. But I try to accept my limitations and realize that by whittling my own spoons, I've gained the following: 1. New appreciation for masterful woodwork and sculpture. Making your own stuff is one of the best ways to enhance your powers of observation and subsequently your appreciation of what's around you. 2. Control of my environment. I'm happy to do the best I can, even if that is just an asymmetrical wooden spoon. Whatever flaws and features the spoon possesses are a result of my efforts. I can learn from my mistakes and try to do better next time. 3. A connection with other people. The spoons are conversation pieces, and they trigger interesting memories in the people who see them.”
Mark Frauenfelder -
“According to Thompson, No Child left Behind is killing high school chemistry because schools are overly concerned with making sure students do well on standardized tests. "You can't really blame teachers and administrators," he told a reviewer. "Their jobs depend on students scoring well in reading and math, so guess what they focus all their attention on teaching?"”
Mark Frauenfelder and Robert Bruce Thompson author of The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments -
“One might argue that building an apparatus to measure the speed of light is a wasted effort, since someone else figured that one out a long time ago. But to construct the device and take the measurements yourself is a deeply rewarding experience. There is a certain satisfaction in knowing for yourself the speed of light, or the size of the Earth, or the distance from the Earth to the Moon, or the acceleration of gravity. (This must have been what Ronald Regan meant when he said, "Trust, but verify.")”
Mark Frauenfelder -
“Mims launched into an attack on the traditional education system as a destroyer of the DIY spirit. "I probably would have been diagnosed with ADD as a kid," he said, "because I didn't pay attention. I was bored to death by conventional education. My mind was wandering all during class, inventing things or traveling to foreign countries or whatever. That didn't mean I was stupid. It meant I thought a little bit differently than my neighbor. If they'd put me on medication, maybe I'd be on welfare today. Who knows? We are totally dumbing down the country by not fully understanding these things."”
Mark Frauenfelder and Forrest M. Mims III, editor of The Citizen Scientist an online news letter published by the Society for Amateur Scientists -
“My revised goal is to supplement their (his children) traditional education with as many undirected, unstructured, play-oriented learning opportunities as possible.”
Mark Frauenfelder
Table of Contents edit
Introduction: Escape to Rarotonga
1. The Courage to Screw Things Up
2. Killing My Lawn
3. Growing Food
4. Tickling Miss Silvia
5. Raising Baby Dinosaurs
6. Strumming and Stirring
7. Fomenting Fermentation
8. Bee Keeping
9. Learning How to Learn
Conclusion: The Rise of Do-It-Yourselfism
Acknowledgements
Notes
Index
Authors & Contributors edit
- Mark Frauenfelder (Author)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 608
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