topics: |  math | science | hands-on | how-to

Make great toys and other fun things from paper, straws, drink boxes, ballpoint refills, bicycle valves, rubber bands, matchboxes, and so on. When a coconut is broken for use in the kitchen, use the shells and see if you can reconstruct it as a 3D jigsaw. Toys that spin, make noise, fold over, fly, and even a motor that you can make from throwaway wire and a magnet - you just need to roll it neatly and scrape off some insulation at two ends (p.80).

See these models based on Arvind Gupta:

 * Fire your guided missile
 * Play God -- make a Ferocious Gecko!

author bio

Personally, Arvind Gupta has been a big inspiration to me in my work with
hands-on learning in schools.  You can see my writeup on him.

An electrical engineer by training (IIT Kanpur 1975), Arvind Gupta has been
working tirelessly to help children learn.  He received the National Award
for Science Popularisation amongst Children (1988).  He says
about his IIT experience:

	I joined IIT-Kanpur in 1970. My rank was 28th in the North
	Zone. Coming from a small town I had no clue of which branch to
	opt. So, as a very practical person I asked every person who returned
	after counselling about his branch.

	All the students ahead of me had chosen electrical engineering. This
	is the reason why I landed up taking Electrical!

	Then, it was a 5 year BTech course. Apart from the technical courses
	we did eight courses in Social Sciences - Philosophy, Logic,
	Development & Underdevelopment etc. These courses helped me see
	things in a wholistic perspective.

	There were some outstanding and inspiring teachers - CNR Rao,
	Mahabala, Balu etc. My English teacher Suzie Tharu prescribed The
	Little Prince as a text-book!

	The 1970's were politically very volatile years. Revolution was in
	the air. Anti-Vietnam, civil rights movements were rattling
	America. Intellectuals were swearing not to participate in war
	research.

	In India, the Naxal Movement was on the upswing. Some of us wanted to
	do meaningful social work. Our mess servant's children had no school
	to go. The Campus and Central school would not admit them.

	Some people had set up the Opportunity School. So I started teaching
	there. We taught poor children. It was deeply satisfying. I also
	helped a dozen students from the nearby Nankari village to pass their
	high school.

	My batchmates were just outstanding. Out of the first 20 CBSE toppers
	15 were in my batch! These passionate individuals helped hone my
	sensibilities.

	We could borrow 10 books from the library. I read a lot - 5
	newspapers a day. The La Montage Film Club screened Rashomon, Bicycle
	Thief and other classics.

	We heard exceptional individuals - Bhishm Sahni, Begum Akhtar, Anil
	Sadgopal, Jan Mrydal, Anil Agarwal etc. They had a profound influence
	on me.

	Anil Sadgopal (PhD Caltech) - a molecular biologist had left TIFR to
	work in a backward district of MP. He introduced "activity science"
	in government schools.

	In 1972, he recounted his very difficult experiences. Teaching
	village children science was a big challenge then, and even a bigger
	challenge today. It was an unforgettable experience. It stirred my
	social conscience.

	After BTech, I worked in Telco/ Pune for a few years. In 1978 I took
	a year off to work with Laurie Baker and Anil Sadgopal. Then I
	decided to work fulltime with children. Teaching children science was
	far more satisfying then working in a corporate.

	Over the years I have conducted workshops in over 1,500 schools in
	India. I have written a dozen books on science activities. I have
	translated over a hundred books in Hindi and presented 92 science
	programmes on TV. Most of my books/teaching aids/toys can be
	downloaded from my website http://arvindguptatoys.com

Arvind Gupta has now set up a Children's Science Centre at
the Inter University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune.

--- (from Sandipan Deb's IITians)

For example, there's this toy with two straws and a string. He cuts a
soda-straw into three parts. One part he discards, one part he makes a
hole in, and the end of the third part he cuts at a sharp angle so it
looks like a pen nib. He puts the pen nib into the hole in the other
straw part so the two straw parts are at an acute angle to each other,
and uses cello-tape to join them together. He then weaves a string of
wool through the non-pen-nibbed straw piece, ties the ends of the
string together to make a loop, and carefully trims the ends. He then
hands the contraption to me to blow into the open end of the
pen-nibbed straw piece. I blow and the whole loop of wool rotates in a
circle. Any child would be delighted with this simple toy, which takes
less than five minutes and no money at all to make. 'There's high
incidence of asthma among children in Delhi because of the particulate
matter in the air,' Gupta explains. 'So what do doctors tell children
to do! They tell them to blow. The child can use this toy and have fun
and at the same time get therapeutic benefits!'