The Joy of Making
This is the introduction to my new book, Mr Shaha’s Marvellous Machines I was born in a little village in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Back in 1973, there was no electricity or… Read more The Joy of Making →
(Vegan) Black Dal Makhani
My favourite dal is the Sylheti-Bangladeshi one I grew up with, and one which is usually sold in Indian restaurants as “tarka dal”. I’d never tried “dal makhani” (a traditional… Read more (Vegan) Black Dal Makhani →
Sylheti Kissoori / Khichuri (Rice & Lentil Porridge)
“Kissoori” as people from my part of Bangladesh (Sylhet) call it, is a comfort food that I love, particularly when feeling poorly, and which proved to be an excellent first… Read more Sylheti Kissoori / Khichuri (Rice & Lentil Porridge) →
Balancing Reindeer
One of the easiest but possibly the most delightful activities in Mr Shaha’s Marvellous Machines is the Balancing Bird. Erich Landstrom (@ScienceGiant on Twitter) took inspiration from it and designed… Read more Balancing Reindeer →
Sinkeroo!
This is a game I first heard about from my friend, the brilliant science educator Sai Pathmanathan, who saw some children playing a version of it at one of the science clubs she runs. I have adapted the game and come up with some rules, which you can download by clicking the link below. It’s incredibly simple to make, and fun to play with children or adults. You could make the game extra special as a gift by selecting items which perhaps hold some special meaning for the person you… Read more Sinkeroo! →
Wobbly Woodpecker
I’ve just finished reading “The Woodcock“, the brilliant first novel by my good friend Richard Smyth, and in his honour, I’ve made a new bird-themed toy, which I hope he’ll… Read more Wobbly Woodpecker →
Balancing Santa Christmas Card
One of the most popular “makes” from Mr Shaha’s Marvellous Machines is the Balancing Bird, and for Christmas, Emily Robertson, the book’s wonderful illustrator, has produced this “Balancing Santa” template… Read more Balancing Santa Christmas Card →
Simple Spinning Top
The first home-made “toy” I remember being shown as a child was a spinning top made from a matchstick jammed into a lychee seed. I didn’t include it in my book because I didn’t want to include anything made from inaccessible materials, but I recently came up with the design in the video below which is so simple you can make it in a matter of seconds. I don’t know if I’m the first person to do this – other people have certainly made spinning tops from bottle lids, but… Read more Simple Spinning Top →
Water Whirler
EXTRAS: Here’s great short video from the Met Office on how tornadoes form: MORE GOOD STUFF: Click here for more activities. I’ll be publishing more videos of activities from my book over the coming weeks. Check back here, follow me on Twitter or subscribe to my YouTube channel to make sure you don’t miss them.
Home-Made Helicopter
Extras: Obviously, real helicopters don’t work quite like a paper one because they have engines… but if the engine fails, a real helicopter doesn’t just fall out of the sky, because, like the paper helicopter, its blades can “autorotate” and help land the helicopter safely. Here’s great video showing why, contrary to what famous scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson has said, a helicopter which loses its engine does NOT “turn into a brick”: After you’ve tried your own experiments, watch this great video where “2BrokeScientists” investigate how a paper helicopter works… Read more Home-Made Helicopter →