Leonardo da Vinci Ornithopter

Flying has always been a dream of humans, and Leonardo’s fascination with birds and flight was evident in his studies of birds and different human powered flying machines. His ornithopter design has captured the imagination of people for generations, and we have combined his cool flying machine with one of his bevel gear designs to make a neat working model with flapping wings and a pilot with moving arms and legs.

While it remains a mystery if his ornithopter design was ever fully made or tested at the time, there are many ideas (hanging in museums around the world!) of what it might have looked like, and we have added our ideas as well.

• Dimensions: 17 x 23 x 12 in
• Age Rating: 9+ While this kit can be made by youngsters starting around 9 years old (and younger), we like that it is both interesting and compelling for kids of all ages – right up to those in their 90’s! They can be made by beginner model makers, but having some skills in model making would be good.

Pathfinders is a Canadian company dedicated to creating compelling, innovative, wooden science kits that challenge children of all ages to explore the link between science, design, and technology in the world around us. They aim to help the student integrate knowledge gained from constructing the kits by providing links to educational resources to enhance their understanding of math and science as well as historical principles. Their chief educator, Derek Wulff, is a BC certified teacher who has been teaching grades K to 10 for the past 13 years. Derek designs all of the kits produced at Pathfinders for educational and recreational use. He spends time with kids in schools, making and using the kits to see how well they deliver curriculum for teachers, and to make sure they are engaging and appropriate for both fun play and educational aspects. They are an environmentally friendly company and use recyclable materials, natural, untreated wood, and local resources and production as much as possible. All of their kits are tested to make sure they are 100% kid and pet safe! They like to work with other local companies too. Their manufacturer in Taiwan is a local family-run factory, and most of the retail stores they sell to are small businesses and neighbourhood toy stores.

Recommended for ages 9+.