Show-'Em-How Manuals

Show-'Em-How Manuals

Required:

• Drawing supplies

Sometimes, the only way to really explain something is to draw a how-to picture, or even a series of pictures. And there's no better person to draw them than your child, the budding junior technical illustrator!

Discuss with your child which household appliances (the toaster, microwave oven, etc.) could use a set of clear, simple instructions, and select one with which your child is especially familiar.

You and your child first review together how to use the appliance effectively and safely. Then your young illustrator draws a series of pictures designed to introduce novices to the item. He or she can then paste the illustrations, in order, onto sheets of paper to create a technical manual. Beside each picture, your child can write step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions for using the household appliance.

Your child and a friend, or a sibling, can also work together to create technical manuals. Younger kids can work on the illustrations while older children can write the text. Who knows—someday your kids might even create a manual that will teach you how to program your VCR!