The Book

Table of Contents

Note to Readers iv
Acknowledgments v
Time Line vi
Introduction ix

chapter i : 1

Growing Up at a Lighthouse
True Stories of Keepers’ Kids

Decorate a Seashell Picture Frame 3
Keeping a Garden: Was It Possible? 5
Tie a Bowline Knot 10
Make a Lighthouse Wind Sock 12

chapter ii : 19

Why Lighthouses?
A Short History

Why Height Matters 26
Decorate a Lighthouse Cake 29

chapter iii : 31

A Field Guide to U.S. Lighthouses

Build a Lighthouse Model That Lights Up 33
Create a Sponge Painting 44

chapter iv : 45

Amazing Construction Stories

Does Water Pressure Change with Depth? 47

chapter v : 55

The Science Behind Lighthouses

Make a Solar Marshmallow Roaster 57
How Does the Liquid Flow? 59
Bend Light with a Prism 61
Investigate How Lighthouses Flashed Long Ago 62
Discover the Benefits of Ball Bearings 64
Beyond Ball Bearings: Floating a Heavy Lens 65

chapter vi : 69

Keep the Lights Burning!
The Job of the Keeper

Tend an Oil Lamp 71
Make and Test Your Own Brass Polish 81
Create a Lighthouse Logbook 83
Make a Replica Keeper’s Cap 85

chapter vii : 89

Lighthouses Today

Write a Lighthouse Poem 92
Witness the Power of Hydraulics 94

resources : 99

Web Sites to Explore 99
Organizations 101
Places to Visit 102
Glossary 113
Selected Bibliography 115
Index 118