The Renaissance Thinkers

Who were the scientists and philosophers of the Renaissance?

The Renaissance Thinkers with History Projects for Kids introduces readers ages 10 through 15 to the biographies of five of the most influential scientists and philosophers of the Renaissance era, including Filippo Brunelleschi, Machiavelli, Copernicus, Thomas More, and Francis Bacon. All of these men made huge leaps in philosophical and scientific thought and introduced concepts to the world that have resonated for centuries!

In The Renaissance Thinkers, kids learn how the Italian goldsmith Filippo Brunelleschi solved the decades-old architectural problem of the Florence Cathedral dome and introduced artists to the concept of linear perspective. They meet Machiavelli, the Italian statesman whose book, The Prince, described Renaissance politics as they truly existed and whose name became synonymous with political manipulation. Readers explore the nature of the solar system with Copernicus, and experience the life and death struggles of Thomas More, one of the Renaissance era’s greatest legal minds and also one of the world’s first writers of science fiction. Plus, they’ll meet Francis Bacon, who developed and promoted the scientific method that still guides scientific inquiry to this day.

Using an inquiry-based approach to learning, each chapter of The Renaissance Thinkers includes hands-on activities and open-ended assignments that challenge young readers to engage in scientific experiments of their own that incorporate the scientific method and the engineering design process. Kids learn to think critically and creatively about the political and social forces at work in their own lives. They will build arches, draw with linear perspective, argue the points of a legal case, create their own Utopias, and engage in philosophical debates. Fun facts, primary source illustrations, and links to online resources spark an interest in the Renaissance. Even without a time machine, learners can experience the Renaissance!

The Renaissance Thinkers is one of a set of four books in the Renaissance for Kids series. Books in the Renaissance for Kids series invite readers ages 10 to 15 to learn about the inventors, artists, explorers, philosophers, scientists, and politicians who lived in Europe and around the world during the Renaissance and who made contributions to the wealth of human knowledge and experience that have lasted far into the future. Primary sources, color photography, relevant quotes, and hands-on STEAM activities that promote the scientific method or engineering design process keep even the most curious kids satisfied!

Titles in this series include The Renaissance Thinkers: With History Projects for Kids; The Renaissance Inventors: With History Projects for Kids; The Renaissance Artists: With History Projects for Kids; and The Renaissance Explorers: With History Projects for Kids.

Diane C. Taylor is a freelance writer whose published works include both fiction and nonfiction. She is the author of World War II: From the Rise of the Nazi Party to the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb from Nomad Press. She has written educational material for a nonprofit arts program in Dallas, Texas, and has been an English instructor for students in middle school, high school, and college. Diane lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky.