Leonardo Da Vinci - The Art of Science

Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was a famous Italian painter known for masterpieces, such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. As a child, Leonardo da Vinci was always studying nature. He spent much time outdoors studying plants and animals. He understood that the best way to learn about something was through careful observation. He loved to draw sketches in his little notebook. He was always drawing everywhere he went. In this book you will read about this little boy from Vinci of great curiosity and an impatiently inventive imagination who became famous for his work as an artist and a scientist. You will learn how to create an exploration kit and how to keep a sketching notebook to record your explorations of nature and the world around you - just like Leonardo did!

Just like a modern scientist today, Leonardo da Vinci used systematic observations, logical reasoning, and experimentation to find answers that would satisfy his curiosity. For more than 40 years, Leonardo da Vinci gathered his observations and ideas in his now famous “Notebooks”. They include over 100,000 drawings and more than 6,000 pages of notations. Without a doubt, observation was at the core of his scientific exploration. Leonardo’s approach to scientific knowledge was visual. For him, art and science were one, the “science of painting” as he referred to it. For Leonardo, drawing was the ideal way to explore the whole range of the natural phenomena. As an artist, he understood the importance of observation, and the intimate connection between the arts and the underlying principals of science. In this book we learn about Leonardo’s constant exploration since the days of his childhood in the town of Vinci, and how students of any age can find inspiration in his work to create and maintain a science notebook. Science notebooks in the style of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks are a powerful tool that can be used to help students make connections in order to expand their understanding of the world around them. You are invited to use this book as a tool to introduce your students to the power of visual literacy.

Luis J. Hernández-Ledezma is a bilingual (English – Spanish) writer, instructional designer, and educational consultant with a great passion for technology and facilitating learning. He graduated from the Catholic University Andres Bello in Venezuela with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. Luis continued his education at the University of North Texas, where he received a Master of Science degree in Computer Education and Cognitive Systems. Luis is the co-creator of successful bilingual education systems that are currently being used in schools across the U.S. Luis also holds professional development workshops for educators and works hard to introduce teachers from across the nation to the latest science and bilingual educational products. Luis’s goal is to provide teachers with the tools they need to teach students in a bilingual classroom. For more information visit: www.enablinglearning.com.