In Her New Book, Temple Grandin Tells Kids How To Put Down Their Phones And Invent

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Photo: Temple Grandin with cow
CSU professor Temple Grandin.

Temple Grandin made a name for herself advocating for animal rights and people with autism. Now she has another message, handily the title of her new book, "Calling All Minds," it's time to put down the phone and make things.Photo: Temple Grandin Calling All Kids Books

Grandin talked to Colorado Matters about "Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor." Her grandfather was the co-creator of autopilot for airplanes, and was a big influence on a young Grandin. As a kid she invented items out of mundane materials, like turning the cardboard from her father's freshly dry-cleaned shirts into blocks, forts, dioramas and models.

The book has a range of activities for different ages, from creating "snowflakes" out of borax crystals for third-graders to crafting an optical illusion room for middle and even high schoolers.