Discover da Vinci

Maps are important for many reasons. They give us information about a place and help us find our way from one location to another. They can also teach us spatial thinking as we imagine the items on a map and where they are in relation to one another.

One of the most common maps is an ichnographic map, which has a top-down view like the maps on Google Maps. These maps are easily made nowadays using satellite imagery and software, but Leonardo da Vinci found a way to make an ichnographic map hundreds of years before those technologies were invented. In 1502, da Vinci created the map of Imola, Italy, as seen here, by carefully measuring the length of buildings and the angles of streets. For more information on the map of Imola check out this short video from Vox.

• Our Discovery at Home map activity is a great way to introduce maps to young cartographers (mapmakers). Create a simple map of a room in your home and use it for a treasure hunt.
• There are many ways to explore cartography and make your own map. First, choose a location—like a room in the above activity—as inspiration. Then, decide how you will create your map. You can draw your map freehand, making rough estimates from what you see. Or, try determining distances by counting your steps as you travel that distance. For more precise measurements, use a ruler, yardstick, or tape measure.
  • Maps are often created to scale. This means that the items shown on a map, like roads, buildings, and bodies of water, are smaller, but still the right size in relation to one another. For example, if your couch is 6 feet long in real life, try drawing it 3 inches long on your map. How big would a chair or table be according to this scale?
• Create a map for a new world of your own imagination, then use your map to help tell a story about that place. Consider including symbols, along with a key, for the different features on your map. The website Maps for the Classroom has some great examples to get you started.  

Not much was known about human anatomy, beyond what was obvious on the outside, when Leonardo da Vinci was alive. The technology we have today that allows us to see inside the human body, like x-rays and scans, did not exist during the 15th century. In order to learn more about human anatomy, da Vinci dissected and studied over 30 cadavers. Da Vinci closely studied the body’s inner workings and turned his observations into beautiful, detailed sketches.                                 

• To try your own dissection experiments, look no further than fruits, vegetables, or flowers (cut with permission!) For example, slice an apple in half and study the apple’s anatomy. Can you identify the different parts of the fruit, such as the seeds, core, and stem? Use tools such as tweezers and magnifying glasses to help you get a closer look.
• Take a look inside old electronics before recycling them. Landline phones, VCRs, small radios, and computer keyboards are all great electronics for this activity. Grab a screwdriver, carefully open up the item, and see what makes up these wonderful devices.
• With each of these activities it can be rewarding to sketch your findings just like da Vinci did -- creating art while gaining a deeper understanding of the world.

Looking for a little insight into who exactly Leonardo da Vinci was? 

• For an in-depth overview, watch biographer Walter Isaacson talk about da Vinci as the forefather of the scientific method and how we can all explore the world like da Vinci.
• There are lots of books that cover the life and work of da Vinci. Here are a few of our favorites at the Museum, that you can find at your local library or through online booksellers:
• Leonardo da Vinci: The Genius Who Defined the Renaissance, by John Phillips
• Leonardo da Vinci for Kids: His Life and Ideas, Featuring 21 Activities, by Janis Herbert
• Leonardo, Beautiful Dreamer, by Robert Byrd

Leonardo da Vinci did not have the opportunity to formally study math or science in school. Instead, he spent much of his time observing nature and the world around him. Throughout his life, he filled over 50 notebooks with his ideas, observations, questions, and sketches - including plants, animals, light, water, the human body, and mechanical creations.  

• To assemble a notebook like da Vinci, follow our guide to creating a journal to make your own.
• Look for landscapes! The earliest known drawing by da Vinci was of a landscape. Head outside and find a nice place to sketch. Studying landscapes, like the view of your backyard or a park down the street, is a great way to learn about depth and color.
• Study a plant or animal!  Leonardo da Vinci studied plants and animals to understand more about them. If you have a pet or potted plant, study it closely, then try drawing it. Are there any details you didn’t notice before? You can also look outside for your favorite plant or animal, or search online for reference images.

Leonardo da Vinci was particularly fascinated by the idea of flight. He studied birds, paying close attention to how they moved their wings. He then used these observations to create sketches of mechanical wings, which he believed humans could use to harness the power of flight. It is widely believed da Vinci never achieved his goal to experience the thrill of flying. However, his drawings show a persistence in pursuing his ideas. He drew a few different depictions of flying machines that are now seen as plans for a helicopter and airplane, hundreds of years before their time.

• Flip through da Vinci’s Codex on the Flight of Birds. In this notebook you can see his drawings of birds and mechanical wings. It’s also a great example of his backwards writing style.
• Tinker with your own flying creations by trying our Taking Flight activities.

Leonardo da Vinci studied and sketched a wide variety of subjects, including the human body. Da Vinci used his observations to create drawings that made connections between humans and the larger natural world. Vitruvian Man is one of da Vinci’s most famous sketches and highlights his study of proportions within the human body.  This drawing shows how the lengths of different body parts compare to each other, which in math is called a ratio. 

• For example, in many people, their arm span is about equal to their height. This means your arm span and height likely have a 1:1, or “1 to 1,” ratio. 
• To further explore ratios and the human body, try this activity from Scientific American.  
• Our Vitruvian Man exhibit, inspired by da Vinci's famous drawing, can be found on the patio outside the Museum.

In his study of engineering and architecture, Leonardo da Vinci showed a meticulous and innovative approach to bridge design. One such ingenious design is a self-supporting bridge, which da Vinci created while serving as a military engineer. Also called “The Bridge to Safety,” this particular bridge can be assembled without any nails, ropes, or other fasteners, relying only on friction and gravity to allow users to cross safely. Da Vinci planned his self-supporting bridge with soldiers in mind, considering the need to quickly set up and take down the bridge, using materials that could be easily carried or gathered from the environment.   

• Watch a young architect and his dad build a backyard version of da Vinci’s self-supporting bridge. Challenge yourself to follow along, using tabletop items like skewers, small dowels, craft sticks, or chopsticks. Or, check-out this step-by-step, visual guide from Instructables. When finished building your bridge, test its strength by gently adding some weight. Place a small cup or bowl on top, and slowly add pennies, washers, or other small items.
• Read up on another da Vinci bridge design, and how MIT researchers created a model bridge using a 500-hundred-year-old sketch.
• Our self-supporting bridge exhibit, based on da Vinci's design, can be found in Discovery Woods. 

As an inventor and engineer, Leonardo da Vinci studied simple machines and used them in new and interesting ways in his own complex inventions. A simple machine is a tool that makes work easier. The wheel and axel, wedge, screw, inclined plane, pulley, and lever are all types of simple machines – and each can be seen in da Vinci’s mechanical and architectural drawings. For example, da Vinci often made use of the lever in his creations. A lever is a rod that rests on a fulcrum point and can be used to lift or move objects.

• Da Vinci’s use of the lever can be seen in his design for a catapult and trebuchet and in his cam hammer, which you can watch in motion in this short video.
• The wings of da Vinci’s Ornithopter, a flying machine that mimicked the flapping of bird wings, are levers.
• Go on a Lever Treasure Hunt around your home and explore the properties of levers by building your own -- from a simple, table-top seesaw to a catapult like da Vinci’s -- with our guide to Simple Machines: The Lever. You might just be surprised by how many levers you use every day!
• Our giant lever exhibit, inspired by da Vinci's use of simple machines, can be found on the lawn in front of the Museum.