Michael Denis Cooke arrived in Canada with his family at the age of three, from Bristol, England. Raised in Lloydminster and Edmonton, Alberta, he graduated from the University of Alberta with a B.A. in English and Chemistry. Working in a number of basic industries, he spent a great deal of time in the Canadian North, and travelled. Eventually he returned to the U. of Alberta to graduate with a B.Ed. in Secondary Physical Sciences in 1995.

    Solar Energy became a focus for his science teaching. His first kit was "SolarDrive", developed while at university.

    A new elementary [K-6]  science curriculum was being introduced in Alberta, with a very "hands-on" approach. It was also a time of deep budget cuts.

    After graduation Michael became a representative for "Technology Teaching Systems", and began to help with the implementation of the new elementary science program  by suggesting materials and activities, and inservicing teachers.

In Edmonton, wondering what to do next.

    He developed a number of kits to introduce real materials inexpensively, allowing students to explore scientific concepts, and then to invent their own mechanisms, incorporating recycled materials. Among these were the Move It and Use It kit for grade four, introducing levers, pulleys, wheels, and gears; and the Electric Pulley Car and Gear-to-Go kits for grade five, simple electric car kits introducing electrical mechanisms. Other kits developed were SolBoat, FanBoat, FanCar, Glow Buzz and Move, Sunny-Side Up, SolarDrive, SolarDrive II, and SolRun (a classroom kit for solar electric mechanisms).

  At Ganges Saturday Market
 

Watching Andrew at the SolBus.
Today Michael Cooke lives on Salt Spring Island, making solar car and inventor kits.