Grade 2-4?A collection of quick, simple projects that use materials most kids will have around the house. Grouped into such subject areas as gravity, water, and light, most have just a few steps to follow. Instructions, illustrated by black-and-white drawings, are easy to understand and always note when adult help is needed. Each procedure is followed by an explanation of what should have happened and why. At times these explanations involve concepts that children might not easily grasp from the experiment alone. A description of light rays and focal points, for instance, is hard to follow without elaboration or diagrams. In another case, molecules are introduced as “…the smallest particles of a substance that can exist on their own,” which is accurate, but not the clearest way to describe them. Some activities are so predictable that reading about them can substitute for performing them. Other projects are more intriguing, such as using oil, water, and sunshine to make a rainbow, or creating a simple sand clock. The book is not terrifically exciting; its strength is that youngsters will be able to use it successfully on their own, and in many cases will learn a bit about science in the process.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Library, OR
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Make lightning in your room! Keep paper dry under water! Lose weight by going upstairs! See colors that aren’t there! Experience the magic of science with these quick, easy experiments and activities from Jean Potter. You can complete each activity in ten fun-filled minutes or less. Clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations help you get it right every time. The projects help you learn about everything from why eggs aren’t round to how submarines surface and submerge. You will find most of the required materials already in your home, backyard, or neighborhood, and you can perform the experiments practically anywhere. The 108 activities in this book cover twelve different subject areas, including air, animals, energy, gravity, magnetism, light, the human body, and much more. You’ll make a rainbow right on your floor, pop a balloon with a magnifying glass, make a coffee can roll back to you after you’ve pushed it away, and bend water as it streams from your faucet—all with the help of a leading educator. Children Ages 8–12