Simple Experiments

Young students learn to look beyond the obvious in this series of highly involving activities on dissolving, evaporation, and crystallization. Using familiar substances, students create homemade “Gel-o,” colorful disks, and crystals that emerge on black paper to make a “starry night.” Does the substance disappear? If not, where does it go? Could it ever come back? As young students ponder these ideas and gain experience mixing and observing different solutions, they benefit from this very positive early experience with chemistry.

In a series of fun and fluid activities, young students explore the ubiquity and properties of liquids using introductory language and simple concepts. They play a classification game, observe how food coloring moves through different liquids, and create secret salad-dressing recipes and an “Ocean in a Bottle.” The Raindrops and Oil Drops activity can prompt discussion of environmental issues such as oil slicks, and was used in many Alaska schools to educate students about the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Literature connections, resources, and assessment suggestions are provided to help teachers make the most of the unit. With online orientation video.

Take an exciting adventure into an amazing and mysterious world — inside your own brain! You'll find brain-bending puzzles and experiments; mind-twisting riddles; new tricks and twists for playing games you already know; optical illusions that will fool your eyes and brain; and many, many more fun ways to challenge and explore your brain.

The Science Explorer is the ultimate home science fun book. You'll get to make bubble bombs, amaze your friends with optical illusions, make crazy music with your own homemade instruments, and even take apart a real camera. Not only will you have hours of fun, but you'll learn all about the world around you and become a “science explorer”! The Science Explorer, the first family-oriented activity collection from the Exploratorium, is specially designed to be used by parents and children together. This book delivers fun activities that kids and grown-ups can enjoy together using stuff that's easily found at a grocery store. Background sections that help adults explain underlying scientific concepts accompany each activity. Great for scout troops and other informal learning environments. “It's all part of the Exploratorium's mission to make science fun, and this second book in the series is ingenious . . . the co-authors take simple concepts and surprise us on every page.” [Patricia Holt, San Francisco Chronicle]

NOTE: The Exploratorium online store has many books, kits, games and ideas.

This book has more than 50 activities that explore the science behind your favorite sports. Topics include: How the Golf Ball Got Its Dimples, How do figure skaters spin so fast?, and Why does a curve ball curve? There are lively drawings, and fun facts.

How do honeybees find their way home? Why is Venus so hot? How can you measure the speed of the wind? What makes a sound loud or soft? Discover the awesome answers to these and other fascinating mysteries in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, and astronomy. Just try these 201 fun, safe, low-cost experiments at home or in the classroom. You'll look through a drop of water to find out how a magnifying lens works. Using a Styrofoam ball, a pencil, and a lamp, you'll learn why the Moon appears and disappears. With just a jar and some ice cubes, you can demonstrate how rain is formed. Each experiment includes an illustration and easy to follow step-by-step instructions.

This companion volume to the enormously popular 200 Gooey, Slippery, Slimy, Weird, and Fun Experiments brings together magical projects from Janice VanCleave's Science for Every Kid and Spectacular Science Projects series-plus 40 all-new experiments that make science come to life.

• Also by Janice VanCleave:
  • Biology for Every Kid
  • Chemistry for Every Kid
  • Dinosaurs for Every Kid
  • Earth Science for Every Kid
  • Geography for Every Kid
  • Geometry for Every Kid
  • The Human Body for Every Kid
  • Math for Every Kid
  • Physics for Every Kid
  • Astronomy for Every Kid

VanCleave continues to produce user-friendly volumes that make science great fun. The experiments are organized into five fields: astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics. The activities themselves are printed two to a page and all are organized into the following components: purpose, materials, procedures, results, and why (an explanation of the scientific principle involved). Each entry is accompanied by a black-and-white line drawing that helps clarify and explain the process or concept. The author has a talent for framing scientific questions in terms that are sure to appeal to young people: “Purpose: To determine why dinosaur eggs were so small compared to the adult dinosaur.” “Purpose: To determine how faults produce earthquakes.” Some activities consist merely of observation, such as “To study parts of a feather.” Some are more complex, but all are clearly and concisely explained. Many are repeats from prior VanCleave books, but 40 are supposedly new. Students are certain to be involved and captivated by the experiments themselves and their relationships to real questions. [Rosie Peasley, Empire Union School District, Modesto, CA. School Library Journal, 1997.]