Showing posts with label science experiments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science experiments. Show all posts

Early Book Review: Science Art and Drawing Games for Kids: 35+ Fun Art Projects to Build Amazing Science Skills by Karyn Tripp

Science Art and Drawing Games for Kids: 35+ Fun Art Projects to Build Amazing Science Skills by Karyn Tripp is currently scheduled for release on February 8 2022. This book guides children ages 8 and up through hands-on activities that explore an engaging variety of art and craft techniques and science concepts.  Make special light-up greeting cards, and use magnets to create abstract paintings and solve mazes. Craft tiny terrariums, create plantable seed paper, and make your own paints using natural materials. Create exploding paintballs, grow a garden of crystal flowers, and learn to make plastic out of milk. Combine shaving cream and food coloring to make marbled paper, use the sun to print on paper and fabric, and make an awesome kaleidoscope from scratch.

Science Art and Drawing Games for Kids is a well organized and easy to follow book of projects. I like that the projects are divided into five different science concepts, so that projects on a particular subject are together. I thought the instructions were concise and easy to follow and that the accompanying images were well chosen and did a good job of illustrating those instructions. I was glad to see that the majority of supplies were things likely to be already in the home, with a few exceptions. I think this would be a great addition to home, school, and public library collections.  

Early Book Review: Hack Your Kitchen: Discover a World of Food Fun with Science Buddies by Niki Ahrens

Hack Your Kitchen: Discover a World of Food Fun with Science Buddies by Niki Ahrens is a children's nonfiction book currently scheduled for release on February 2 2021. Young scientists will learn all about many different scientific principles and properties using everyday tools and ingredients from their own kitchens! Make a lemon volcano, flour craters, edible paper, and more with these hands-on science projects.
Hack Your Kitchen is a well written and organized book. I liked that the items needed for the experiments, and the note that parental supervision or actions for certain things might be important right in the beginning of the book- so there are no surprises of that nature in the midst of picking a project. Equally important, at the end of the book a reminder to leave the kitchen as you found it, and resources for further reading and experimentation are included. The experiments are short and simple, with good pictures and clear instructions. I like that many resulted in edible results, like the slushy, ice cream, and meringue. I also like that the tools and ingredients for each activity are in most homes, or easily found if not currently in the pantry or junk drawer. I think the book is easy to read and follow, accessible to kids and  their adults that might be helping or supervising. I think this book could be helpful for keeping kids engaged and learning while so many are deep into home school or remote learning- and might need a little something extra to stay invested or engaged. I think some teachers and/or parents could use it for inspiration. In fact, I think my kids and I might be giving the baked ice cream a go sooner rather than later.

Book Review: Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps Conservation by Patricia Newman

Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps Conservation by Patricia Newman is a non fiction book for middle grade, and older, readers. The book tells the story of research and discovery about how elephants communicate, and why that information is important. Scientists hope to understand how forest elephants communicate help scientists find ways to protect them?

Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps Conservation is a fascinating and well written book about the work scientists are doing to understand and protect elephants. The studies began with simple curiosity, wondering about a thrumming in the air around elephants, and lead to a greater understanding of their society and communication. The read was interesting and engaging from the very beginning, giving readers a narrative that just might encourage them to do their own research and conservation work. While I think it is definitely best for middle grade and older readers, as there is a lot of information that might be frustrating for younger or less skilled readers, I think the value of the information and the images used to help impart its importance will help interested readers make their way through the book. I like that there are some interactive moments in the book, where readers can scan a QR code, and the inclusion of source materials and resources for further research and reading for those that want more.
Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps Conservation is an interesting and informative read, and one that would be a valuable addition to school and public libraries, as well as for personal libraries for interested readers- such as those already deeply invested in animals, science, and conservation. 

Book Review: Maker Lab: Outdoors; 25 Super Cool Projects by Jack Challoner

Maker Lab: Outdoors; 25 Super Cool Projects by Jack Challoner actually includes twenty-eight science projects and experiments to be done outside. The projects focus on Earth and the environment, plants and animals, rocks and minerals, and space, bringing science learning home and into the backyard. Young scientists can make a cave system and find out about underground rivers, construct a working model of tectonic plates and learn about earthquakes, build a telescope and look to the planets and stars, and more. The book includes clear step-by-step instructions, and detailed explanations. 

Maker Lab: Outdoors; 25 Super Cool Projects is a well written and organized collection of experiments and activities. The instructions are easy to understand and paired with helpful photographs and labels that can assist young scientists in achieving success. I liked that the projects are divided into four groups, Nature Watch, World of Weather, Water Power, and Earth and Sky. This can help young readers focus on a subject matter that interests them most, or to supplement what they are learning at home or in school. Some of the projects are classics, or at least ones I have seen more than once before. However, a couple seemed new to me.  I loved that the templates were all included in one location at the end of the book, along with a glossary and index to make things even more clear and accessible. I am looking forward to trying out some of these projects with my own kids this summer, or letting them loose to try more independently in my yard. 

Book Review: Dig In: 12 Easy Gardening Projects Using Kitchen Scraps by Kari Cornell, Jennifer S. Larson

Dig In: 12 Easy Gardening Projects Using Kitchen Scraps by Kari Cornell, with photography by Jennifer S. Larson, is an instruction book helping gardeners of all ages grow their own fruits and vegetables from nothing but kitchen scraps. Instead of throwing away leftover food in your kitchen, you can use them to grow more. Learn how to turn a single sweet potato into a pot full of them. Grow a salad from the end bit of lettuce and a lemon tree from a single seed. Several of these projects require nothing more than a jar, a windowsill, and a few pieces of food that would otherwise end up in the trash or compost. Step-by-step drawings and photographs make it easy to follow along, and fun recipes will help you enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Dig In: 12 Easy Gardening Projects Using Kitchen Scraps is not just for families looking to be more environmentally friendly or frugal. This book is also great for school or classroom use, and after school activities. Information like soil pH and other things important to the growth and health of plants is included- as are growing zones and the tools and supplies needed. The instructions for growing food include romaine lettuce, celery, leeks, lemongrass, herbs, pineapple, garlic, ginger, sweet potatoes, bell pumpkins, peppers, and lemons. I like that there were recipes to use the freshly grown food, and a full glossary or the words readers might not already know. I found the resources listed at the end of the book to be helpful for interested readers, and information for finding gardening supplies to be a great starting point for children, schools, and families that are getting ready to try some of these projects. I do wish that there were more experiments available, because my only issue with the book was that I wanted a slightly larger selection of food to grow and care for. 

Book Review: Turn This Book Into a Beehive and 19 Other Experiments and Activities That Explore the Amazing World by Bees by Lynn Brunelle, Anna-Maria Jung

Turn This Book Into a Beehive and 19 Other Experiments and Activities That Explore the amazing World by Bees is a children's nonfiction book written by Lynn Brunelle and illustrated by Anna-Maria Jung. This is a kid's hands-on guide to understanding the world of bees, in a book that turns into a working beehive to house a colony of friendly, efficient—and non-stinging!—mason bees. It includes 10 science projects.
Turn This Book Into a Beehive and 19 Other Experiments and Activities That Explore the amazing World by Bees not only teaches young readers about the current decline in bee population and how we can all invite the pollinators to our yards. The different kinds of bees and wasps, how they live, how they are built and move, experiments, and more. The information is well organized and worded- making it understandable and accessible. The illustrations and experiment instructions are equally well done leaving readers with a wonderful balance of humor, information, and things to try and experiment with. I think the information here is very important, and things everyone should be aware of. Not just for the usefulness of pollinators, but for the health of the food web and our world in general. The jacket cover of the book is easily converted into a beehive with only a little tearing of the blank pages toward the end of the book, and there are more complicated plans for other. A flower chart and some hints and ideas to protect the hive once it is built and hung. There are also some resources for further research and companies that offer mason bee supplies included prior to the blank paged intended for use building your hive. 

Turn This Book Into a Beehive and 19 Other Experiments and Activities That Explore the amazing World by Bees is a well researched and organized book with a great deal of important information. I think this would be a great addition to classroom or home libraries in order to make the most of the experiments included. It would work well in a library setting as well- since it is only the jacket and some blank pages needed o build the hive advertised on the cover.