730 Easy Science Experiments: With Everyday Materials

I love doing science experiments with my kids and we've gone through many books: magnet ones, slime ones, etc... This one tops them all. Get this one first and you'll find you don't need another until Jr. high! The experiments span the gamut of elaborateness from very easy (demonstrating how air pressure can hold up water with a straw) to very complex (building an electric motor with a nail, wrapped wire, a magnet, and a power source - battery or galvanic lemon, your choice). Science topics span the gamut as well, from weather, electromagnetism, aeronautics, chemistry, mechanical physics etc... Many of these experiments will, of course, be familiar, but many are fresh and astounding - and having such an encyclopedic array of them in one place (and with one narrative voice) is very useful and will encourage you to explore a wide range of topics with your kids. Some of my favorites: lemons as electric power sources; coins and vinegar paper as electric batteries, compass and wire as galvanometer, plastic bottle and water as barometer, balloon rockets, bottle chemical rockets (with baking powder and vinegar), string spool clock, mobius strips, copper cleaning with lemon juice and then electroplating an iron nail. The mobius strip one astounded my kids - with just a piece of paper and an inch of tape, a pencil, and a scissors. You make the strip with the tape, then draw a line down the middle - amazingly drawing on "both sides" while kids just draw on one side. Then they cut it in half along the line they just drew and instead of getting two pieces of paper (like usually happens when you cut a piece of paper in half) you end up with just one (longer) piece of paper. A big discussion of geometry ensued. Highest recommendation.

I love doing science experiments with my kids and we've gone through many books: magnet ones, slime ones, etc... This one tops them all. Get this one first and you'll find you don't need another until Jr. high! The experiments span the gamut of elaborateness from very easy (demonstrating how air pressure can hold up water with a straw) to very complex (building an electric motor with a nail, wrapped wire, a magnet, and a power source - battery or galvanic lemon, your choice). Science topics span the gamut as well, from weather, electromagnetism, aeronautics, chemistry, mechanical physics etc... Many of these experiments will, of course, be familiar, but many are fresh and astounding - and having such an encyclopedic array of them in one place (and with one narrative voice) is very useful and will encourage you to explore a wide range of topics with your kids. Some of my favorites: lemons as electric power sources; coins and vinegar paper as electric batteries, compass and wire as galvanometer, plastic bottle and water as barometer, balloon rockets, bottle chemical rockets (with baking powder and vinegar), string spool clock, mobius strips, copper cleaning with lemon juice and then electroplating an iron nail. The mobius strip one astounded my kids - with just a piece of paper and an inch of tape, a pencil, and a scissors. You make the strip with the tape, then draw a line down the middle - amazingly drawing on "both sides" while kids just draw on one side. Then they cut it in half along the line they just drew and instead of getting two pieces of paper (like usually happens when you cut a piece of paper in half) you end up with just one (longer) piece of paper. A big discussion of geometry ensued. Highest recommendation.

What a great book! I found it in the bargain bin about a year ago and have been using it weekly ever since. While some experiments require prep work, I can find something on maybe every other page that uses only simple materials I already have in the house (e.g., index card and scissors for one--you can cut it in such a way that makes a huge hoop you can step through, button and string for another about inertia, baking soda and vinegar for the classic "volcano" experiment, glasses and water for a music experiment... plus 726 more--far more than enough to keep you busy for 2 years even if you did one per day). I keep it on the counter and whenever I'm trying to keep my three-year-old busy for a while, we flip through it and find something to do. And I love that I'm teaching her about science and the natural world, even though it just feels like "exploring."