I grew up with Mr. Wizard as my science icon on TV, and I still have a copy of his Supermarket Science book (my daughter was completely unimpressed).
Emily Calandrelli may be this generation’s Mr. Wizard. She an MIT engineer and host of Emily’s Wonder Lab and Xploration Outer Space, as well as the author of two books full of science experiments kids can do at home, mostly with items you might already have in the house.
Stay Curious and Keep Exploring (published 2022, 168 pages, hardcover, 50 experiments, suggested retail price $22.95) features 50 projects on various themes: our of this world science, spooky science, things that glow, egg science, birthday science creations, magic tricks, kitchen science, experiments with a high potential to get messy. physics projects and ice experiments.
A few examples: magnetic slime, melting foam with acetone, making glow in the dark paint, bouncing rainbow eggs, LED birthday cards, a self-filling balloon, a cookie baking experiment, horse toothpaste and broomstick balancing. These silly sounding projects are often tied to real-world lessons about how things work, such as why is it so hard to get ketchup out of a bottle, why do our fingers get wrinkly in the bath, and why does it take so long for water to boil.
Kids are encouraged to ask questions, make hypotheses and take notes in the book as they learn.
In addition to the experiments there are mini profiles of women is STEM through history, fun facts and ideas for changing up the experiments. There are also reference tables and a glossary in the back for any terms you don’t know.
The second book, Stay Curious and Keep Exploring Next Level (published 2024, 176 pages, hardcover, 50 experiments, suggested retail price $22.95) continues on the theme with bigger, bolder, messier projects in superhero science, scary science, bubbles, water, outdoor experiments, things that glow, science to do with friends, food science, science in color and projects related to the human body.
Here you’ll find fun projects like floating coins, zombie ping-pong balls, unpoppable bubbles, sticky water, egg geodes, exploding soda, secret notes, and how to extract strawberry DNA, among other things.
This book also includes profiles of people in STEM you’ll want to know and a glossary, but this one also has a shopping list to make stocking your science experiment pantry that much easier.
Either or both of these books would be great to gift to a curious kiddo or their parents (or grandparents!) who want to do some fun and messy learning with their kiddos.
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