Book Review: Super Simple Science Experiments

Kids of a certain age seem to love science experiments, but it can be difficult to come up with ideas for experiments off the top of your head.

Andrea Scalzo Yi has collected 100 easy setup science experiments you can make with supplies you probably already have in your house in her book Super Simple Science Experiments for Curious Kids.

The book is divided by types of experiments: those involving liquids, solids, gasses, and light, color and sound.

Experiments are rated by simplicity level on a scale of 1 to 3. Materials and instructions are listed, as well as how and why the experiment works and variations you can try.

These projects can be done with parental help even by little kids, but older kids can handle doing some of them on their own.

A random sampling of projects includes:

fluffy slime
making a mobius strip
drinkable density experiment
wall marble run
spinning pencil
potato skewer balance
DIY fire extinguisher
wet and dry painting
make a sunset
sound you can see

Lots of these experiments are classics but there are some you might not have seen before. This book is a great reference for when kids want to do something but you don’t have anything particular in mind. It also allows you to slip in some science whenever you want. You can talk about what kids think will happen when you try different experiments, and because why they work the way they do is included in the book, you’ll be able to explain it to kids even if you don’t remember your own science classes!

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 100 projects. Published in July 2022 by Page Street Publishing. Suggested retail $22.99. Buy on Amazon.

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Activities and Ideas for the 100th Day of School

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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