101 Great Science Experiments

Step-by-step, illustrated instructions show children how to create projects out of everyday household items to illustrate basic scientific concepts, including how sound waves work, how a camera takes a picture, and the secret of invisible ink.

Grade 3-6-A colorful volume that is wide in scope but shallow in content. Ardley introduces many areas of science from electricity, to sound and music, to motion and machines. Each activity is given between half a page and two pages, and is illustrated with bright, full-color photographs that clearly show each step in the process. Two or three sentences summarize what takes place, but little of the science is explained. For instance, in "Fly a hot-air balloon" readers are told that hot air rises, but not why. The book does do a good job of presenting science as enjoyable and exciting. It could be useful if supplemented by titles such as Stephen P. Kramer's How to Think Like a Scientist (HarperCollins, 1987) and books on specific areas of interest, such as those found in the "Eyewitness Science" series.
Janet K. Hamilton, Museum of Science, Boston
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-5. Many of these 101 science experiments are great, but there's also plenty of standard fare, such bottle gardens, construction of a circuit, and the perennial erupting volcano. What makes this book special is the clean, simple format with equally simple instructions. The experiments are grouped into 11 categories, including water and liquids, electricity, motion and machines, and the senses. Most of the experiments are laid out in seven steps or less. Crisp, color photographs and concise captions make each step easy to follow. Children of various ages are shown performing many of the procedures. A warning about being a safe scientist is fairly inconspicuous on the verso of the title page; a symbol for adult supervision is described there and appears throughout the text where cutting, heating, and potentially harmful substances are required. Young scientists should find plenty of ideas for experiments and activities that can be done with ordinary household items and found materials. Denia Hester