Icky, squishy science - Softcover

Markle, Sandra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0590115294 ISBN 13: 9780590115292

Publisher: Scholastic, 1997

Synopsis

A collection of completely disgusting science experiments demonstrates how learning can be fun--and extra messy--with such ideas as examining a snail's slime trail and blowing up a marshmallow in the microwave. Simultaneous.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-7?This book of science activities has definite child appeal. Most of the projects ("You Can Blow Up a Balloon with a Smashed Banana" and "Why Does a Dead Fish Float?" are typical samples) are fairly easy and use accessible materials. In most cases, Markle's chatty instructions and lively explanations provide more scientific information than the experiments themselves. In "Foam at the Mouth," for example, kids simply brush their teeth, take a drink of carbonated liquid, swish it around, and let the foam ooze out. Along with humorous comments, the author gives an explanation of what happens and provides a brief history of toothpaste. Her text is filled with enthusiasm, and she neatly interjects facts throughout. A few experiments require the use of a stove, and the directions clearly indicate the need for an adult partner. Reluctant students in particular should be attracted to the simple instructions, intriguing scientific tidbits, and, of course, the sheer grossness of the activities.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Few writers have quite the handle Markle (Pioneering Frozen Worlds, p. 138, etc.) does on how kids think about science. For those who want to know why a dead fish floats or whether a warm worm stretches farther than a cold one, she provides brief puzzles, explanations, and simple experiments using household items to help explore these questions and more than 30 other icky science topics. The ideas are more appropriate for casual experimentation than for science fair projects; the explanations are brief, and there are seldom suggested follow-up activities. There's no obvious order to the presentation, and sometimes the text is more teasing than truthful: Children stretch a warm gummy worm, not a real one; ``Blow Up a Marshmallow!'' instructs readers to put a marshmallow in the microwave for 30 seconds and watch--hardly earthshaking. Not an essential purchase, but it has definite child-appeal. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Nonfiction. 8-10) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0590115294
• ISBN 13: 9780590115292
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 70