Do It Now! Science: Wild Experiments & Outdoor Adventures

This DIY and environmentally friendly science book features more than 70 activities that give kids an amazing, science-tastic experience.

Hey, science can be cool—who doesn’t want to grow their initials in crystal, or discover what carnivorous plants eat? The current DIY craze has created a generation of kids eager to make simple but rad machines and write in homemade invisible ink, while renewed environmental concern has kids building houses for bats and mixing up seed paper. This book features more than 70 activities that speak to both these trends, giving kids an amazing, science-tastic experience that’s far from boring.
     Explore Your World! is divided into two chapters: one of zany, quirky science projects and tech crafts, and another of eye-opening explorations that make every child’s backyard seem like a haven for discovery. In the first chapter, kids experiment with electricity, magically squeeze an egg into a bottle, isolate their own DNA, make an eclipse-viewer, and have fun with optical illusions. In the second chapter, readers will learn how to collect water from a tree branch, recognize animal tracks, raise a butterfly, and make cool fossils.
     This stealth-educational title gives kids the chance to learn and grow, without making them feel like they’re stuck in class.

Sarah Hines Stephens first learned to cook in order to get out of doing the dishes, and she still prefers making messes to cleaning them. One of three creative sisters, Sarah hails from generations of do-it-yourselfers: quilters, artists, writers, and gardeners. When Sarah is not facilitating semiexplosive science experiments and kid-friendly crafts, she writes books for kids. She has written more than sixty books, some for kid-friendly brands such as Gymboree and Scholastic. She lives with her husband and two children in a home filled with glitter, fabric scraps, glue, and power tools in Oakland, California.

Bethany Mann is Sarah’s sister and partner in creative mess-making. With a rallying cry of, “Hey, we could totally make that ourselves!” she has fearlessly led her family and friends in numerous craft adventures. These days Bethany channels her artistic powers for good by using recycled materials and growing vegetables. Her projects have been featured in craft books for adults and on DIY TV. She lives with her husband, teenage son, and a menagerie of rescued pets in Santa Cruz, California. Read her blog at BitterBettyIndustries.blogspot.com.