While You're Waiting for the Food to Come: A Tabletop Science Activity Book : Experiments and Tricks That Can Be Done at a Restaurant, the Dining Room Table, or Wherever Food Is Served

A savory activity book that proves that science is always on the menu in restaurants, at the kitchen or picnic table, or wherever food is served, including simple activities that introduce basic concepts of human senses.

Grade 3-8-A delightful book of science experiments to do in restaurants. All manner of science facts are taught in 30 simple activities, from "How many times can you fold a piece of paper in half?" to problems dealing with electrical charges, air pressure, and the principles of flight. The book is organized like a menu, with "Appetizers" that introduce basic concepts, "Main Courses" that provide more detailed endeavors, and a "Desserts" section that contains a glossary and list for further reading. Each experiment includes a list of materials ("Ingredients"), steps to follow ("Recipe"), explanation of the scientific principles involved ("Food for Thought"), and links to other events and phenomena ("More to Chew On"). An "Attention-Attraction Factor Key" indicates whether people at other tables will notice what you're up to. The black-and-white cartoons provide information and entertainment. A winner.
Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Perhaps this book should come with a warning, as children will have such a good time testing Muller's "restaurant science" activities that the ambience of some dining establishments might be disrupted. Fortunately, there's an "Attention-Attraction Factor Key" that rates the level of attention each activity is likely to draw and cautions kids to check with a parent to be sure the activity is appropriate. Cleverly organized like a menu, the "Appetizers" section features five simple activities that serve as introductions to concepts explored in the "Main Courses" section. Muller suggests going through the activities in order, but kids can choose individual "entrees" from the Main Courses section--four to seven high-interest, carefully explained experiments on topics such as gravity, the senses, density--and follow up with "Side Dishes" that expand on or vary the "entree" activities. A glossary and a bibliography constitute the "Desserts" for this appealing hands-on science book. Chris Sherman