365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials

Illustrated by Frances Zweifel. The fundamentals of science are brought to life in a year's worth of fun and educational hands-on experiments that can be performed easily and inexpensively at home.

Customer Reviews:

Fabulously fun resource!

By Michelle Johnson - January 16, 2002

I purchased this book for the science division of our home schooling studies. It is laid out very well and it's easy to understand.Using materials most people have around the house you can simply flip to the beginning and follow the headings for ideas. What can you use straws for? Try out the section on "Clutching at Straws", make an Oboe, balance scale, spear a potato, etc.Would you like to know other uses for lemon juice? Start on page 36. Keep going- check out soap suds, strings, paper cups, experiments with temperature, etc.Basically you get it, you could spend many great minutes or hours teaching your kids through hands on learning. Many of these can be done by an older child with very little help- a perfect solution to the "I'm bored" problem.Please- turn of the TV, electronic games. etc. and let them use their brains- actively.This is a wonderful book, one that every household would benefit from.

Simple is right, could be better

By T. Clarkson - July 19, 2007

I would have given this 2.5 stars if possible. This review applies to all the books in this series, not just this particular one. The book's strengths: (1) Truly simple experiments that make science fun and give it a "Wow" factor for children. Everybody can follow the simple instructions in this book. (2) Seeing science done with ordinary objects takes science out of the elite laboratory and puts it into context of everyday life. (3) Even adults can learn so much about how everyday items and phenomena are related to science.

The book's weaknesses: (1) Explanations of the science behind the experiments are too brief and vague. (2) For too many of the experiments the directions are incomplete at best, and sometimes just not adequate at all. The big majority of the experiments will work, but for the several that don't, the teacher/parent is left saying, 'What went wrong?" You can follow all the directions perfectly, but poor directions don't make an experiment... read more

Really simple

By A Customer - February 9, 2001

I've picked up many books which claim to demonstrate science with "everyday materials." Most times the "everyday materials" are not something I keep on hand. Like cheesecloth. Who keeps cheesecloth on hand? But the demonstrations in this book really are simple and really do include basic household supplies. I've used the book with my five year old and have found the demonstrations and explanations to be thorough enough to engage his interest. And I've enjoyed myself too!