Smithsonian Maker Lab Books

DK has published some very neat book on science in partnership with the Smithsonian.  Each of the books contains some fun experiments that can be done at home.   I had the opportunity to review two of these books.

Maker Lab – 28 Super Cool Projects offers step-by-step activities appropriate for kids ages 8–12.  Each activity is ranked easy, medium, or hard, with an estimated time frame for completion. Each of them also require only household materials that your children can use to build an exploding volcano, race balloon rocket cars, construct a solar system, make a lemon battery, and more.   The book contains four sections: Food for Thought, Around the Home, Water World, and The Great Outdoors.   Each of the experiments included in this book will open up the world of science for your child.

Maker Lab Outdoors – 25 Super Cool Projects contains projects that focus on Earth and the environment, plants and animals, weather, water, and physics, bringing science learning home and into the backyard. Young scientists can build a wormery and learn about compost, crack rocks with water and learn about freezing and thawing, build and launch a water rocket to see Newton's laws in action, and more.  Through the pages of this book you will have the possibility to explore nature in ways that are mind blowing.  The child will be encourage to experiment with nature watch, with the world of weather, with water power and with earth and sky. 

  

My Thoughts

What I like about the DK books is that not only does it gives the instructions to complete an experiment but it also explains the science behind it.  Both books also have incredible photography to illustrate the experiments.  A step-by-step comprehensible instructions and detailed explanations make these books a must for fun activities to do with your kids.   There are even explanations on how it works and real-word science tidbits to make the child realize that you can find the reaction of the experiment in the real world.

One of the book also contains experiments done with food – like the baked Alaska for example.  It is an amazing way to make the child to make food and also discover the science behind it.   Seeing the instructions makes it possible to do it without worrying to mess it up.   It is a more difficult experiment for sure and I would strongly suggest the presence of an adult when doing it but reading the science behind it will encourage you to do a little magic trick for your family one evening.   A cool magic trick if you ask me.  Your kids won’t believe their eyes when the ice cream won’t melt when you put the cake in the oven!  Not only will you be able to explain why the meringue acted as an insulator for the ice cream but you will be able to tie this to the awesome explanation why igloos do keep the warmth as well.

These books are also great to keep your kids busy during the summer months or during PD Days or holidays.    Nothing can build more memories than to spend time with your children doing quick and fun experiments and discover why it does what it does.  

And if these two books are not enough, DK also has published a Star Wars Maker Lab which contains 20 amazing projects.  This specific book will teach your budding Padawan how to become a Master of science, in both the real world and the Star Wars galaxy. Using clear step-by-step instructions, the book guides home scientists and makers through each exciting experiment–from making Jabba's gooey slime or a hovering landspeeder, to an Ewok catapult and a glowing Gungan Globe of Peace. Each experiment has fact-filled panels to explain the real-world science as well as the Star Wars science fiction from the movies.

 

These books are available at your favorite bookstore, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for allowing me to promote their books. I was not monetarily compensated for this post . Please note that the post was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Boiling Water at -30C

Wondering what boiling water will do at –30C temperature?

Check out this video of instant freezing of boiling water at –30 Celsius.    It works as we did it this morning…

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/video-boiling-water-turning-snow-goes-viral-20110120-181619-194.html

 

Science project of the day – CHECKED.   Now let’s tackle the rest…

Frost Experiment

As some of you know already, I review books and products, including homeschool products.

I recently received a fun little thing that contains activities on various subjects.

This morning, I decided to print the activities on frost.  In the middle of these, there was a little experiment.

Take a metal container.

Crush some ice and fill it at about half way.

Include 4 tbsp of salt (we took the salt for canning).

Mix well and wait for a while. 

In the meantime, do another activity like reading to your kids or do some math work…

Once you are done whatever other activity you have decided to do come back to your metal container.

Watch for what happened.

The salt has brought the temperature down on the outside of the can.  

Can you see the frost around ours? 

You can do various sizes to see the difference.

Have fun experimenting with your kids…

Trying Windows Live Writer

A friend recently posted on

facebook

that she was trying Windows Live Writer to help with her post on blogger.

Seeing how this seems to be a success for her, I am trying to experience it as well.

I think I like it.   The ability of using various fonts and other things are quite interesting.  

Let me know what you think…  Here’s a drawing I did last year that I can modidy somewhat to look as an instant picture.   Pretty neat!