Guest Author - Meg Grooms

Where can I find exciting science lessons and experiments that use household items?

Good question!

A few years ago I discovered a wonderful book series, Mudpies to Magnets:Science for Young Children (Williams, Robert et al). Found in most libraries and book stores, this series of books does a really great job of introducing complex scientific principles to children aged 8 and younger. It also includes simple explanations so the parents can understand the concepts as well!

Another book that has received a lot of use in my home is 365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials (Churchill, E. Richard) and many of the science books published by Usborne (http://www.usborne.com). The Simple Science book is most appropriate for children under 8, while the Usborne books are popular among all age groups.

If you’re looking for a subscription service, I highly recommend the Young Scientists Club (http://www.theyoungscientistsclub.com/) and Grolier/Scholastic’s Magic School Bus Clubs (http://homeclubs.scholastic.com/detail.asp?product_id=16629). The Young Scientist’s Club is appropriate for children in mid to late elementary, and the Magic School Bus Club has two levels for preschool through age 8.

You don’t need to spend money or subscribe to a monthly service to experiment! There are literally hundreds of websites that provide some serious, and not-so-serious, directions.

Here are just a few of my family’s favorites. A search for “science experiments” on Google (http://www.google.com) will provide you with more results than any human could hope to wade through!

http://www.BrainPop.com – Brain Pop is fantastically fun! Includes video clips to demonstrate concepts.

http://www.madsci.org/experiments/ - Archive of edible and inedible experiments will provide hours of tasty (and yucky!) fun!

http://www.west.net/~science/expindx.htm - Science Experiments You Can Do is wonderful for the independent learner.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/ - Science Explorer provides icky, stick, ooey, gooey experiments! Make a camera and more!


http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HOMEEXPTS/HOMEEXPTS.HTML - Home Experiments specializes in science topics using household items.

http://www.fatlion.com/science/ - Science Experiments For Kids takes big time concepts and makes them kid friendly.

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/ - Science Made Simple explains exactly why the sky is blue, and so much more!


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