Stupendous Science by Rob Beattie and Sam Peet
| Stupendous Science by Rob Beattie and Sam Peet | |
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| Category: Popular Science | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: Kitchen Science at its finest; plenty of fun experiments featuring items that can be found within the home. | |
| Buy? yes | Borrow? yes |
| Pages: 96 | Date: October 2017 |
| Publisher: QED Publishing | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781784938468 | |
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Education should be fun. We learn best when we are engaged with practical, enjoyable tasks. That's the secret behind the experiments in Stupendous Science. They have the fun element, the 'wow factor,' and most importantly, can be easily replicated with items that are readily available in the home. Each experiment teaches an important scientific concept; essentially teaching through play.
The book itself has a high-quality feel, with bright, bold cartoon illustrations that will appeal to young readers. The projects are simple, but effective, and the instructions are clearly laid out and easy to follow. Each project starts with an overview of the experiment, a list of items needed and brief and clear instructions accompanied by illustrations. A coloured box explains the science behind the experiment and also gives suggestions on how to adapt the variables to take it further.
I loved the simplicity of the experiments, as most require only a couple of materials. For example, we can turn a penny green using a penny, some vinegar and some kitchen roll. Or how about creating an amplifier using just a balloon? If you are brave, you might want to try the walking on eggshells experiment, or swinging a bucket of water over your head to demonstrate forces…
Safety is important, so the book has a handy traffic light system to show how much adult supervision is needed during the experiments. For example, one project involves starting a fire using a bottle, so clearly this would require help from a parent. The vast majority of experiments in the book are perfectly safe for young children to do alone.
This is a really appealing book and I will definitely be trying out the experiments with my son. It is the perfect book for home-educators, as it covers all the major branches of science; biology, physics, engineering and chemistry. Anyone who enjoys science and has a curious mind will love the projects in this book.
Bookbag also enjoyed Build It! 25 Creative STEM Projects for Budding Engineers by Caroline Alliston which contains plenty of projects and activities for curious kids. You might also enjoy Marvin and Milo: Adventures in Science by Caitlin Watson and Vic Le Billon. If your children would like something else practical to do, how about making movies?
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You can read more book reviews or buy Stupendous Science by Rob Beattie and Sam Peet at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Stupendous Science by Rob Beattie and Sam Peet at Amazon.com.
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