I was able to find a few great books that are full of science and chemistry for kids. I owned a couple too. We had fun pulling them out and finding simple experiments that could be replicated with them. I'm just going to list them with a brief synopsis about them, so that you can snag them for yourself.
ISBN#978-0-7945-3043-3
"Why do things float?" "What happens to the food you eat?" "Why is it warm in summer?" These and hundreds of other questions about science are answered in this charming book. Simple, easy-to-read text and lively, detailed illustrations introduce the basic concepts of science to young readers.
We really enjoy having this book in our cabinet. It is very colorful and has a lot of great information and experiments that go with each concept. This one was part of one of our review curricula and we really enjoyed using it and happily added it to our science book collection!
We really enjoy having this book in our cabinet. It is very colorful and has a lot of great information and experiments that go with each concept. This one was part of one of our review curricula and we really enjoyed using it and happily added it to our science book collection!
#978-0-7945-1405-1
This colorful book is packed with exciting scientific activities, from blowing bubbles to making soft drinks and invisible ink. The experiments are safe and easy to carry out, using ordinary household equipment. They are all carefully designed to help young children explore the fascinating world of the kitchen.
We received this book with our My Father's World 2nd Grade program. It was a definite keeper as it had TONS of great simple experiments and most all are made from standard kitchen paraphernalia.
Chemistry for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work
by Janice VanCleave
ISBN #0-471-62085-8
Explore the mysteries and the methods of chemistry in this fascinating collection of ideas, projects and activities that teach the basics of chemistry theory and practice--while you have fun! With Chemistry for Every Kid, you can transform your house into a laboratory where you'll learn simple chemistry from a solution of colored water, and the behavior of gases with the help of a pop bottle. You'll also find a wide variety of experiments that can be used at school or for science fairs.
This book is ideal for any home science enthusiast, but especially for the early elementary. Every experiment in it is just 1-2 pages, easy to understand and requires only a handful of supplies--usually 5 or less. It is separated into eight different types of experiments so it's easy to sort through to find something that works for you.
365 Simple Science Experiments with Every Day Materials
by E. Richard Churchill, Louis V. Loeschnig, and Muriel Mandell
ISBN# 1-884822-67-3
The fundamentals of science brought to life in a year's worth of fun and educational hands-on experiments. Easy products for using materials around the house to explore the wonders of science. Step-by-Step user-friendly instructions. Explanations of basic scientific concepts, terms and methods and more than 700 lively illustrations.
I snagged this book at our library and I really like it! It has easy to follow experiments that are similar to the ones from the Chemistry for Every Kid book. I like the way it's laid out and the illustrations that are included. I am glad this book will be at my access because I see it coming in very handy for future science subjects.
The Naked Egg
Vinegar + Egg = "cool!!!!"
Take one egg. Place it in a jar (we just used a pint jar) and fill almost to the top with white vinegar. Put lid on and just leave it alone to work it's magic! Seriously, this experiment has held the most interest. They went and checked on the jar about every hour and called each other in to note differences. An easy experiment with big bonus points for being really weird and cool.
Green Pennies
Vinegar + Pennies makes for some fun.
The think I liked about this experiment is that it is slow, but has an awesome result. It was interesting that they picked some super shiny pennies that I proceeded to turn "ugly."
Water Climber
This experiment is super simple (water, bowl, paper towels, cup) but it shows a great lesson in how water "climbs"--and thus how roots and stems provide water to the leaves.
The water climbs from the mug, up the "wick" and then deposits water into the bottom of the bowl...this will continue until the level of the bowl is equal with the level of water in the mug. This was pretty cool, but I think using a colored water would be easier to see--especially for photos.
Rainbow Ink
We had to do this one in two tries. For the record, Dry Erase markers do NOT work. Fortunately, though I couldn't find a plain old black Crayola marker ANYWHERE in this house, we did find a green one and were able to make it work with it. Little Britches wants us to try it with a black one as soon as we can find one. A great lesson in color mixing.
Salty Scribbles
Painting words with salt water and then drying them out to see the salt letters is fun, right?
Okay okay. I have to admit, they were less than impressed with the result of this one, though I did puzzle them when I put their papers in the oven. But since it appears they failed to use enough of the saturated salt water, their letters were a bit lackluster. To the point where Baby Britches told me to throw it away since he couldn't read his name any longer. So be forewarned. LOL.
Sinking Gel...that wasn't.
We attempted to an experiment adding alum and ammonia to a small glass of water thus creating an insoluble gel. It failed. We tried twice. We think we were just using too much water. It called for a baby food jar and I thought a small glass would work. Nope. Next time definitely need a baby food jar. Lesson learned here was that experiments are a lot of trial and error...and a lot of error sometimes.
There were a lot of other cool short experiments that I think I will incorporate each week as I can. These books provide simple ones with little preparation and on-hand supplies. Three keys to my success when it comes to doing experiments with the boys! I hope you will consider these books the next time you are looking for fun chemistry experiments to do at home!
We received this book with our My Father's World 2nd Grade program. It was a definite keeper as it had TONS of great simple experiments and most all are made from standard kitchen paraphernalia.
by Janice VanCleave
ISBN #0-471-62085-8
Explore the mysteries and the methods of chemistry in this fascinating collection of ideas, projects and activities that teach the basics of chemistry theory and practice--while you have fun! With Chemistry for Every Kid, you can transform your house into a laboratory where you'll learn simple chemistry from a solution of colored water, and the behavior of gases with the help of a pop bottle. You'll also find a wide variety of experiments that can be used at school or for science fairs.
This book is ideal for any home science enthusiast, but especially for the early elementary. Every experiment in it is just 1-2 pages, easy to understand and requires only a handful of supplies--usually 5 or less. It is separated into eight different types of experiments so it's easy to sort through to find something that works for you.
by E. Richard Churchill, Louis V. Loeschnig, and Muriel Mandell
ISBN# 1-884822-67-3
The fundamentals of science brought to life in a year's worth of fun and educational hands-on experiments. Easy products for using materials around the house to explore the wonders of science. Step-by-Step user-friendly instructions. Explanations of basic scientific concepts, terms and methods and more than 700 lively illustrations.
I snagged this book at our library and I really like it! It has easy to follow experiments that are similar to the ones from the Chemistry for Every Kid book. I like the way it's laid out and the illustrations that are included. I am glad this book will be at my access because I see it coming in very handy for future science subjects.
Our Simple Chemistry Experiments
I decided that for this month we would do a series of short and easy chemistry experiments taken from the last two books I listed. I wanted experiments that incorporated chemical changes or just showed really cool lessons. The boys of course were game for anything I had going...The Naked Egg
Vinegar + Egg = "cool!!!!"
Take one egg. Place it in a jar (we just used a pint jar) and fill almost to the top with white vinegar. Put lid on and just leave it alone to work it's magic! Seriously, this experiment has held the most interest. They went and checked on the jar about every hour and called each other in to note differences. An easy experiment with big bonus points for being really weird and cool.
 |
| Baby Britches isn't quite sure about this egg being "naked". |
Vinegar + Pennies makes for some fun.
 |
| Shiny Pennies |
 |
| Not so shiny pennies |
Water Climber
This experiment is super simple (water, bowl, paper towels, cup) but it shows a great lesson in how water "climbs"--and thus how roots and stems provide water to the leaves.
The water climbs from the mug, up the "wick" and then deposits water into the bottom of the bowl...this will continue until the level of the bowl is equal with the level of water in the mug. This was pretty cool, but I think using a colored water would be easier to see--especially for photos.
Rainbow Ink
We had to do this one in two tries. For the record, Dry Erase markers do NOT work. Fortunately, though I couldn't find a plain old black Crayola marker ANYWHERE in this house, we did find a green one and were able to make it work with it. Little Britches wants us to try it with a black one as soon as we can find one. A great lesson in color mixing.
 |
| It was hard to see, but it separates into blue and a bit of yellow at the top |
Painting words with salt water and then drying them out to see the salt letters is fun, right?
Okay okay. I have to admit, they were less than impressed with the result of this one, though I did puzzle them when I put their papers in the oven. But since it appears they failed to use enough of the saturated salt water, their letters were a bit lackluster. To the point where Baby Britches told me to throw it away since he couldn't read his name any longer. So be forewarned. LOL.
Sinking Gel...that wasn't.
We attempted to an experiment adding alum and ammonia to a small glass of water thus creating an insoluble gel. It failed. We tried twice. We think we were just using too much water. It called for a baby food jar and I thought a small glass would work. Nope. Next time definitely need a baby food jar. Lesson learned here was that experiments are a lot of trial and error...and a lot of error sometimes.
There were a lot of other cool short experiments that I think I will incorporate each week as I can. These books provide simple ones with little preparation and on-hand supplies. Three keys to my success when it comes to doing experiments with the boys! I hope you will consider these books the next time you are looking for fun chemistry experiments to do at home!
January Giveaway
Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook and this month’s prize bundle will be sent to the winner directly from this month’s sponsor N Circle Entertainment. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here {http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/disclosures/}. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:
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The wonderful bloggers that participate in the Poppins Book Nook are:Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ My Bright Firefly ~A Mommy's Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~Where Imagination Grows ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A Peace of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ Simple Living Mama
Do you have posts relating to chemistry or science AND reading? We'd love to see them!
We are pretty excited about next month's theme for Poppins Book Nook...PoEtRy! It ties in perfectly because we currently doing a Poetry unit for our literature studies and having a blast!
