Reddit mentions: The best science experiment books for children

Any books in the Dorling Kindersley series are great.

http://www.amazon.ca/Science-Encyclopedia-Dorling-JOANNA-Kindersley/dp/0756642965/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634566&sr=1-2

www.amazon.ca/Dorling-Kindersley-Science-Encyclopedia/dp/0751356417/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634566&sr=1-4

http://www.amazon.ca/Cool-Stuff-Exploded-Dorling-Kindersley/dp/0756673267/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634605&sr=1-1

Any other books with exploded views are great.

More for when they're older but these books were amazing when I was a kid:

http://www.amazon.ca/Handy-Science-Answer-Book/dp/1578593212/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634709&sr=1-2

Horrible science books are great too:

http://www.amazon.ca/Horrible-Science-Blood-Bones-Body/dp/0545993245/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634757&sr=1-4

Big book of experiments are fun because you can read about them together at night and do them the next day. Definitely gets kids excited to do science and puts it in their head a little longer:

http://www.amazon.ca/Great-Science-Experiments-Dorling-Kindersley/dp/0756619181/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332634816&sr=1-1

There are bunch of other great resources too but I always found the best types of books are ones that are either very pictorial and visual, or ones that break complex subjects down into quick question and answer blocks. It's a great opportunity to learn, and to learn how to read, which I personally believe is the biggest key to being a great learner later in life.

Hi! I'm exclusively homeschooling my eleven year old and supplementing kindergarten with my five year old preschooler because she's ready and really enjoys doing it.

We are working our way through the first box of BOB books. We read them in bed together before breakfast and she keeps a learning journal (like her brothers) where she gets to fill in a shape when she completes a new book. She's doing really well so far and really likes that special alone time with Mom.

We read a new picture book from the library at while everyone has breakfast. Every one (including Dad) loves this. New favorites have been NOW and [MOST PEOPLE] (https://www.amazon.com/Most-People-Michael-Leannah/dp/0884485544/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540497351&sr=8-1&keywords=most+people).

I have been doing the fall science experiments in Janet Van Cleave's SCIENCE AROUND THE YEAR. The pinecone experiment was a ton of fun (though I think I was more into it than my kids).

We all love ART LAB FOR LITTLE KIDS. We've done four projects and I'm going to buy a copy of the book after my library check-out expires.

For Math I'm relying on the Kahn Academy Kids app. It's a treat for her still so I keep 'til after dinner. She picks a game then I pick a game.

We're at the library at least twice a week for either a library sponsored activity (like maker space) or a stem-themed story hour. In past weeks we've built bridges (for Billy Goats Gruff) and catapults (The Marshmallow Incident.)

We just finished Charlotte's Web as our bedtime read and started on Bunnicula for Halloween. It's been great fun to see the places where I can apply the same material to kindergartner and a fifth grader. It's really wonderful to have them have a shared experience of the material and then help them process it in age appropriate ways.

Board books :

• Bright Baby series by Roger Priddy is the best set of "first books" / "learn words" books. Animals (yellow book), colors (pink) are two of the best.
  
• Leslie Patricelli: Baby Happy Baby Sad No No Yes Yes and yummy yucky, huggy kissy are also good. (note, do not just read the words, use them for discussion of the pictures)
  
• guess how much I love you
  
• [Barnyard Dance!] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1563054426/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sUXKzbXMP2DV2) and others by Sandra Boynton
  
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret wise brown
  
  Picture books:
  
  
• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (also, the train book is lame, skip it)
  
• mommy do you love me by Jeanne Willis
  
• The Maggie b by Irene haas
  
• [tough chicks] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003V4B4TI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_eyXKzbV4CF825) by cece meng
  
• sweet briar goes to school (and goes to camp) by karma wilson
  
• [Move It!: Motion, Forces and You] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1553377591/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_6IXKzbJ00G260)
  
  Early readers:
  
  
• Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems (bird on your head, broke my trunk, play the trumpet are faves)
  
• Mr Putter and Tabby series by Ryland (faves are paint the porch, feed the fish, run the race)
  
• Harry the Dirty Dog
  
• Ready-Set-Grow series by Joy Wilt Berry (eg Mine and Yours: A Children's Book About Rights and Responsibilities ) are the most impactful series of books I have ever encountered. They cover emotional and social issues and life skills in a simple, clear way with silly illustrations, and were the major contributors to my emotional maturity.
  
  Chapter books to read together in early elementary:
  
  
• The first three little house books: little house in the big woods, little house on the prairie, farmer boy. Should be read together to discuss issues like racial prejudice/native American displacement, and discipline in the 1800s, but they are super valuable books to understanding how pioneers and farmers lived. The later books are for more mature kids, due to the hardships the family goes through.
  
• EB White books : Charlotte's web, trumpet of the swan
  
  Chapter books for later elementary or middle school:
  
  
• in general, Newbury award books
  
• Island of the blue dolphins
  
• The slave dancer
  
• my side of the mountain (high reading level due to archaic style)
  
• The False Prince Jennifer Nielsen
  
• The Shamer's Daughter series by Lene Kaaberbol is a great series to use for thinking about compassion and responsibility for those we care about, how guilt and shame require the guilty person to agree with an assessment that their actions were wrong; truth, lies, and stories; assumptions and false accusations; and other ways in which right and wrong may be determined.... But it is a very exciting and compelling story. It does have some cursing (damn, hell) and abusive behavior (brother beating and calling his tween sister a whore, evil ruler locking people up and feeding to a dragon), so check for maturity. But it is an absolutely amazing series that I can not recommend enough.
  
  Am posting on phone so will be submitting and editing. This will be a long post.

If you mean near the anode of the battery between the two humps of wire, I don't think so. Looks like the reflection on the hump whizzing by the camera real fast. However, in an inductive load like a motor, if not handled, you can expect to see sparks when the circuit is broken.

See:

• http://www.artisancontrols.com/UtilityImages/ProductSupportPdf/16.pdf
  
  
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyback_diode
  
  As for material for your son, I have a couple things I always recommend to people when they ask. (I volunteered at a local science museum where I live. Got this question a lot.)
  
  An accessible medium is video. There are many, many fantastic shows around for kids interested in science:
  
  
• Magic School Bus
  
• Bill Nye the Science Guy
  
• Beakman's World
  
• Mr. Wizard's World
  
• Cosmos - Which just started up anew!
  
• NOVA
  
• Newton's Apple
  
  Most of those can be found on YouTube!
  
  Then there are more books than you could possible imagine. Even just on Amazon's top selling lists! Here are some that I remember growing up with (maybe I'm biased towards electromagnetism as a studying electrical engineer):
  
  
• You Can with Beakman
  
• Engineering for Every Kid
  
• Leonardo da Vinci Do it Yourself
  
• Make: Electronics (Which is fantastic for electronics!)
  
  And, just because I'm on a roll here, I'm subscribed to a bunch of channels on YouTube centred on science:
  
  
• ASAP Science
  
• Engineer Guy
  
• It's Okay to be Smart
  
• Minute Earth
  
• Minute Physics
  
• Numberphile
  
• Periodic Videos
  
• SciShow
  
• Sixty Symbols
  
• Smarter Every Day
  
• Veritasium
  
  Anyway, hopefully you'll have some fun with your son and maybe even learn something.

Go to the library and get some kids books on gardening. They'll probably have lots of ideas for projects and crafts to make it more interesting. She can learn all about seasonal crops, pests, soil, etc. and if she's directing the activities she'll be more interested.

I have [this book] (https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Nature-Book-Activities-Experiences/dp/1885593074?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) in my classroom somewhere. I'll look tomorrow to see if there are any good ideas. Like others said, a worm composting bin would be fun. "Diary of a Worm" is a fun book to go along with that.

What sort of science book are you thinking? Animals, space, DIY science experiments?

Here's a great general science book from National Geographic: http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Kids-Why-Everything/dp/1426320965/ They also have a great animal encyclopedia and a "weird but true" series that would definitely appeal to a 9-year-old boy :)

For science experiments, you could try http://www.amazon.com/Great-Science-Experiments-Neil-Ardley/dp/1465428267/ or http://www.amazon.com/TIME-Science-Experiments-step-step/dp/1603208933/

Also, this is probably way more info than you want, but here's the annual recommendations of the National Science Teachers Association: http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/

I got A Kid's Science Museum in a Book when I was younger. It might be a little old for a 5 year old, but it is a great introduction to many aspects of science including lenses, optical illusions, growing some agar gel (if you buy a new book, it would probably be gone in a used one) and other fun science things for kids. Would recommend.

My son was (still is) certifiably obsessed with cars, like the makes and models you see driving down the road. He wasn't as into these two engines as I expected but they were still cute high quality toys:

Theo Klein Service Car Station


Build Your Own Engine Kit

Not engines, but we also got a lot of miles out those take apart type toys that come with their own drills as well as Auotomoblox.

These books are for much older kids, but they're awesome:

How Cars Work: The Interactive Guide


Car Science

My daughter is only two so I haven't done anything with this book yet, but I had to grab it when I saw it at Costco.

I have flipped through it and it looks like there is a lots of good ideas, it also emphasizes the importance of taking notes and recording findings and all that good science stuff.

I'd go for the Academy of Sciences. I remember it's huge with lots of great exhibits, like a planetarium. Exploratorium is pretty good too, I even have the book.

> Exploratorium

This is no help, really, but I remember having a Klutz book when I was younger that was the Exploratorium in book form and it just made me fall in love with the place, even though I would never get to go to the place no matter how much begging I did. I would do it if only for that childlike sense of wonder that a good science center can instill in you.

That is, if you like science and stuff.

This book might be of interest for you. I picked it up at Costco for my daughter, she's not old enough for it yet (16mo) but it looks like it will be a lot of fun.

• How Do You Lift a Lion? or What's Faster Than a Speeding Cheetah by Robert E. Wells
  
• Move It!: Motion, Forces and You by Adrienne Mason
  
• And Everyone Shouted, "Pull!": A First Look at Forces and Motion by Claire Llewellyn
  
• Baby Loves Quarks! by Ruth Spiro
  
• ABCs of Physics by A.C. Lemonwood
  
  Some of the target ages of those books are higher than what you're potentially looking for, but hopefully something in there could be what you need!

I think you're looking for Earthsearch or perhaps for Explorabook by the same author/publisher. They were both very popular in the '90s, and they're still great! I have them in my classroom for my students.

Naw, was a decade ago. I took a diffraction grating from this and a regular digital camera, old telescope tube, and some razor blades to make a slit, and wrote some code. Pretty sure it was C# because that's what I was learning at the time. I think the code is gone -- I didn't bother to set up a github account or anything.

To do it right, I'd need a better difraction grating and a camera without an IR filter -- preferably without a bayer filter on it either. Or at least some sort of response curve for the bayer filter. When I figured out it'd be expensive to get something that gives quality results, I kind of drifted off to other projects.

I also had a cool little kit that allowed you to make stuff. Had wheels and a little motor, etc. That was fun to play with.

Here it is: http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Things-Work-Kit/dp/078946506X

Dude, I own this book. A catapult is nothing more than a ballistic device that is able to launch projectiles a long distance without the use of explosives. Hence why a trebuchet is a type of catapult. Just look at the title: "The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery"

So when people say "a trebuchet is better than a catapult" you're effectively saying "a catapult is better than a catapult," which... is odd.

Your book, Big Blast of Science, had a huge influence on me as a kid. Thank you for not talking down to young people and encouraging critical thinking.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0201608642

Actually, from what I understand, you can pretty much mail any object as long as it has enough postage on it for the weight and has a clearly written address on it. I used to have this wacky book when I was a kid that had all kinds of weird facts and projects in it. I think the front cover had a picture of the astronaut in the self propelling pack. It also had a packet of agar in it for some reason.

Edit: This is it http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1878257145

Was it the Explorabook? My friend had a copy of that growing up.

Was it perhaps from this book which I treasured as a child? http://www.amazon.com/Explorabook-Kids-Science-Museum-Klutz/dp/1878257145

• Car Science by Richard Hammond (Top Gear)
  
  
• The Basic Parts of a Car -EricTheCarGuy
  
  
• Dissecting an Engine, The Basic Parts and Their Functions - EricTheCarGuy
  
  
• http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm
  
  I highly recommend the book!
  

I think it's the Klutz Press Explorabook (one of my absolute favorite books as a kid!)

I asked my wife for the Arduino kit with the book that has a bunch of projects THAT YOU CAN COMPLETE WITH JUST WHAT'S IN THE KIT. (I also have a Robots book with home projects, only to find that you need some motors and solar panels. I'm just getting started, I don't have motors and solar panels laying around.)
My birthday is in a few days, so I hope it's cool.

I'd recommend two books, The art of the Catapult and The Big Book of Catapult and Trebuchet Plans.

That should at least get you started.

I liked Bill Nye The Science Guy as a kid...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0201608642

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0786805439

I learned about this stuff from this awesome book way back in the day. Really wish Klutz was still publishing stuff like that, but since they got acquired by scholastic they've let all my favorite childhood nerd books go out of print :(

See if they have a book like this or similar at your local library.

When I was in 4th grade or so I found this in a junk store. Nerddom was probably due that and The Way Things Work... also I had no friends so I needed something to keep occupied

Is this the [book] (https://www.amazon.com/Whoosh-Lonnie-Johnsons-Super-Soaking-Inventions/dp/1580892981/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1541503157&sr=8-1)? Would it be suitable for an 10 year old reader?

I, too, had a copy of explorabook as a kid.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1878257145?pc_redir=1405396976&robot_redir=1

That seems offline familiar, we may have done the same deal and the dog mouth memory, maybe was from a book... Possibly this one: Explorabook: A Kid's Science Museum in a Book

The current definition only has one citation: The art of the catapult: build Greek ballista, Roman onagers, English trebuchets, and more ancient artillery by William Gurstelle (2004). If you find a different definition from another reliable source, I would strongly suggest that you go on the article's talk page and start a new discussion. Consensus can change, especially when backed by good references.

I had a quick look at various online dictionaries and found many different definitions, some of which are mentioning tension/torsion, others only talking about throwing stuff. The book cited also doesn't appear to be terribly authoritative to me, so I don't think it would require extraordinary efforts to change the definition.

You can of course be bold and edit the Catapult article directly, change the definition and include your (reliable) references. However, you'll need an account that is at least 4 days old and has more than 10 edits. Both the catapult and trebuchet articles are currently semi-protected because of frequent vandalism.

I would however recommend against this kind of unilateral change since this definition has been in use in the article for about 10 years. It doesn't mean that it is correct, but you will face resistance.

You should never hesitate to use an article's talk page to ask questions or propose changes, as long as you remember that they are not forums and should only be used to discuss the article's content.

Interesting facts:

The hottest recorded temperature on the Earth's surface is 136F (57.8C) in El Azizia, Libya. This happened in 1922.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E2%80%98Aziziya

Supposedly their measurements were performed on an uncalibrated thermometer. Death Valley has the second highest, and possibly more legitimate record at 134F.

Ethiopia has the highest average annual temp at 94F (imagine almost every day being around that temperature).

EDIT: So after a bit of reading and delving into the wiki sources I have to say that a lot of this information came from this book. I cannot say how trustworthy a source this is, mostly because there is no works cited available.

It was also brought to my attention a few times that Texas is hot. Texas' average annual temperature is ~70F. Texas is hot because it is humid, and regardless, during the winter Texas is actually one of the nicest places I've ever lived (Austin).

Building robots makes him decent at mechanics. Not smart, he never ever showed smarts, nobody ever talked about him being exceptionally intelligent etc.
I am a programmer by trade, I have built "robots" in my spare time ;-)
There are books on amazon for building robots with your kids after all: http://www.amazon.com/Robotics-DISCOVER-TECHNOLOGY-PROJECTS-Yourself/dp/1936749750/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1449828961&sr=8-14&keywords=build+robot#customerReviews

Admittedly not protocol droids, but we are not at the same level of technology either. So there.

He didn't survive his lava bath due to his strong will, he survived it, because the emperor hopped onto his shuttle with a medical team and assembled the best medical professionals he could find.

Vader and Anakin are not what you would call disciplined individuals.
Even Vader loses a couple of Star Destroyers because he follows the Millenium Falcon like an idiot into an Asteroid Belt. Why does he follow them? Becuase he stomps foot doesn't want them to get away. Which counts against his smarts as well.

He is being constantly manipulated and strung along by the emperor. People never get him. Vader is a boy, who was very talented in the force and fought way too young in a war. He turned dark side out of fear and he stays dark side out of fear and anger.