Smash It! Crash It! Launch It!: 50 Mind-Blowing, Eye-Popping Science Experiments - Hardcover

Rain Newcomb has taught kids craft classes and is the co-author of numerous kids' books. She is the Associate Editor of Children's Books for Lark Books. Bobby Mercer has been a Physics teacher for almost 20 years and has a BA in Science Education.

Science experiments books seldom look like fun. This volume is the exception, with 43 great activities accompanied by appealing ink-and-watercolor illustrations. Readers will be hard-pressed to choose between options such as the "Exploding Marshmallows," Skateboard Science," and the "Water Balloon Launcher." Each single- or double-page presentation includes a short list of materials, step-by-step directions for completing the projects, and a discussion of what happened, in scientific terms. Students looking for clues to help in bridge-building or egg-dropping competitions will find those areas discussed as well. Though written and illustrated with considerably more zip than the typical science experiment book, this upbeat volume doesn't neglect safety warnings or explanations of the physics behind the phenomena. The occasional mess is a given, as in "Banana Split," which demonstrates inertia and wedges by having children fling bananas at a knife held blade-outward by an "adult helper" five or six feet away. Offbeat, yes, but fun and scientifically grounded. Carolyn Phelan
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