From School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-Students will find projects on physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, mechanics, astronomy, and more here. Vecchione prefaces his text with a description of the scientific method. For each experiment, he provides a list of materials needed, step-by-step instructions, caution notes where applicable, and a summary and scientific explanation of the typical result. Some of them require time to complete ("Do Dogs See in Color?" involves nine weeks, plant tropism takes two to three weeks, potato hormones three weeks). An experiment with a television screen requires a dark room and may be difficult to set up at a science fair. Directions on building a trebuchet (catapult) are useful for medieval studies. The accompanying black-and-white drawings range from helpful to merely decorative. A reliable, useful purchase.
Michael McCullough, Byron-Bergen Middle School, Bergen, NY
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Gr. 6-8. This clearly laid-out book presents all sorts of ideas for science-fair projects. A typical presentation is a two-page entry with a list of supplies, a step-by-step procedure, a brief description of the expected result, and an explanation of the science underlying the result. Useful and occasionally comical line drawings illustrate the text. The projects appear in 10 thematic chapters, such as "Chemists & Cooks" and "Plants & Animals." Some of the more unusual activities include mixing a medieval paint palette using an egg yolk and a variety of home-made pigments, making a medieval war machine with a catapult and a sling, extracting DNA from chicken livers, and testing whether dogs perceive color. A good supplemental title for science-fair collections.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
