Rocket Science: 50 Flying, Floating, Flipping, Spinning Gadgets Kids Create Themselves [Paperback]

Jim Wiese (Author), Tina Cash-Walsh (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Blast off into the wacky world of gadgets!

Have you ever wondered what makes airplanes fly, how boats float, or why your doorbell works?
* Would you like to build your own flying, floating, diving, spinning, howling, scooting objects?
* Are you looking for a terrific science project that moves?


If you answered "Yes!" to any of these questions, then Rocket Science is for you. It shows you the science behind how things work by teaching you how to build a rocket boat, kaleidoscope, mousetrap car, stethoscope, compass, fruit-powered battery, and lots of other wonderful gizmos. All of the projects are safe and easy to make out of stuff you can find around your house.

This amazing book covers a wide variety of science topics, including mechanics, air power, water power, electricity, magnetism, chemistry, acoustics, and optics.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-7-The projects in this collection are not particularly exciting, but they work, and kids will learn from them. They are grouped into seven general areas: mechanics, air power, water power, electricity, chemistry, sound, and sight. Each experiment includes a list of materials and clear instructions. Adult help is required for more than half, but most often for simple preparations (cutting wire, hammering a nail). Black-and-white cartoonstyle drawings illustrate how things should look; when more detail is needed, simple diagrams are added. The explanation sections that follow each group of related activities are particularly useful. The author describes what should have happened and why and also suggests how to explore the topic further. Many of the items (e.g., periscope, water rocket, air pump) can be found in other sources, but often without the expanded discussion offered here. The title might mislead readers, since only four of the projects actually resemble rockets, but the others are still interesting enough to intrigue children and introduce science in a way that they'll understand and remember.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6. Arranged into six chapters showcasing principles related to physics, electricity, optics, chemistry, and acoustics, among others, this is full of appealing experiments that will start kids thinking about how and why things work. Most make use of materials found around the house or in the garage, and diagrams are plentiful and adequately labeled. A few experiments are complicated or require an adult mentor, the building of an electric circuit, for example, but there are plenty children can do on their own, such as making a Cartesian diver with a soda bottle and eye dropper and constructing a rocket boat out of a balloon and a milk carton. Instructions are easy to follow, and Wiese includes a nicely written, not-too-technical follow-up to each project that explains the science behind the fun. Stephanie Zvirin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471113573
• ISBN-13: 978-0471113577
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well organized and practical, January 24, 2001

By 

W. Singer "guruatma" (Santa Rosa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rocket Science: 50 Flying, Floating, Flipping, Spinning Gadgets Kids Create Themselves (Paperback)

The book is well organized, with experiments and explanations that are simple enough to work with one or thirty kids (I teach 5th grade).

This is a great, fun suppliment to any curriculum you may already have.

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple projects that keep kids captivated, September 25, 2011

By 

Hotep1978 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rocket Science: 50 Flying, Floating, Flipping, Spinning Gadgets Kids Create Themselves (Paperback)

I expected the projects to be a little more extravagant. But I forgot that it doesn't take much to fascinate children.