Customer Reviews

Sandbox Scientist: Real Science Activities for Little Kids

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I stopped at the library to look at this book before I purchased it. I'm glad I did. I randomly glanced at the experiments. Almost all of them required hard to find materials, some things I never heard off. For example one experiment wanted you to have an old turn table. Another one parts from a taken apart VCR. There is an experiment that requires cut copper pipes. A few needed PVC (PCV?) pipe holders. This is supposed to be for preschoolers. If you have a garage full of old parts great, but if you are looking for a book that you can have fun with your child using things from around the house this is not for you. You'll spend more time looking for materials in thrift stores and hardware stores then doing the actual experiments.

I teach preK, and I have used this book at two schools to plan science activities for my class. Each chapter has 2-8 activities for that topic. It includes a supply list, general guidelines on setting up the learning center, and some anecdotes from children using the center in the author's experience. Some of the topics include water, air, simple machines, kitchen science, and outdoor science. While a few activities in the book suggest some hard-to-find materials, that is not the norm. Most of the activities do use household items. And if you are a teacher, send home a note to parents to help find the rest! I highly recommend this book to preschool teachers and parents alike.

I checked this book out from the library and now I want my own copy! The experiments are very unstructured and feel like playtime to my little engineer. Easy to set up and I don't have to deliver a lecture about what it is we're studying; he simply gets to play and I get to watch him (it's fun and amazing).