365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials [Hardcover]

E. Richard Churchill (Author), Louis V. Loeschnig (Author), Muriel Mandell (Author), Frances Zweifel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Illustrated by Frances Zweifel. The fundamentals of science are brought to life in a year's worth of fun and educational hands-on experiments that can be performed easily and inexpensively at home.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Louis V. Loeschnig is the author of the No-Sweat Science series, published by Sterling Publishers. He has also authored several other science-related books for children and young adults.

E. Richard Churchill is a contributor for the following Black Dog & Leventhal Title: 365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials.


Muriel Mandell is a published author of children's books and young adult books. Some of the published credits of Muriel Mandell include No-Sweat Science: Simple Experiments in Time (No-Sweat Science), No-Sweat Science: Weather Experiments (No-Sweat Science), No-Sweat Science: Super Science Experiments (No-Sweat Science), and Experimentos Sencillos Sobre El Tiempo.


Frances W. Zweifel is a published author and an illustrator of children's books and young adult books. Some of the published credits of Frances W. Zweifel include 365 Super Science Experiments with Everyday Materials, Optical Illusion Experiments, Science Fair Projects: Chemistry.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; Unk edition (January 3, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884822673
• ISBN-13: 978-1884822674
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Experiments & Projects

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulously fun resource!, January 16, 2002

By 

Michelle Johnson "JoyfulKeeping" (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for the science division of our home schooling studies. It is laid out very well and it's easy to understand.

Using materials most people have around the house you can simply flip to the beginning and follow the headings for ideas.

What can you use straws for? Try out the section on "Clutching at Straws", make an Oboe, balance scale, spear a potato, etc.

Would you like to know other uses for lemon juice? Start on page 36. Keep going- check out soap suds, strings, paper cups, experiments with temperature, etc.

Basically you get it, you could spend many great minutes or hours teaching your kids through hands on learning.

Many of these can be done by an older child with very little help- a perfect solution to the "I'm bored" problem.

Please- turn of the TV, electronic games. etc. and let them use their brains- actively.

This is a wonderful book, one that every household would benefit from.

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Simple is right, could be better, July 19, 2007

By 

T. Clarkson (Southeast, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials (Hardcover)

I would have given this 2.5 stars if possible. This review applies to all the books in this series, not just this particular one. The book's strengths: (1) Truly simple experiments that make science fun and give it a "Wow" factor for children. Everybody can follow the simple instructions in this book. (2) Seeing science done with ordinary objects takes science out of the elite laboratory and puts it into context of everyday life. (3) Even adults can learn so much about how everyday items and phenomena are related to science.

The book's weaknesses: (1) Explanations of the science behind the experiments are too brief and vague. (2) For too many of the experiments the directions are incomplete at best, and sometimes just not adequate at all. The big majority of the experiments will work, but for the several that don't, the teacher/parent is left saying, 'What went wrong?" You can follow all the directions perfectly, but poor directions don't make an experiment work. Sometimes it's an issue of needing more detail, but sometimes it's an issue of the directions themselves not working, no matter how much detail would have been given. For example, the directions for making Rock Candy (to see the shape of sugar crystal growth) are ludicrous. They wouldn't work no matter how hard you tried. But, the directions for making salt crystals are just fine, and we have some beautiful cubic salt crystals to see now.

Overall, I like these books. I'm very glad to have such easy-to-put-together and fun experiments for us to do at home. But...I'm always prepared for something to backfire, I read with a discriminating eye and the benefit of an extensive science background, and if an experiment promises to deliver something "too cool" with simple instructions, I always search the net first.

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really simple, February 9, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 365 Simple Science Experiments (Paperback)

I've picked up many books which claim to demonstrate science with "everyday materials." Most times the "everyday materials" are not something I keep on hand. Like cheesecloth. Who keeps cheesecloth on hand? But the demonstrations in this book really are simple and really do include basic household supplies. I've used the book with my five year old and have found the demonstrations and explanations to be thorough enough to engage his interest. And I've enjoyed myself too!