Part of the "Great Science Fair Ideas" series which also includes chemistry, food science, space science, animal science, human biology, plant sciences, and exercise/nutrition titles, this book is filled with terrific science project ideas. A brief introduction sets a welcome tone implying that all of us are scientists all the time, and an effort has been made to dispel the "mad scientist" image that permeates many science fair books. A short section on scientific method is followed by an explanation of what science fair judges are looking for, how to be a responsible science fair participant, and safety precautions. When an adult should be involved, there is a notation in the list of materials very first thing and a red bolded text inside the body of the experiment's narrative. Chapters include Defining and Assessing Good Health (experiments include measuring heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and body temperature); The Effects of Body Position, Exercise, and Conditioning (explorations into relationships between exercise and various body functions measured in chapter one); Metabolism and Nutrition (measuring BMR, diets to meet energy needs, food labels, measuring daily calcium requirement); Eating Habits to Maintain a Healthy Weight (what is your BMI, measuring density of various kinds of milk, comparing nutritional values, measuring ingredients in food); and Vitamins and Other Health Products (how to determine vitamin C content, how sunscreen works, antibacterial hand lotion, how does toothpaste work, which shampoo works better). A page of "Further Reading and Internet Addresses" is followed by a short index. Unlike many of the science project books you'll find on library shelves, this one doesn't tell kids what the outcomes are supposed to be. HOORAY AND HALLELUJIAH!!!! In my world, if you know how an experiment is supposed to turn out, it's not an experiment--it's a demonstration, or a magic trick. This title guides the reader to designing good experiments to narrow down the variables to one, and encourages them to repeat and vary the experiments to validate their hypotheses. Throughout the book, readers will want to have their own 3x5 cards handy to jot down questions that will inspire new science projects, because it's almost guaranteed every page will spawn at least three new possibilities. And this book has 128 pages. The illustrations are clear and easily understood and themselves will inspire readers to use charts, graphs and illustrations of their own in science projects they set up. Many challenging math calculations are included in some of the experiments which will delight calculator-loving kids. Altogether one of the best books for science fair we've seen. Colorful pages, attractive headers of various colors, and nicely formatted pages will entice older readers to enjoy science and enable younger readers to reach up and do real science!
