Zap! Blink! Taste! Think!: Exciting Life Science for Curious Minds [Paperback]

Janet Parks Chahrour (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

Here are great ideas for learning life science fundamentals at home or in the classroom! More than two dozen fun-to-do experiments both test and introduce kids to the five senses, as well as to botany, food chemistry, crime science, natural cycles, and human psychology. Young people learn to test their sense of depth perception, cultivate herbs, record and analyze fingerprints, assemble a home-made but accurate scale to balance weights, make a mini compost bin, prepare pickles and yogurt, and conduct many other science-based activities. The author presents ideas and instructions for science fair projects, including original experiments on enzyme action, decomposition, memory, and more. Attractive, easy-to-follow diagrams illustrate each step. Younger children will need adult supervision when carrying out many of these experiments. (Ages 11-15)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"… a super edition to your home science library …"


—Homeschooling Today, December 2003





"This volume is an excellent source book for any elementary school, junior high, or home library. The colorful illustrations, large print, and clear directions make it easy to use and a pleasure to look at. … The listing of National Science Standards and their correlation with activities will be useful for the classroom teacher. … Since the activities in the text use household materials, this book will be useful for homeschooled students and their parents. … Ms. Chahrour has done an excellent job in inspiring, educating, and amusing the reader of this volume."


—Science Books & Films, October 2003



"a great source for elective extras supplementary activities, science fair suggestions, and science party projects … It's also nicely presented, with color illustrations and diagrams, precise instructions, and detailed record and observation sheets …"


—Home Education Magazine, July-August 2003







"Local science teacher Janet Parks Chahrour, author of Flash! Bang Pop! Fizz! has compiled 24 biology experiments with step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and clearly written concept explanations. Reproducible record/observation sheets guide your child in carefully observing and recording results. Students test depth perception, cultivate herbs, dust for fingerprints, assemble a balance, prepare pickles and yogurt, collect and analyze data and more. The recording techniques, completeness of experiments, and accessibility of ingredients and props set these books apart from their competitors."


—Homeschool Network of Greater Cincinnati Newsletter, April 2003

From the Back Cover

Zap!
Blink!
Taste!
Think!
Exciting Life Science for Curious Minds

Here are life science activities kids can perform at school or at home. They learn to test their sense of depth perception, cultivate herbs, dust for fingerprints, assemble an accurate balance, make a mini compost bin, prepare pickles and yogurt, collect and analyze data, and conduct many other science-based activities.
Clear color diagrams illustrate each step.

Recommended for students in grades 5 through 10 with adult supervision.

Kids will also enjoy Janet Parks Chahrour?s companion physical science activity book?
Flash, Bang! Pop! Fizz! Exciting Science for Curious Minds

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764119125
• ISBN-13: 978-0764119125
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,561,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Element Book, July 5, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Zap! Blink! Taste! Think!: Exciting Life Science for Curious Minds (Paperback)

After I read this book I was amazed at everything from the quality of the writing and the captivation of the experiments to the jokes and proverbs placed on the pages time to time. It was easy to read, not at all hard to understand.
In baseball, a player who can do "everything" is called a five-tool player. The "tools" are speed, fielding, contact hitting, power hitting, and the strength of the player's arm. Now, if there was something in the book world that was the equivalent of this honor, let's call it the five element book. The five categories are if it's 1. Interesting 2. Exciting
3. Informing 4. Well written and 5. Creative. Mrs. Chahrour's book easily falls under each of the these categories. Me and my family also agreed that it was really fun and extremely simple. I would highly recommend the book to middle schoolers, but also to their parents and family. It changed the way I looked at science by seeing how much fun and simple it can really be.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Second Book in Series as Good as Predecessor, January 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Zap! Blink! Taste! Think!: Exciting Life Science for Curious Minds (Paperback)

For starters, read the reviews of Flash Bang Pop Fiz! to get an idea about the strengths of this series. The second book is written in the same format and is an equally valuable tool for young and aspring scientists. While life science activities typically lack the "WOW!" of physical science, there is much in this book to keep youngsters engaged. Once again, the author gives her readers serious experiments that they can take as far as they desire. The illustrations are fantastic; the qoutes and jokes may be a bit surprising, but they are worth reading on their own. For a second time, the author has designed a book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, without sacrifcing serious (and unusually accurate) content.