Log In
Or create an account ->
Imperial Library
Home
About
News
Upload
Forum
Help
Login/SignUp
Index
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Introduction
How to Use This Book
Asking Questions
Basic Experimental Design
Science and Art
Science Supplies
CHAPTER 1: Plants and Seeds
Introduction
Challenge: Design a plant maze
Experiment: How deep should you plant a seed?
Explore: Collect and grow seeds
Challenge: Design a leaf
Experiment: Do seeds sprout faster if they are warm?
Experiment: Can you change the color of plants?
Explore: Match the sprouts with the seeds
Experiment: What will celery move to its leaves?
Explore: Dissect plants and flowers
Challenge: Make a plant grow down
Experiment: How much water grows tall plants?
Explore: Make your own root viewer
Experiment: Will plants grow with juice?
Experiment: Can plants grow in the dark?
Experiment: Can plants crack plaster?
Experiment: If you color plant leaves with a marker, will the plants grow?
CHAPTER 2: Water and Ice
Introduction
Challenge: Make ice melt faster
Experiment: Does the shape of ice change how fast it melts?
Challenge: Keep ice from melting
Experiment: What paper flower opens the fastest?
Challenge: Create a long-lasting bubble solution
Experiment: What paper makes a rainbow the fastest?
Explore: Paint on paper towels and watch color spread
Explore: Fit as many drops of water as you can on a penny
Experiment: Can you change how long it takes to freeze water?
CHAPTER 3: Mold, Bacteria, and Fungus
Introduction
Explore: Find bacteria
Experiment: Do preservatives change how fast bread molds?
Experiment: Does coloring the agar change how bacteria grow?
Experiment: What kinds of food mold the fastest?
Experiment: How well does your hand sanitizer work?
Challenge: Keep chicken stock from growing mold or bacteria
Experiment: Does moisture change how fast food molds?
Experiment: How well do you wash your hands?
Experiment: Does temperature change how fast food molds?
Explore: Activating yeast
Experiment: What does yeast eat the fastest?
Explore: Make your own agar recipe
Experiment: What temperature should water be to make the most active yeast?
CHAPTER 4: Engineering
Introduction
Explore: Design a ramp to make cars roll farther
Challenge: Design an egg drop container
Challenge: Build a foil boat that will hold the most weight
Explore: Change a catapult to see how far it can toss an item
Challenge: Design a bubble blower
Challenge: Design a bridge that will hold the most weight
Explore: Change a balloon rocket to make it go farther
Challenge: Design a tall tower out of straws and tape
Challenge: Design a marble run from your recycling bin
Explore: Design a straw plane and change how it flies
Experiment: How does weight change how far a car will roll?
Experiment: What container shape will produce the tallest bubble tower?
Challenge: Design a balloon-powered car
CHAPTER 5: Food and Candy
Introduction
Experiment: What liquid gets the “M” off an M&M the fastest?
Challenge: Keep apple slices from turning brown
Explore: Make gummy worms grow and shrink
Challenge: Make an egg float by adding ingredients
Explore: Add “naked” eggs to different liquids
Challenge: Make play dough
Explore: Make Epsom salt crystals
Experiment: Can you mix two crystallizing ingredients and still get crystals?
Challenge: Find the best way to grow crystals
Experiment: Does temperature change how quickly food coloring spreads?
Explore: Painting with watercolors, water, and salt
Explore: What marker colors are made of
Experiment: Which type of milk swirls the longest?
Challenge: Build a tall sugar cube tower before it dissolves
Explore: Oil and colored water
Challenge: Make the highest-rising dough
Explore: Baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, flour, salt, and sugar
Challenge: Identify the mystery substance
Challenge: Make a cabbage juice rainbow
CHAPTER 6: Baking Soda and Vinegar
Introduction
Explore: Baking soda reaction tray
Experiment: Which soap will make the tallest mountain of bubbles?
Challenge: Find the smallest amount of baking soda needed to pop a bag
Challenge: Make the tallest reaction of baking soda in a cup
Experiment: Should you add baking soda to vinegar or vice versa?
Explore: Make fizzing baking soda paint
Challenge: Find the right amount of vinegar to react with baking soda
Challenge: Design an erupting volcano
Experiment: Do frozen and dried baking soda react differently?
Challenge: Blow up a balloon with baking soda and vinegar, but don’t pop it!
Explore: How freezing changes the reaction between baking soda and vinegar
CHAPTER 7: Environmental Science
Introduction
Experiment: How does pollution change plant growth?
Challenge: Purify water
Experiment: What will decompose first in soil?
Challenge: Reduce erosion
Explore: Build a watershed
Experiment: Does salt change plant growth?
Explore: Oil-coated feathers
Explore: Observe redworms
Chapter 8: Living Things
Introduction
Experiment: Is slug slime as strong as a glue stick?
Explore: Raise butterflies
Challenge: Design a miniature aquarium
Explore: Temperature changes and insects
Experiment: What food does your insect like?
Explore: Raise praying mantises
Experiment: Does your insect prefer light or dark?
Experiment: Does your insect prefer moist or dry ground?
Experiment: Does your insect react to strong smells?
Appendix A: Where to Find the Supplies Listed in the Book
Appendix B: Resources
Index
About the Author
← Prev
Back
Next →
← Prev
Back
Next →