It’s no secret that kids are fascinated with food from the time they finger their first cheerios and pieces of banana. Now even the preschool set can learn the science behind yummy creations like “ice cream in a bag,” ‘homemade butter,” “rock candy” and “chocolate slime.” Using test tubes, a pipette, measuring cup, funnel, lab tray and measuring spoon, kids add home materials to learn about how salt added to ice changes the freezing point to help form ice cream, the density of liquids affects how they separate in a test tube (reminded me of my old lava lamp!) or the reaction that takes place when adding vinegar and baking soda to explode a home-made volcano (this is a favorite). Step by step directions lead the child and adult through the 14 experiments, asking questions and calling for observations of change. At the bottom of each page is a short explanation of the results of the experiment, sharing science concepts like freezing points, differences in the density of liquids, reactions causing gas, a lens that bends light rays, and more. Even I didn’t know that an orange will float but when peeled it sinks–but why? Listen to the language as kids experiment and discover the whys of science and build their skills in description, observation, predictions and drawing conclusions. An extra bonus is that the lab booklet becomes a nice book for review of science concepts after you have completed the experiments.
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