Tag Archives: science experiments

The Leaping Sliding Sprinting Riding Science Book – Bobby Mercer

The Leaping Sliding Sprinting Riding Science Book by Bobby Mercer has 50 sports related science activities. Even kids who aren’t great at sports can use this book to have fun and learn at the same time. Considering that the Olympics are coming up, I’m sure there will be extra interest in sports in the next few months. Each of the activities has a list of equipment you need. Most of the activities use sports equipment such as footballs, stopwatches, skateboards, and bicycles, and they may need things like pencils, calculator or rulers. Each activitiy also has instructions, followed by a … Continue reading →

Making Music With Water and Bottles

Here’s a fun activity for the end of a summer dinner or picnic. Take empty glass bottles or water glasses and fill them with different amounts of water. When you tap gently on the bottles or glasses with a spoon they make a neat chiming noise. If the kids can’t manage to tap gently with a spoon try giving them a wooden spoon or stick to use, or save the activity for when they are older. I also wouldn’t do this with my best crystal. Experiment with different levels of water in the glasses.. Your children will quickly figure out … Continue reading →

Smash It! Crash It! Crunch It! – Rain Newcomb & Bobby Mercer

Smash It! Crash It! Launch It!: 50 Mind-Blowing, Eye-Popping Science Experiments is not a book for the timid. Be brave though, and keep reading, it’s a great book for introducing scientific principles. The introduction talks about “descructology” – the study of how different items like fruits and vegetables explode when they hit the ground. The introduction also says that if you follow the instructions the messes “won’t provoke a freak-out by your parental units”. I don’t know though. The first experiment involves dropping old tomatoes and melons out the window onto the driveway. The mom in me says no way, … Continue reading →

Fun With Blubber

Okay, so you didn’t know blubber could be fun. Or the thought of playing with lard isn’t appealing. I get it. But this is a great way to demonstrate to your kids how an insulator like blubber works to keep an animal warm. My son has suggested that we make coats out of blubber–but I don’t recommend it. You will need: Two ziploc bags. . .gallon size worked well Lard or shortening A thermometer (not necessary for little ones but very helpful for doing more ‘scientific’ study) a bucket of ice water gorilla tape other insulators Directions: Fill one bag … Continue reading →