---

Suggested Science Experiment Books and Kits

Possibly you read about our use of The Natural World for Science this year?  Well, I told my kids that I ordered a couple of cheapy science kits recently, and they both asked me why we hadn't been doing science this year.  And I answered them with incredulity in both my voice and facial expression, "Whatta ya' mean?  Reading about animals is science.  It's biology!"  But they then informed me with no uncertainty that they wanted to do experiments.

So, while we have some science experiment books, I still decided to check with Amazon to see what they had available.  While I was there (spending hours, btw), I decided that I could save folks some time by making a page of links to science experiment books.  There are lots and lots of science experiment books at Amazon, however, in a lot of cases, Amazon hasn't given any information concerning the content of the book.  Who's going to buy a book when all one knows about it is the title?  Not me.  So the books below (most of them) are ones that Amazon.com has given additional information on--you won't have to sift through all the science experiment books on Amazon.com that just give the title, author, and price.  The ones listed below sound good to me and their Amazon listing contains information on their content (usually).  Just follow the link to Amazon, put the book(s) that look good into your shopping basket and then click your *back* button to come back and look around at this site some more.  When you're done looking around, just click on any link to Amazon to view your shopping cart.  Any books you've changed your mind about can be deleted from your cart right then--easy as pie!

Here's a few of experiment books that caught my eye!  Gordon McComb's Gadgeteers Gold.  And here's another exciting one: Chicken Bones:  Foolproof Instructions for Budding Paleontologists!  With this one you and/or your student can make a dinosaur model out of chicken bones.  I talked to my husband about this one (wondering if we had a dremel tool), and he busted out laughing at the title and said, "How many chickens have to die to make this dinosaur?"  And yet another book that looks great:  Geology Crafts for Kids:  50 Nifty Projects to Explore the Marvels of Planet Earth.  Lastly, I thought that mixing good literature and science was a novel approach -- The Secret Garden Activity Book: 15 Gardening and Nature Projects Based on the Classic Story.

And, while you're searching, check out the Horn Book reviews.  Horn Book doesn't pull any punches in their reviews.  If a book is of inferior quality (content-wise), Horn Book lets you know!!  I appreciate that.  Also, here's some names of publishers that I've found to produce quality books:  EDC aka Usborne, John Wiley and Sons, Kingfisher, Franklin Watts.  I hope you can find some good science experiment books for your students; kids love experiments!  It brings science to life!
 
 

About K - 3rd Grade*	About 4th - 7th grades*	About 8th - 12th* (personally, I think many of the items in the 4th - 7th grades column would still be interesting to a number of high schoolers)
Science Fun With Toy Cars and Trucks (Science Fun Series)	Science Around the World: Travel Through Time and Space With Fun Experiments and Projects	The Science Explorer: Family Experiments from the World's Favorite Hands-On Science Museum
Science and Your Body	Animals: Spectacular Science Projects	Experimenting With Science Photography
Play and Find Out About Bugs	201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments	Exploring Chemical Elements and Their Compounds
Play and Find Out About Nature	202 Oozing, Bubbling, Dripping and Bouncing Experiments	Machines: The Hands-On Approach to Science
Play and Find Out About Science	Science in Seconds at the Beach: With Activities for Ponds, Lakes, and Rivers	**Gordon McComb's Gadgeteers Gold**
Play and Find Out About the Human Body	Science in Seconds for Kids	Lasers, Ray Guns, and Light Cannon: Projects from the Wizard's Workbench
Gravity: Simple Experiments for Young Scientists	Science in Seconds With Toys	Photography (Make It Work)
All About Electricity: Do It Yourself Science Book	Earthquakes: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Biotechnology Projects for Young Scientists
Make Your Own Solar System	Electricity: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Book of Science
Make Your Own Space Machines	Rocks and Minerals: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Build Your Own Polyhedra
Funpax: Weather Station	Insects and Spiders: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Planetology Comparing Other Worlds to Our Own
Pollution and Waste (Young Discoverers)	Magnets: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Time (Make It Work)
Nature in Danger (Young Discoverers)	Volcanoes: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Building (Make It Work)
Flying and Floating (Young Discoverers)	Plants: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Building (Make It Work) softcover
Rivers and Oceans/Geography Facts and Experiments (Young Discoverers)	Weather: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Earth (Make It Work!)
Sandbox Scientist: Real Science Activities for Little Kids	Machines: Mind-Boggling Experiments	Earth (Make-It-Work! softcover
Pushing and Pulling (Science for Fun)	Microscopes and Magnifying Lenses: Mind-Boggling Chemistry and Biology Experiments	A+ Projects in Earth Science
Puddle Jumpers: Fun Weather Projects for Kids	Ben Franklin Book of Easy and Incredible Experiments	A+ Projects in Biology
Flowers, Trees, and Fruits		A+ Projects in Chemistry
Mountains and Volcanoes:  Geography Facts/Experiments	175 More Science Experiments to Amuse and Amaze Your Friends	The Robot Builder's Bonanza: 99 Inexpensive Robotics Projects
First Activity Packs: Young Scientist	Science Experiment Sourcebook  copyright free for educational purposes	Light Action! : Amazing Experiments With Optics
The Magic School Bus Science Explorations A	365 Simple Science Experiments	Plant Biology Science Projects
The Magic School Bus Science Explorations B	365 More Simple Science Experiments	Ships: The Hands-On Approach to Science
The Magic School Bus Science Explorations C	Barron's Science Wizardry for Kids: Authentic, Safe Scientific Experiments	More Engineering Projects for Young Scientists
Playing With Magnets	Biology for Every Kid	How to Make a Chemical Volcano: And Other Mysterious Experiments
Shadow Play: Making Pictures With Light and Lenses (Boston Children's Museum Activity Book)	Earth Science for Every Kid	200 Illustrated Science Experiments for Children
Homemade Slime and Rubber Bones!	Physics for Every Kid	Physics Lab in a Hardware Store
The Kids' Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences	Chemistry for Every Kid	Physics Lab in a Housewares Store
The Little Hands Nature Book	Don't Try This at Home!	Physics Lab in the Home
The Kids' Wildlife Book	Astronomy for Every Kid	How to Be an Ocean Scientist in Your Own Home
The Kids' Science Book: Hands-On Fun	Constellations for Every Kid	Where on Earth Am I?
Science School	Oceans for Every Kid	The Complete Handbook of Science Fair Projects
Science for Fun Experiments	Ecology for Every Kid	Guide to Microlife
Science With Air	Dinosaurs for Every Kid	Electricity
Science With Batteries	Human Body for Every Kid	Experimenting With Color
Science With Light and Mirrors	The Science Explorer Out and About: Fantastic Science Experiments Your Family Can Do Anywhere!	Experimenting With Time
Science With Magnets	40 Nights to Knowing the Sky	Experimenting With Water
Usborne Science With Magnets Kit (Book and Magnet)  same book as above w/ a kit	The Usborne Book of Batteries & Magnets/Book and Motorized Plane Kit	Health and Medicine Projects for Young Scientists
Science With Plants	The Worm Book and Ecology Kit	Exploring With a Magnifying Glass
Science With Water	The Secret Garden Activity Book: 15 Gardening and Nature Projects Based on the Classic Story	A Practical Guide to Data Analysis for Physical Science Students
Science With Weather	Zap Science : A Scientific Playground in a Book

 

*based on the reading levels provided by Amazon--please use these suggestions as an approximate guide
February, 1999
Copyright© 1999 Tammy McQuoid