Experiment with Outdoor Science

April 24, 2020

Gr 3-6-Five topical chapters are designed to get readers outside and get curious. Topics include "Moving Moments," "Mixing and Separating," "Plants," "Bugs and Birds," and "Sky and Space." The chapters feature one experiment per spread with color photographs, supply lists, written instructions, and illustrations where needed. "Moving Moments" describes floating with boats; testing sound waves with a megaphone; learning about gravity and drag with a parachute; seeing the concept of lift in action with a kite and a helicopter; observing Bernoulli's principle with a flying disk, and discovering mass and momentum with artificial snowballs. The experiments dig into scientific concepts and provide easy-to-comprehend scientific explanations. An author's note advises completing the experiments in the order they were written to help readers make the most sense of the science presented. Most projects require several tools and supplies. The inclusion of experiments that require trapping and exploiting animals is unfortunate; a better choice would be to encourage children to carefully observe creatures in their own environment. VERDICT There are plenty of outdoor science books available-this one won't be missed.-Heather Acerro, Rochester Public Library, MN

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