Projects for a Healthy Planet: Simple Environmental Experiments for Kids

Susan Brown is a B.C. horticulturist, permaculture designer, and early
childhood education instructor.

Shar Levine is the owner of Einstein’s, a science and educational toy,
game, and book store in Vancouver. Allison Grafton teaches at
Einstein’s and develops its science-teaching programs. They have
produced this book to help young people to understand some of the causes
of pollution, to examine alternatives to the use of nonrenewable
resources, and to create some environmentally friendly products.

A red-cabbage pH indicator examines the acidity of rain and snow; worm
composting of home food wastes and blending newsprint into
scratch-and-sniff paper encourage young people to reuse and recycle;
purchased pure soaps become the bases for safe soap products—these are
some of the activities that inspire understanding and respect for the
environment.

There is considerable text and commentary—all appropriate, but
accessible only to very good readers (preteens seem to be the target
audience). Step-by-step, black-and-white drawings of activities
correlate with the numbered sequences of written instructions, while
full-page cartoons announce many topics.