Eco-Fun: Great Projects, Experiments, and Games for a Greener Earth

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

The subtitle succinctly sums up this handbook for budding
environmentalists. Suzuki’s introduction is very personal as he
reflects on the “magic place” he knew as a boy, a swamp which was
home to crows, skunks, racoons, herons, frogs, turtles, even a fox. That
swamp inspired Suzuki’s lifelong passion for nature, the source of all
we need and use.

Eco-Fun is a superb activity book designed to serve the same purpose as
Suzuki’s swamp: to inspire children to learn about the earth, its
intricate balance, and our need for it to remain healthy and viable.
Precautionary suggestions include gloves and safety goggles for some
activities. Readers will learn basic lessons in biology, chemistry, and
even community activism. Better still, they will gradually absorb
scientific attitudes and reactions and, more importantly, the
questioning stance that makes for a good citizen in our modern world.

The print is large, the illustrations clear and often amusing. Frequent
queries should provoke reflection. My favorites include an experiment to
make a solar water heater from three same-size cake pans, a thermometer,
a measuring cup, some plastic wrap, and a black plastic garbage bag.
Kids will be intrigued to see what happens when the pans are set in the
sun for a few hours, one uncovered and two covered, with one of the
latter lined with black plastic. Highly recommended.