Materials

Elizabeth Fisher is a former elementary-school principal in Toronto, who
spent 10 years as a teacher-librarian.

The Science Alive! series offers fun experiments, practical
applications, and fascinating, up-to-date scientific information. Each
chapter in each volume follows the same format: it begins with an
experiment, which is accompanied by brightly coloured diagrams and
easy-to-follow instructions (including the direction to ask an adult
where appropriate), then presents background scientific information
related to the experiment, a “Quiz Time” sidebar, and a “Did You
Know” section.

Readers of Air will learn how air can be used to make jets go higher
and windmills go faster. Experiments include making a parachute and a
hot-air balloon and passing an egg through the neck of a bottle. Earth
and the Solar System discusses the Earth’s atmosphere (the greenhouse
effect, ozone) and beyond (orbiting, other planets, the sun). Activities
include building a model of the solar system and stargazing. Electricity
begins with “Make Your Own Electrical Circuit!” and features
experiments on how to create electrical conductors and insulators,
static electricity, electricity detectors, and electric motors. Readers
will learn how to create their own power source (using a lemon battery
or a vinegar battery) and how to make electricity (using a magnet or
water).

Heat focuses on steam power, sun power, how heat travels, and why
sidewalks crack. Experiments explain why it rains and why there are heat
waves. The Human Body introduces readers to different parts of the body
and how they work, answering such questions as “How do we walk without
falling?” and “What happens to food after we eat it?” Readers get
to test their senses and their balance. Light looks at how a camera
takes pictures, how a kaleidoscope works, how a periscope works, and how
to make a rainbow. It also shows how to bend light and how to create
optical illusions. Magnets explores magnetic forces, including how
opposites attract. Experiments include making a magnet, an
electromagnet, and a compass. Readers of Materials will learn why some
things sink and others float, how colour dyes are made, and why some
shapes are stronger than others. Activities include writing an invisible
message, floating an apple, building a newspaper bridge, and baking a
pizza. The experiments in Motion address such intriguing questions as
“Why do some objects move and not others?”, “Why is a wet floor so
slippery?”, “Why do moving bicycles stay upright?”, and “What is
acceleration?” Sound describes how sound is transmitted. Readers are
encouraged to “see sound,” calculate the speed of sound, collect
sound waves with an umbrella, and make music.

Water discusses condensation, evaporation, and flow. Experiments focus
on water pressure, water levels, and water pollution and treatment.
Weather deals with “what we see and feel outdoors,” including
sunshine, humidity, thunderstorms, and lightning. Experiments include
creating a pinecone barometer, a rainbow, wind, and thunder.

The Science Alive! series lives up to its titular promise: these are
fun science activity books that bring science alive. Highly recommended.