Reviews for 101 Science Tricks

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 3-7-- Windmills, bull roarers, kaleidoscopes, and whirring buttons on string are just a few of the 101 Science Tricks included in this volume. Many require simple household items and are quite safe to do without supervision; others employ art knives and power drills. There are pop-up cards, balsa-wood airplanes, sundials, reverse pictures, and more. Excellent traceable full-color pictures accompany each activity. Instructions for adults on safety and the scientific concepts involved are appended. --Zenata W. Pierre, Portland Public Schools, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Gr. 4-8. The title doesn't do justice to the contents of this substantial volume, originally published in 1930 and just as current now, with new illustrations. The three sections--"On Looking" (symmetry, optical illusions, patterns in mathematics), "On the Move" (air pressure, aerodynamics, energy, science of color), and "On Paper" (things to make out of paper)--contain pages of interesting, fun, easy-to-perform science and math activities, most of which are not tricks at all. With notes for parents and teachers at the end of each section, the emphasis is on doing and understanding the science and math principles behind the projects, which vary in difficulty from simple to complex. Youngsters learn how to make old-fashioned optical toys that use a series of drawings to show movement, such as thaumatropes, phenakistoscopes, zoetropes, and flickbooks. They can also craft land yachts, jumping jacks, tops, pocket sundials, star clocks, tangrams, magic eggs, three-way pictures, and more. The step-by-step directions are clear and concise; materials are mostly common household objects. The colorful line drawings and diagrams are well labeled and useful, and there are guidelines for using tools safely. Recommended for every science shelf as an effortless way to turn kids on to science and math. ~--Deborah Abbott


Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Fiction: N Age: NF Although the individual experiments may prove diverting, this collection is seriously flawed because scientific principles are not integrated into the activities. Instead, the experiments become mere tricks, while periodic Horn Rating: Marginal, seriously flawed, but with some redeeming quality. Reviewed by: notes for parents and teachers"""" provide explanations for the scientific principles at work. Ind."" (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Back