Here are some terrific experiment and project books for kids who are out of school and looking for something to do, summertime childcare providers, day camp leaders, or anyone else looking for fun, easy activities that will help kids learn about science. Note that parental guidance / assistance is suggested for most of these books, so make sure kids know not to tackle these projects and experiments alone.
Coolest Kids Science Projects: 40 Fun & Easy Science Experiments For Kids (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $2.99)
Can’t find the right science project idea? Want to supplement your child’s education at home?
Evans’ collection of over 40 of the coolest “kid approved” science projects are guaranteed to light up your child’s eyes and spark their imaginations. The book is geared towards elementary and middle school students, but can always be adjusted for more complex high school projects.
Drawing experiment ideas from Bill Evans’s collection of fun and educational science projects is a great start to getting young children interested in science in a way that feels like games. You can choose from a variety of exciting experiments that cover different areas of science including projects in biology, physics and chemistry.
All projects require parental supervision, which makes them a great opportunity to build a stronger relationship between parents and children and share a unique experience together.
Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes: Unforgettable Experiments That Make Science Fun (5/5 stars, currently priced at $4.99)
From the creator of the mentos soda geyser–the viral video sensation–comes a collection of outrageously entertaining science experiments and cool tricks guaranteed to get ooohs and ahhhs!
Author, celebrity teacher and science guy Steve Spangler teaches you how to transform the ordinary into the amazing as you make everyday items ooze, bubble, fizz, and pop! Make people wonder . . . How did you do that?
From flying toilet paper to trash can smoke rings, erupting soda to exploding sandwich bags, the experiments in Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes will spark your imagination and totally impress your friends. Learn how to astound kids and kids-at-heart with easy and inexpensive experiments like:
• Bubbling Lava Bottle
• The Incredible Can Crusher
• Nails for Breakfast
• The Folding Egg
• Quicksand Goo
• Screaming Balloon
• Burning Money
This is not your ordinary book of science experiments. Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes is a geek-chic look at Spangler’s latest collection of tricks and try-it-at-home activities that reveal the secrets of science in unexpected ways. Photographs accompany the step-by-step instructions, and simple explanations uncover the how-to and why for each activity.
Make potatoes fly, bowling balls float, and soda explode on command. But don’t try these experiments at home . . . try them at a friend’s home!
Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future with 25 Projects – Build It Yourself series (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $9.39)
This fun and educational introduction to the exciting field of robotics—the science of designing, building, and operating robots—gives kids the basic tools for creating their own robots using ordinary craft materials and parts salvaged from recycled toys and other household devices.
Early chapters teach budding roboticists how to create working models of robot hands and write “pencil and paper” computer programs, while later chapters show them how to build robots that move and react to light or touch.
A great gateway to getting kids interested in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math), the activities in this book let kids use all their talents to come up with creative solutions to tricky problems and figure out how things work.
The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (4/5 stars, currently priced at $5.96)
With The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book, all you need to do is gather a few household items and you can recreate dozens of mind-blowing, kid-tested science experiments. High school science teacher Tom Robinson shows you how to expand your scientific horizons–from biology to chemistry to physics to outer space.
You’ll discover answers to questions like:
Is it possible to blow up a balloon without actually blowing into it?
What is inside coins?
Can a magnet ever be “turned off”?
Do toilets always flush in the same direction?
Can a swimming pool be cleaned with just the breath of one person?
You won’t want to wait for a rainy day or your school’s science fair to test these cool experiments for yourself!
Martin Gardner’s Science Magic: Tricks and Puzzles – Dover Magic Books (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $3.82)
The Master of Mathematical Puzzles collects 89 of his finest magic tricks that will teach both children and adults the scientific principles behind electricity, magnetism, sound, gravity, water, and more.
Fun and fascinating, the simple demonstrations involve levitating matches, somersaulting eggshells, spinning pennies, and balancing silverware.
Only basic everyday items are needed. Includes 89 black-and-white illustrations.