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CM . . . .
Volume V Number 6 . . . . November 13, 1998
The eye-catching design of this slight book makes it very attractive to
children. Using large photos in vibrant primary colours, each double-page
spread deals with a single experiment. The "You will need," the "What to do"
and the "What's happening" sections are clearly separated and consistently
arranged on the pages. The book contains a table of contents, an index and
corresponding pagination, and a glossary of nine terms. Where adult
intervention is necessary, it is clearly stated, but otherwise children could
complete the activities themselves, given the required supplies. These
supplies can be found fairly readily, although not all households have access
to pet shops that sell mealworms. My only quibble is that there are so few
activities and that many of them are available in other science activity books
for children. What is included, however, is well-done. Recommended for home
use, or for classroom libraries that are weak in science experiment books.
Recommended.
Alison Mews is the Librarian at the Curriculum Materials Centre in the
Faculty of Education of Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's,
Newfoundland.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
Published by
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - NOVEMBER 13, 1998.
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Another title in Kids Can's series, "Starting with Science," Living
Things provides "safe, simple experiments for home and school." The book
contains 13 activities to exemplify the main characteristics of living things
such as cells, growth, reproduction, response to environmental stimuli, and
necessity for nourishment. Each activity describes the goal of the experiment,
lists the supplies needed, outlines what should be transpiring and provides an
explanation of the results. Also, most activities include a coloured fact box
that gives further information about the topic. A separate page for parents
and teachers at the end of the book provides an additional 12 activities on the
topics covered.