Light and Sound

by Michael A. DiSpezio

Published 1 June 2006
These totally awesome, kid-friendly experiments teach the scientific basics of light and sound and they're easy to carry out, using the most ordinary materials found around the house. Just grab a boom box, toilet paper tube, rubber band, or a drinking straw to create a little smart magic. Experience making cereal dance to music and watch light bounce off a mirror and hit a bull's-eye. Hear your heart pumping through a funnel and tubing or build a "ray maker" to display the visible spectrum of light in a glorious rainbow tray. These experiments will change the way you look and listen to the world around you!

These simple, fun experiments in magnetism and electricity will get kids all charged up. Test out a kitchen magnet and watch what it attracts; "light the light" with a fluorescent bulb and a piece of wool; "see" invisible magnetic fields and find the strongest part of the magnet; make your TV screen snap, crackle and pop and transmit Morse code with a station you build yourself. Almost all materials are easy to find in the house or inexpensive to buy and each experiment has a section that explains the underlying scientific principles plus, they're all safe!

Force and Motion

by Michael A. DiSpezio

Published 1 June 2006
The force is with us - and these experiments prove it. Whether kids are creating soap-powered fish or sending potato pieces flying into the sky, every activity is as educational as it is entertaining. Demonstrate inertia with a super-amazing Card Shot trick that seems magical but is a simple matter of science. Locate the center of gravity by checking out where a cardboard rocket ship lands, (there's a picture to trace to help you make the rocket) and create your own "great salt lake" in the kitchen to demonstrate buoyancy. Ordinary, easy-to-find materials are all you need to get moving on these fun-filled investigations.