Backyard Science By DK With Fantastic Experiments For Kids To Do In Their Own Backyards

Homeschooling? Teacher? School holidays? Weekends? After school time? Grandparent? If you have toddlers to teens you will find something of interest in this excellent book published by Dorling Kindersley. Publishers recommend Backyard Science for 9 - 12 years old as the ideal audience. Information is presented throughout this quality hardcover book in a clear, colourful and interesting manner. Experiments are well explained outlining all the resources you will need for success and giving clear instructions (younger children will still benefit from adult supervision to get them started in some cases). This is hands on science in the real world not a laboratory.

Today's children are the scientists of the future and it is children who are photographed in the book doing the experiments, so readers will want to be just like the kids in the book. Children are encouraged to draw their own conclusions from over 50 experiments across a variety of science sub-topics. A science strip down the right hand side of the page helps explain the theory behind the experiments and assist with the scientists understanding why they are doing the experiments and what they might expect to see.

How can an ordinary garden be good for science? Even in a small plot you can spend days doing biology, zoology, meteorology and much more. An example of one of the experiments to demonstrate transpiration is to change the colour of the petals on a white flower with food colouring.

Equipment
- Different colours of food colouring
- White flowers
- Vases for flowers
- Water

Method
1. Take some white flowers and put each one in a vase
2. Mix different food colouring and water in the vases
3. Leave them for several hours to see if their stems are like straws

Notes
- Some flowers work better than others, so try different ones
- How long does each take to change colour?
- How do you think the colour got to the flowers?

Learn about root growth, seed dispersal, photosynthesis, flight, insects, night life, rainbows, centrifugal force, rain gauges, weather, shadows, soil science, worm farms, pond habitats, pond life, trees (how old? how tall?), levers, reaction times, balance, heartbeat, night sky studies, moon phases. Backyard science can take a lot of patience, but is great fun so read the science stuff boxes, do the experiments and keep a science diary with drawings, sketches, diagrams, photographs and notes. Remember when studying animals to take care not to harm them and if you move them be sure to return them to where you found them. Have fun discovering science in your backyard!

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