First Science Experiments: Mighty Machines

by Shar Levine, Leslie Johnstone

Overview

How do machines work? Kids will have a blast constructing a mini-seesaw to illustrate the way a lever operates or creating their very own pulley from an empty spool, string, ribbon, pails, pennies, a broom, and two chairs. They’ll find out why they can’t put in a screw using only their fingers and examine the different parts of compound machines. In another experiment, a child’s bicycle becomes a laboratory for understanding whether wheels have to be smooth to run. A good time will be had by all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402709005
Publisher:	Sterling
Publication date:	04/28/2004
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	AD850L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-5-After a note to adults that includes safety precautions, this book states the basic principles of physics that explain why simple machines work. Readers are then directed to create a scale, similar to a fishing scale, from a wooden ruler, rubber band, paper clip, and small bag of rice. This device is used to measure effort in many of the following demonstrations of the work done by simple machines. Short chapters present brief introductions to and experiments about levers, pulleys, wheels and axles, inclined planes, wedges, and screws. All of the projects use inexpensive and easily accessible materials. Unfortunately, the writing tends to be dry and is occasionally confusing. The cartoon artwork, which features determined-looking, goggle-eyed children, is more decorative than helpful. The book covers a lot of ground, and some clarity is lost because the illustrations are not detailed enough. Patricia Armentrout's "Simple Devices" series (Rourke, 1997; o.p.) and Salvatore Tocci's Experiments with Simple Machines (Children's, 2003) present similar material more effectively.-Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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