Mason Jar Science: 40 Slimy, Squishy, Super-Cool Experiments; Capture Big Discoveries in a Jar, from the Magic of Chemistry and Physics to the Amazing Worlds of Earth Science and Biology

by Jonathan Adolph

Overview

Mom's Choice Award Gold Winner
Nautilus Book Awards Silver Winner

Heatproof, transparent, and durable, the mason jar is a science lab just waiting to be discovered. Unlock its potential with 40 dynamic experiments for budding scientists ages 8 and up. Using just a jar and a few ordinary household items, children learn to create miniature clouds, tiny tornadoes, small stalactites, and, of course, great goo and super slime! With a little ingenuity, the jar can be converted into a lava lamp, a water prism, a balloon barometer, and a compass. Each fun-packed project offers small-scale ways to illustrate the big-picture principles of chemistry, botany, biology, physics, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612129860
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	05/29/2018
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jonathan Adolph is the author of Cardboard Box Engineering and the best-selling Mason Jar Science. As the former editor of the award-winning FamilyFun magazine, he developed hundreds of “stealth learning” games and kitchen-science activities during his 20-year career. He specializes in making technical information fun for kids and is an adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Massachusetts. He lives with his family in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

What’s So Great About Science?
Why Mason Jars?
Using the Scientific Method to Solve Mysteries
 
The Magic of Chemistry
  Lava Lamp 2.0
  Water Fireworks
  Wide World of Slimes: Goo, Slime, Microwave Play Clay
  Red Cabbage Chemistry Set
  A Penny for Your Scientific Thoughts
  Fun With Crystals
  A Better Bubble
Earth Science for Earthlings
  Jar-rarium
  At-Home Museum
  String of Stalactites
  Cornstarch Quicksand
  Homemade Compass
  Dead Sea in a Jar
  How's the Weather: Balloon Barometer, Tiny Tornado, Conjure a Cloud, Rain Gauge
The Root of All Fun: Botany
  Capillary Colors
  Root View
  The Kitchen Jar-den: Cool Carrot Forest, Super Sweet Potato, Awesome Avocado Tree
  Grass heads
  Very Berry Ink
  Seedling Superman!
It’s Alive! Biology
  Make a Bug Vacuum
  Hummingbird Feeder
  Critter Containers: Worm Composter, Cricket Concert Hall, Caterpillar Diner
  The Incredible (Inedible) Egg
  Pickle Factory 
  The Yeast You Could Do
Understanding Matter in Motion: Physics
  Walking Water Colors
  Tower of Liquids
  Balloon Vacuum
  Light Bender
  Heron’s Fountain
  Physics Tricks: Unspillable Jar, Balancing Act, Unwettable Paper Towel

Glossary
Metric Conversion Chart
Barometric Pressure Chart
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

Grab your Mason jars, ask questions, and make a mess! Science is awesome.” — Lynn Brunelle, Author of Pop Bottle Science and Big Science for Little People 

“You don't need big budgets or fancy equipment to do real science with this book, perfect for every budding home scientist.” — ‘Science Bob’ Pflugfelder, founder of sciencebob.com and co-author of the Nick and Tesla science adventure series

From the Publisher

2018-03-18
Forty science-related activities that can be done in a canning jar by young experimenters.A former editor of FamilyFun magazine introduces his collection of activities with one double-page spread about science and the use of the scientific method to solve mysteries, and another on the advantages of the mason jar: widely available in various sizes, inexpensive and durable, heatproof, transparent, sealable, and often equipped with helpful measuring lines. Like many such compilations of "experiments" these are really demonstrations or ways to concoct a substance with which to experiment. Organized into chapters by study areas—chemistry, earth science, botany, biology, and physics—these relatively simple procedures are clearly presented, most compressed into just a two-page spread. Each offers a short introduction, a list of materials and tools, step-by-step instructions, "What to Watch for," and "What's Going on." Separate text boxes headed with the phrases "Speak Like a Scientist," "Science in Real Life," or "Tell Me More" add extra information. Sometimes there are suggestions for variations and further exploration. All are illustrated with photographs, sometimes showing the experiment in progress, often showing middle-grade experimenters diverse in gender and race. There's making goo ("also known as gack"), growing seedlings, dissolving an egg's shell, and physics magic using air pressure, among many familiar activities, but the demonstration of the versatility of a mason jar is impressive.An appealing and accessible collection. (index not seen) (Nonfiction. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews