SUPER Science Experiments: Outdoor Fun: Get dirty outdoors, test your brain, and more!

by Elizabeth Snoke Harris

With more than 80 fun experiments, SUPER Science Experiments: Outdoor Fun is the ultimate lab book for kids who love nature and the outdoors!

This fact- and fun-filled book includes tons of simple, kid-tested science experiments, many of which can be done with items from around the house, and require little to no supervision! That’s right—no adult help needed. That means no grown-ups doing all the fun stuff while you watch. You can do lots of messy, cool, mind-blowing experiments all by yourself! All the supplies you need are probably already in your home. No fancy gadgets or doohickeys needed!

Whether you’re building your own bird or butterfly feeders, thermometer, or air horn, this book has something for everyone. Each experiment features safety precautions, materials needed, step-by-step instructions with illustrations, fun facts, and further explorations.

With SUPER Science Experiments: Outdoor Fun,kid scientists like you can:
Look at underwater critters without getting your face wet
Build a home for bees
Measure rainfall and wind speed
Create an ecosystem in a bottle
Make a worm hotel
Trap a cloud
And complete many other SUPER science experiments!
At once engaging, encouraging, and inspiring, the SUPER Science Experiments series provides budding scientists with go-to, hands-on guides for learning the fundamentals of science and exploring the fascinating world around them. Also in this series, check out: Cool Creations, Build It, and At Home.

There’s no better boredom-buster than a science experiment. You will learn something and astound and amaze your friends and family. So, what are you waiting for? Get experimenting!

64 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2020

About the author

Beth has been involved in science education for over 20 years in the classroom, research facilities and museums. She loves sharing fun experiments with anyone who will listen and with whatever is handy. When she's not working on science curriculum projects or leading STEM field trips at the local roller rink, she serves as web master for science education organizations. Her other hobbies include playing with her kids, gardening, and beekeeping in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. This book showed promise for nature study ideas until early on when kids are supposed to randomly kill insects to study them by scooping up leaves into a jug where the bugs will all eventually fall into a container of alcohol and die. Can we move past this kind of unnecessary killing when teaching our kids to be stewards of wildlife please? DNF

The rest of her new series is pretty well done so I'm assuming this one will have some good projects. There are so many good nature study books that don't recommend killing stuff just because, though.

I viewed a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is a good book for children to do simple science experiments outdoors and using easily accessible materials. I did hope for a little more than what was in this book, but don't let my opinion put you off as you may get way more from it than we did.

[Kiersten · Rating 4 out of 5]

once I was able to open it and look at it, this book was great! Looking forward to using these to supplement what the schools have sent home for our children to do during the quarantine!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

SUPER Science Experiments: Outdoor Fun is a new STEAM activity guide for young readers (and their resource adults/caregivers) by Elizabeth Snoke Harris. Released 14th April 2020 by Quarto on their MoonDance Press imprint, it's 64 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is one volume of a series of simple and practical science experiments aimed at middle school aged learners. This one contains over 75 tutorials (I didn't count carefully) covering concepts in earth science, biology (entomology) and microbiology, physiology, wave physics, and more.

Everyone needs fun learning ideas for youngsters (and adults) in these bizarre days. Science and learning have always been my go-to stress and boredom busters whenever I have to stay home and can't go out. This collection is simple, full of easy to follow experiments and activities, and uses easy to find ingredients which most readers already have available around the house.

There are a number of activities which can be done by kids themselves without supervision. All safety information and tips are clearly delineated in the text. The tutorials themselves are accessible and written simply in easy to understand language.

The illustrations are simple and well done. They don't detract from the experiments. Each of the exercises has a list of ingredients, step by step instructions, and a "What's Happening" explanation of the relevant concepts at the end of each one. I didn't count how many were included in this book, but there must be close to 100. The tutorial measurements are given in American standard measures (pounds, cups, and so forth). There is also a very abbreviated index at the back of the book. It should be noted that these are *simple* experiments, and that some of them might contain processes to which some readers object (this volume includes a lab on how to make and use a kill jar for collecting insects).

This would make a super book for science homeschooling units or even online school instruction sessions.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Lucy Catten · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the exception of the experiments that require the death of insects, this is a well-researched, well laid out and engaging books for kids. It’s aimed at age 8 and above but I think quite a few of these will appeal and are achievable with younger children. The beauty of this book is that most of the required equipment can be found around the house and children will be able to carry out the work by themselves. My 10 year old daughter is particularly interested in making the bird and butterfly feeders so we are going to have a go at those this week.

I would like to thank MoonDance Press and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is tailor made for summer fun.  Written for 8 to 12 year olds,  it is a collection of experiments that is geared toward kids, really for them as many of the projects do not, according to the author, require adult supervision.  What could be more fun. 


A few of the activities include making a bird feeder of measuring wind speed. What about doing something with bees or clouds?  There are loads of good projects here that will build a child's love of science and exploration.   What could be better!


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicoletta LaSirenissima · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much fun.
We got good weather and are trying some of the stuff in the book.

My girls and I are having s blast and I am constantly looking for good ideas that we can try for birthdays or some I can take with me to work and try with a group of elementary kids.

Thanks for letting me read this book