Exploratopia: More than 400 kid-friendly experiments and explorations for curious minds

We have quite a few experiment books - and many of them essentially have the same old tried and true (and good) experiments. This book stands above the others in that it also does a great job of explaining the "why" behind the science. The kids can just do experiments, or they can also read up on why they work, or they can use the book to dig deeper into the science behind the fun. It really is a great book and my 1st and 3rd graders love it - but so do I!

I purchased this book from Amazon as a gift for my 9 year old grand daughter. She spent hours exploring the different subjects and really enjoyed the book.

Great book, easy to use.

This is a great book. I am using it as the science curriculum for my 11 year old homeschooled daughter this year. So far my daughter's favorite projects from Exploratopia are guessing smells and determining the touch sensitivity of different parts of the body. She is eagerly awaiting the naked egg experiment. The book begins with tools for exploration, better known as the scientific method, that can be referred back to as needed. Each chapter is illustrated with photographs that demonstrate specific concepts. The activities and experiments are systematically explained with color drawings and text. The explorations encourage the reader to make observations about themselves and the world around them. The book contains a nice selection of activities that use easily found items and is based on current scientific understanding of the many included subjects. The activities can lead to further exploration of the topic. Each chapter has links to the internet, unfortunately many of the internet links have a significant cost in order to be used.

Most of the Exploratorium books that I have purchased have been activity-based, so they're great for grown-ups (teachers, parents, etc.) who want to lead kids in discovery as well as for the kids who want to try things out for themselves. As a science instructor for elementary-aged students (pre-K through 5th grade), there are several of the activities in this book that I am going to use for my kids, but it seems well suited for the kids themselves because it also gives a lot of basic background information on everything from static to DNA. This particular book from Exploratorium is a bit different from the others because of its extra background information and would be a great book for an elementary-aged child who loves science and wants more information, as well as hands-on activities to explore.

I am well over 13 years of age! -- I am approaching my 75th birthday. I bought Exploratopia for one of my grandsons and all grandchildren (who have reached the 'use of reason' thought Grandad's present to Aaron the best of all.Not only is it a book of discovery -- every discovery gives you an experiment that you can to to illustrate what you have just read.Thank ytou very much!Bill M<urphy

This book is great. I bought it for grandchildren in age range 7yrs - 10yrs. They all find such a lot to read ....and do in it.Unfortunately it is American so I have to explain that the spelling is wrong with certain words!I keep it in my car so that it is always there for when they get bored.Thank you.