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Amazing Kitchen Chemistry Projects You Can Build Yourself Review by Maggi Beardsley

By Cynthia Light Brown
Nomad Press
2456 Christian Street
White River Junction, VT 05001
802-649-1995
http://nomadpress.net/

Amazing Kitchen Chemistry Projects You Can Build Yourself is an easy-to-use book filled with high-level chemistry vocabulary. It is recommended by two Nobel Prize winners in chemistry. That's a solid recommendation! The paperback book contains over 30 experiments that parent and child can execute in their kitchen with just a few easy-to-find items. You would just need to purchase the supplies from a supermarket or superstore before embarking on the experiments. The book also contains a glossary, a list of books, websites and activities. Based on the amount of information and the number of experiments included in the book, I could use this book twice a week and complete it in a semester.

The book was designed to teach students ages 9 and up about atoms, molecules, solids, liquids, gases, polymers, and the periodic table. As the back cover states: "Along the way, they'll make goop, cause chemical reactions, and create delicious treats, and all of it will illustrate important chemistry concepts." A hands-on learner will really enjoy the experiments. Parents will appreciate that the supplies are easily acquired from local stores. A visual learner will enjoy the information and the pleasing layout of the book. For each topic, there is an information section discussing the topic, then a part about a famous person (such as Sir Isaac Newton), and then a few "Did you know?" questions. Then there are experiments to conduct. Children younger than age 9 would enjoy the experiments, while teenagers could get even more by reading the portions of the book that explain the chemical concepts behind the experiments. There are a number of real-life stories included in the book.

One of the experiments in the book is called "Get Your Iron." Materials include a magnet, water, a spoon, a bowl and iron-fortified breakfast cereal. The objective is to gather iron from the cereal. You'll have to read the book for all of the details! There are only three steps, easy enough for a grade school student. Then there is an explanation of the chemistry involved. Most of the experiments are unique. (The Mentos experiment is included, and the explanation of the reaction has to be the best I have read.) My elementary children loved the experiments in the book.

I really enjoyed Amazing Kitchen Chemistry Projects You Can Build Yourself. I found the explanations of chemistry concepts easy to understand, the experiment instructions easy to follow, and the supplies easy to find. Chemistry has always overwhelmed me. Ms. Brown did an excellent job of explaining the concepts but not oversimplifying the vocabulary or the concepts. This would be a great book to use before a reluctant student takes a high school chemistry course. It provides a lot of real-life information that answers the questions "Why do I need to learn this?" and "When has learning this subject ever been helpful to anyone?"

While I did appreciate the fact that the needed materials were easy to find, I would have appreciated a one-page list of all of the supplies that I would need to complete all of the experiments. Also, there are two points to warn Christian readers about. One is a brief reference to Halloween fun. The other is the retelling of a Russian folktale that includes a witch. These can be easily skipped by the parent-teacher without any loss of important chemistry concepts.

Amazing Kitchen Chemistry Projects You Can Build Yourself does a good job of combining a textbook approach and a hands-on approach. I wondered if a 100-page book would cover enough information for an introduction to chemistry, but this book provides more than enough. I tend to be more of a history buff than a science buff, but I highly recommend this book. The fact that two Nobel Prize winners in chemistry recommend this book makes me believe that scientific people would enjoy this book too.

Product review by: Maggi Beardsley, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2008

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