We were well into the first month of our school year when I realized we were woefully unprepared for science. My favorite subject to both teach and learn and I had nothing planned, so it was a great time to give Science Mom a try. We were blessed with the Science Mom’s Activity Guide to Water, parts one and two. These workbooks are two of a multi-part seven workbook set that teach science in a fun way. One part comic book, one part activity book, Science Mom’s Activity Guide to Water workbooks are sure to thrill your budding scientist!

Science Mom’s Activity Guide to Water, Part One is a 31-page activity book that introduces the basics of water science. It is printed in black and white, and the very first page encourages your student to grab their crayons and colored pencils to color in the fun. The first activity asks your child to color the stick figure scientist to look like them. At the bottom of the page it asks your student if they will color a chemist, a marine biologist, or a mathematician. I was really impressed with the amount of attention paid to such a small detail. There is a lot of punch in just that first page because not only can you teach your child about different scientists such as chemists and biologists, but it also points out that mathematicians (among others) are also scientists, which some people may overlook. Beyond the first page, your child will learn the chemical structure of water, states of matter, composition of the Earth’s crust in terms of water percentage, water safety such as electric and water do not mix, and a number of other lessons and experiments. The experiments in the workbook are carefully explained, with cute drawings to showcase what you should be doing. Our favorite experiment is on page 16-String Water Bridge. This is where you demonstrate water flowing down a string to a point away, vs. water just spilling out of a pitcher.

Science Mom’s Activity Guide to Water, Part Two is slightly larger at 43 pages. Again, the book starts out by encouraging your student to color in the pages, and it also points out more scientists such as botanists and mycologists. This workbook talks about where water goes like lakes, rivers. It also talks about permafrost, salt water vs. fresh water, and gives information on some of the world’s largest rivers or other bodies of water. Our favorite lesson was on surface tension. This was a lot of fun because it gave us an excuse to skip rocks on the lake!

These workbooks make science a lot of fun. The website offers additional resources such as a list of included experiments and needed supplies. I wish there was a better answer guide in the back. The answer guide is Part Two is much better than Part One, but I would rather have a couple pages dedicated to the answers, and I would rather not have them just upside down in the back. I really like the included completion certificate as it can be used a great motivator for students to work hard.

Overall, we have really enjoyed using these. They are fun to color is, and the teaching format is on a level that is easy for younger students to understand, but still engaging for the older crew. They do a really good job at explaining concepts in short lessons that are fun and engaging, so your child is more apt to fully retain what they are learning. I would definitely recommend these to others.

-Product review by Missica Pullen, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November, 2018