Sergei Urban - Thedadlab: 50 Awesome Science Projects for Parents and Kids

Lets be honest: parents never have a lot of free time. So Im always trying to find projects that require only materials we already have at home (while of course ensuring the activities are fun for my children and myself as well). Ive done hundreds of projects with my kids, ranging from classic experiments like the Egg Tower Challenge to more unique activities like Floating Pictures. In this book, Ive shared the fifty best projects weve done so far that have produced the most impressive outcomes. Ive made sure these activities are simple so no one needs any special skills to perform even the most ambitious experiments, but I really hope you encourage your kidsgirls or boys, young or oldto get creative and put their own unique twist on them. Keep in mind, though, that all the fun activities contained herein require adult supervision.

Besides introducing children of any age to science and art, the main purpose of this bookand the aim of TheDadLab activities on which it is basedis to suggest ways you and your family can have fun together. I want to give you ideas for how you can spend quality time with your kidscreating memories, bonding, and just exploring the world together.

These projects give you a wonderful opportunity to enjoy time with your children, and a chance to share something curious to talk about. The educational benefits are just a side effect. Youre doing fun stuff, but youre also learning, which is the way we like it in our family.

Ive broken this book into several categories, because different kinds of activities will suit different moments. Sometimes you might be short on time and need something that can be done quickly. Or maybe youre all in the kitchen together and you want to seize the moment, grabbing stuff you have on hand right there and then (theres an index on so you can easily see what you need for each activity). Or perhaps your kids want to do something artistic... In the book you can find all sorts of activities you can do at home or outside in the garden!

Many parents get discouraged from doing science-y activities with their kids because they think they dont know any science themselves. Well, you dont have to. For one thing, the most important part of science is not knowing answers, but asking questions. You can do this together: I wonder what would happen if we... ? You might not completely understand what is going on in an activityand if so, dont feel bad. Scientists still dont fully understand some of it themselves, or didnt until very recently. But in any case, its OKyoure allowed to answer questions with I dont know (although you might want to follow that up with How can we find out?).

Ive done some of the explaining for you. And Ive also given some suggestions for how the things youll see and do might be relevant to the world around you. Like science itself, so much of the fun is in opening your eyes and really noticing. And also like science, no one says it cant be fun.