Mike Adamick - Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments: From Boiling Ice and Exploding Soap to Erupting Volcanoes and Launching Rockets, 30 Inventive Experiments to Excite the Whole Family!

Avon, Massachusetts

For Emmeline, my sidekick and inspiration, and for Dana, who puts up with us.

My daughter and I like to work on big, daring, and slightly dangerous projects every time she has a school break. For the past several months, Emmeline and I have been trying to land something on the moon. I remember hearing her plans and thinking, That sounds crazy and Lets do it! Eat your heart out, NASA or Red Bull or whoever is in charge of space travel nowadays.

Now, did I actually believe wed land something on the moon? I wasnt hopeful. And yet, we began anyway. Who was I to crush her well-thought-out plan? Who knows, maybe she could figure out a way to land on the moon. Ill be darned if Ill be the one to get in the way of all the wonderful sciencethe engineering, the math, the physics, the space travel.

Kids should feel empowered to take the lead, learn a lot along the way about the world around them, and have fun. This is the idea behind Dads Book of Awesome Science Experiments.

Throughout the book, youll find thirty easy, interactive, and fun science experiments that can be done by even the youngest of childrenwith a little help from you, of course. After all, what kid hasnt wanted to make an exploding volcano (Volcano Time! in Chapter 5), fire a balloon rocket (Straw Balloon Rocket Blasters in Chapter 4), cover his hands in ink and examine his own fingerprints (Fingerprint Monsters in Chapter 6), or make her own rock candy (Rock Candy Crystals in Chapter 2)? And you wont learn just how to do the experiments; youll also learn all you need to know about how and why these experiments work. Before you know it youll be helping your lab partner learn about everything from nucleation, to inertia, to thermodynamics, to so much more.

Hopefully, the science experiments found throughout this book will help you inspire your kids to take their love of science to the next level. The starter experiments are there and the chapters are rich with information to explain whats happening. But if your little lab partner wants to take a project in a different direction or learn a little bit more about it, by all means, go for it. Who knows where her curiosity will take her or what world-changing discoveries she might one day make?

The experiments in this book will help you and your little lab partner explore everything from physics to biology, chemistry to planet Earthand you can do almost all of them with materials and supplies you probably already have around the house. Your kitchen, your yard, your neighborhoodyou may not realize it, but they provide some of the best science labs available, and you should take full advantage of all they have to offer. But as you decide which experiments you want to take on first, keep in mind that some experiments require a stove, the microwave, or liquids that can be dangerous if swallowed. I didnt include safety precautions in most chapters, because you know whats safe or doable for your own family. If you think you need safety glasses (you probably wont) or gloves, by all means, put them on. If you need to create a zone of safety for boiling experiments, please do. But for the most part, these experiments are simple and safe enough for just about any kid to do on his or her own.

Throughout the experimentation process, let your kids do the work. There are hints and reminders throughout each experiment to urge involvement by your lab partner, but keep this in mind as youre working together: When in doubt, let your little lab partner get her hands dirty or wet. Thats what soap is for. And, frankly, that is what this book is all about. I have no doubt that you can mix vinegar and baking soda to create a foam eruption, but let your miniature scientist experience that for herself. Let her wield the tools or the chemicals and take the lead. Let her discover the joys of discovery, as you help out from the sidelines, reveling in the joy of having fun and learning together. Too many toys and activities are bubble-wrapped in a shroud of safety. But these easy science experiments should allow your junior mad scientist to roll up his or her sleeves and get messy. And who knows? Maybe youll soon find yourself in the backyard, staring up at the sky, and wondering just how to reach the moon

My daughter and I went for ice cream on a hot summer day and happened upon a place that makes ice cream by the batch. While you wait. Using liquid nitrogen. Emmeline placed her order, and we watched as the workers poured cream into an industrial mixer and then flipped a switch. A swirling white cloud suddenly materialized, enveloping the mixer. It was as if the Wizard of Oz had found a new day job. Emme was enthralled.

It was, indeed, quite the show. Id never seen anything like it. For a long, long time, we stared in awe, watching the cold, cloudy wisps of nitrogen-infused air swirl and dive. When we sat down on a bench with our cones, I braced for what was to come.

So, daddy? Emme began, How does it work? Whats liquid nitrogen? Can we get a liquid nitrogen mixer?

Anyone who has ever spent time with a kid knows these questions wellor the countless, seemingly endless questions just like them.

Why is the sky blue?

Why does my heart beat?

How do volcanoes work?

So wait, birds and bees do what?

The curiosity of a child is an astounding, amazing thing to witness. To a child, the world is a fishbowl of experiences to be discovered, probed, wondered at, and explored. Theres a raw, wide-eyed fascination for absolutely everythinga day-to-day awe that somehow, sadly, gets beaten out of us as we grow older.

Some of my absolute favorite times with my daughter have come from casual walks around the neighborhood and the impromptu discussions about her limitless discoveries. It thrills me to watch her face as new revelations dawn, as new discoveries are made. It reminds me to pay attention, to probe, to sometimes stop and simply stare.

Thats the direction and guiding principle youll find in this book: to help turn the everyday into a moment of discovery, to help probe those random, joyful questions, and to help cultivate that awe-inspiring sense of curiosity.

Now, Im a big believer that you dont need to go out and buy stuff to perform wonderful science experiments or satisfy that endless sense of curiosity. You dont need that fancy science kit or that expensive toy. To be sure, as your kids get older and want to continue their journeys of discovery, there are definitely science supplies to collect along the way. But on this, the start of that journey of discovery, you probably already have everything you need to do some amazing, eye-popping things in your very own home. For instance, if you have some batteries, a screwdriver, and some wire floating around a junk drawer somewhere, you have everything you need to create your very own electromagnet. If you have some fruit and a few party balloons, you can explore the fascinating world of decomposition. Some mints and soda can make for a supersweet backyard rocket and a discussion about propulsion. A coffee filter, some nail polish remover, and a few spinach leaves left over from dinner give you everything you need to discover the wonders of photosynthesis and how the chemical chlorophyll is responsible for the seemingly magical change of tree colors each year.