Hands-On Science

Cover featuring five images of science activities on a white background, with an illustrated orange frame

50 Kids' Activities from CSIRO

Edited by: Sarah Kellett, David Shaw, Kath Kovac

eBook - September 2016 - eRetailers

Discover more about the world of science through fun DIY science activities using easy-to-find, everyday materials.

Did you ever wonder why some insects can walk on water? Or how the ancient Egyptians made mummies? Are you curious about why a guitar sounds different from a flute? Gather some everyday materials from around your home and find out the answers with these 50 kid-approved science activities from CSIRO. + Full description

The activities cover electricity and magnetism, sound and light, heat and motion, water and gases, living things, shapes and our planet Earth. Each activity has a simple list of materials required, and uses simple step-by-step instructions and drawings to enable you to create exciting and interesting reactions, experiments and inventions. Fast facts and quiz questions will help you test your knowledge, and you’ll also find an explanation of the science behind each activity, along with examples of how each principle works in the real world.

Discover more about the world of science by making: dancing slime, rubbery bones, a ping pong ball shooter, ghastly ghostly photos, fizzy dinosaur eggs and a lemon battery.

Reading level varies from child to child, but we recommend this book for ages 8-14.

- Short description

News

The editorial team behind our Double Helix magazine regularly devise experiments to help demonstrate important scientific or engineering concepts to their young readership. They source everyday materials, and publish step-by-step instructions in the magazine (external link) and on the Double Helix blog (external link).

Hands-On Science is the collection of the best of these experiments.

Reviews

"The activities have been carefully thought through, and require little more than ordinary household materials. There's information on what happened in the experiment and also how this new knowledge is applied in the real world.
"I was particularly hooked on the section about biology... I really enjoyed reading this book and performing the experiments, and would suggest it to primary and high-school students interested in science."
Lior Yoffe, "Double Helix Reader's Review", Double Helix, September 2016, p. 33

"For those wanting to bring some excitement back into science in their school and perhaps develop a science club or family science night, this book would be a fantastic resource."
Peter Hope, Let's Find Out journal, 34(3) 2017

Details

Features

Provides 50 fantastic CSIRO-tested DIY activities
Every activity uses easy-to-find, everyday materials
Helps to explain science in everyday language
Activities have broader applications, and are important and useful in the world
CSIRO-tried and tested science you can do at home, that connects to the world around us

Introduction
Backyard biology: explore the world of living things
Shoot, spin, blow and wobble: the science of motion
Light and dark: rainbows, shadows and reflections
Boom, boom, boom: what's that sound?
Splish, splash, splosh: fun with water and liquids
Too hot, too cold or just right: the power of heat transfer
Our place in space: planet Earth
Feel the force: welcome to the weird world of electricity and magnetism
Bubbles of fun: the science of gases and air
Circle, square or dodecahedron: solving the puzzle of shapes

View the full table of contents. (PDF, 93kb)