Projects with Color and Light

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-- Each of these series entries has a dozen fairly simple projects, ranging from mildly interesting (periscope, rubber-band buggy) to downright dull (scrapbook of wheel pictures, motionless shadowbox theater). Most are easy to do, but a few do not work well. A rubber-band safety belt used in one experiment ends up crushing or sticking to the clay passenger. Drawing a picture on the inside wall of a shoe box, as required in another project, is pretty difficult. Most materials used are readily available, but some, such as a spring balance and a prism, are not. Except for a list of supply outlets in the appendix, no hints are given on where to find them locally. Diagrams are generally clear and useful. Still, even the projects that are successful and interesting are marred by the lack of adequate explanations. The kaleidescope and the water microscope, for example, are effective activities, but no mention is made of refractions or light rays in either. Ardley's Science Book of Color and Science Book of Light (both HBJ, 1991) are superior to Color and Light , while Zubrowski's Wheels at Work (Morrow, 1986) is a better choice than Williams's book, although it reaches a slightly older audience. --Steven Engelfried, Alameda County Library, CA