Science in Your Backyard

School Library Journal

Gr 5-7 This collection of science activities includes natural history, weather, and astronomy as well as a few demonstrations of principles of physics. The backyard designation is a bit of a misnomer, since many of the suggested collecting and observing projects entail expeditions to other outdoor locations (parks, woods, bodies of water, even the roof). Some of the projects are fairly simple exercises in observation, while others involve building or purchasing pieces of equipment; a few are quite ambitious, such as constructing a backyard pond or mini-ocean and stocking it with wildlife. There are instructions for building small animal traps and for using a killing bottle with rubbing alcohol in which insects are placed for several hours. Instructions are nearly always brief, sometimes accompanied by labelled sketches, and sometimes overly sketchy or ambiguous, as in the description of how the home-made astrolabe is used to measure the altitudes of these stars or the failure to name the type of liquid one should use in making a barometer. Explanations of scientific principles are likewise brief and uneven; the authors do often point out the need to use the library for further reference. No bibliography is provided, but there is a short list of science supply companies. The broad range of ideas is appealing and the text quite readable, making this useful where additional material on science activities is needed. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston