Wrapper Rockets and Trombone Straws

This is a Smorgasbord of chemistry and physics activities kids can play around mealtime! Ever wish you could give fidgety kids something constructive to do just before mealtime? This ingenious book, filled with entertaining, educational activities, will not only keep them busy, but will teach them about science. In fact, these activities for home, restaurants, school, or anywhere else that food is served, are so captivating, you'll want to join in the fun yourself! Children ages 8 and up will delight in such activities as: launching straw wrapper rockets; making drinking glasses sing; reading tea leaves; and competing in fork Olympics. As you and your children have fun with each activity - 50 in all - they will be learning the basic concepts of science, such as force and friction; air pressure; gravity; mass, and inertia; sound and vibration; light and optics; thermodynamics; and more. All activities can be done while children wait for meals to be served and require only simple items found on most tables, like straws, napkins, place mats, forks, salt, sugar, drinking glasses and carbonated beverages.
Each activity comes with step-by-step instructions, how-to illustrations, helpful hints, and simple explanations of the scientific theory, principle, or law behind it. Intriguing sidebars on science history and invention trivia are sprinkled throughout, making the book a fascinating browse even if it's not mealtime.