How to Do a Science Experiment

by Jean Reagan, Lee Wildish (Illustrator)

Science is a blast, when you work together with Grandma! Follow the volcano fun in this silly Step 2 early reader story from the New York Times bestselling creators of How to Babysit a Grandpa.

Once you've learned how to make a volacano at home, it's time to teach Grandma what to do! But what happens when you don't remember the right ingredients? Work together with Grandma to create the best at-home volacno ever, with a few tips and tricks from the experts -- kids!

This Step into Reading story features a sweet Grandma and grandchild relationship and all the silly, sticky moments that come with creating an at-home experiment. Perfect for children who are ready to read on their own!

Step 2 readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories. They are perfect for children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Library Binding

Published July 19, 2022

About the author

Jean Reagan lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, Peter, and daughter, Jane. Their beloved son and brother, John, died in 2005. Born in Alabama, Jean spent most of her childhood in Japan. Since graduating from Earlham College, she has worked as a community organizer, a union activist, and a writer. She cherishes her years as a full-time mother when she also worked at her children's public school, The Open Classroom. In the summers, her family lives in a tiny, remote cabin in Grand Teton National Park where she and Peter serve as volunteer backcountry rangers. Bears visit them frequently.

Reviews

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do not recommend for homeschool/academic use in science. I'm sure it's fine for early reading (my kids aren't reading at this level yet). Loved that the illustrations were a Black girl. Doesn't actually tell how to do an experiment, just the steps of *one* experiment with no whys. And it happens to be the volcano experiment, which we had done just earlier that day for the first time. I had hoped there would be more mention about how and why we do experiments.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a granddaughter teacher her grandmother about the science experiment they did in school.

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great narrative walk through the traditional baking soda/vinegar volcano experiment. My daughter loves it, especially yelling at the character "baking soda" when she is unsure in the early stages what the right "white" ingredient is. My daughter really likes knowing more than the protagonist. The book has also inspired her to want to do the experiment, so we are gathering the needed materials to do so soon.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that this "How to" book literally demonstrates the scientific method by trying different white powders until they find the one that works.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

10/19/2024 ~ Great secondary story with the cat. I also appreciate the multiple attempts to make the volcano at home work.