Explore Night Science!

June 1, 2013

Gr 2-5-Six chapters cover the "when" and "why" of night; seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling the night; and, finally, night lights. The chapters on the senses are a fine introduction to how human senses work, with experiments that further explore the concepts. It isn't all serious science as there are plenty of silly jokes, such as, "What did the atmosphere say to the Earth? 'I've got you covered!'" and a funny little cartoon owl mascot follows readers through the book. Younger children will need an adult to guide them through the text and activities, while older students could take the book and run with it. Most of the activities can be done with household items and range in complexity. There is an experiment that illustrates how the atmosphere and light work together, another that tests the eye's ability to differentiate between colors at night, and instructions for the creation of a star dome with an old umbrella and glow-in-the-dark paint. Information on what happens at night, nocturnal animal adaptations, and fun facts such as the reason that pirates wear eye patches will keep kids interested. This one will be worth staying up past bedtime for.-Heather Acerro, Rochester Public Library, MN

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.