By Adrienne Mason
Kids Can Press, $18.95, 128 pages
Are you a homeschooling parent or teacher of young children who needs an organized, thorough approach to the basic principles of physical sciences? Or, maybe you are the parent of a young child who has a natural curiosity about the forces at work around him or her? If so, Motion, Magnets and More is the book for you. Through four sections energetically entitled, “Touch It!” “Build It!”, “Change It!” and “Move It!” Adrienne Mason covers a surprisingly wide number of concepts including: mass, states of matter and how they change, magnetism, direction and force, friction, gravity and strong shapes. Mason briefly explains each concept and asks a question that requires the listener to think through the new idea. She follows most concepts with a simple activity done with easily obtained objects to demonstrate the principle in question. Each of the four sections concludes with a brief review of the major concepts contained in the section. Finally, Mason provides several pages of activities to extend the opportunities to learn and a brief glossary.
This book provides an excellent introduction to physical science. However, the truly inquisitive child will probably want more complex answers. Then again, is that really such a bad thing?
Reviewed by Annie Peters
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