Junk Drawer Ecology: 50 Awesome Experiments That Don't Cost a Thing

by Bobby Mercer

Overview

Kids of all ages can use recycled and repurposed household items to complete exciting and green ecology experiments

Junk Drawer Ecology is a hands-on guide to saving the planet. Fun, free science activities help kids of all ages learn about the science of our planet's ecology. The environment is changing every day, and we can help slow that change. Using free or low-cost things children already have around their homes, these activities are perfect to stimulate young brains.

Readers will learn about the importance of the polar regions without leaving their communities, about new ways to cut our dependence on fossil fuels, about all forms of pollution, and how they can make a difference.

Junk Drawer Ecology will give inquisitive kids many hours of fun and help them learn at the same time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641605519
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	12/14/2021
Series:	Junk Drawer Science , #7
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Lexile:	870L (what's this?)
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Bobby Mercer has been sharing the fun of science for more than two decades as a high school physics teacher. He is the author of the Junk Drawer series, including Junk Drawer Biology, Junk Drawer Chemistry, and Junk Drawer Geometry. He lives with his family outside of Asheville, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Mini Greenhouse
Larger Greenhouses
Self-Watering Pots
Regrow Your Own Veggies
Solar Still
Cool Dirt or Hot Dirt
Landfill Design
Pick a Good Color
Recycling Paper
Milk and Vinegar Plastic
Paper Straws
Solar Pizza Box
Sun Power
Corn Starch Plastic
Keep the Heat In or Out
2: Animals and Plants
Yarn Food Chains
Yarn Food Webs
Decomposing Food Circles
Fish Food Chain
Food Chain Pyramids
Predators and Prey
Carnivores Eat Meat Triangle
Counting Fish in the Ocean
Paperclip Biodiversity
Random Sampling
Oily Feathers
Pollination Practice
Selective Nets
SPF for Life
Symbiotic Emojis
Ten Percent Dining
3: Water and Land
Paper Plate Biomes
Fire Triangles
Ice Shelf Melting
Melting Polar Ice Caps
Microclimates
Runoff vs Groundwater Pollution
Sinkholes
Stop the Acid Rain
Water Cycle Bag
A Cup Full of Rain
Edible Aquifers
Mining for Chips
Ocean Currents
Tasty Soil
4: Air
The Air We Breathe
Clean Balloons
Sticky Note Carbon Cycle
Capture the Carbon
Paperclip Smog
Cyclone Air Cleaner
 

Editorial Reviews

"Immersive and imaginative…[w]ith the book’s emphasis on positivity and hands-on science, kids are empowered to learn through doing." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

01/01/2022

Gr 5 Up—This collection of 50 low-cost, hands-on educational activities covers a broad range of ecological concepts, such as food chains and food webs, landfill design, air and water pollution, and the mechanics of ocean currents. Each activity includes a supply list, step-by-step instructions accompanied by photos, an explanation of the scientific concepts being demonstrated, and a description of how the activity could be modified for students of different ages. The book is divided into four sections: "Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle" covers solar energy and alternatives to plastic; "Animals and Plants" explores biodiversity, food chains, and pollination; "Water and Land" covers sink holes, melting polar ice caps, acid rain, and wildfires; and "Air" examines smog, carbon capture, and air pollution. Activities range from engineering challenges, like creating a miniature greenhouse from a plastic salad container, to different methods of modeling food chains on paper. One major strength of the book is that it relies on inexpensive and repurposed supplies, like plastic water bottles and paper clips. The activities are informative and filled with kid appeal, such as using goldfish crackers to model ways to design more sustainable fishing practices, or asking students to "mine" the chocolate chips in a muffin to model strip-mining. A glossary is included at the end. VERDICT This clever, hands-on guide to ecological science is an excellent resource for classroom teachers, homeschoolers, and community groups.—Ashley Larsen

School Library Journal

2021-11-16
Easy craft activities teach readers concepts of ecology.

Divided into four sections: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” “Animals and Plants,” “Water and Land,” and “Air,” this immersive and imaginative book introduces readers, through simple craft projects, to the scientific principles that affect and explain the ecology of our planet. Using commonly available household supplies—with an emphasis on repurposing plastic bottles and paper—the activities range from making a solar oven from a pizza box and making “plastic” from milk and vinegar to learning how to estimate population sizes through random sampling. “The Science Behind It,” an accompanying paragraph at the conclusion of each project, explains the activity’s scientific basis and its broader ecological applications. Activities range from those safe for preschoolers to ones that need adult supervision (e.g., use of a microwave or knives) and are clearly specified in the “Science for the Ages” section after each activity; this paragraph is written for adults and gives additional research ideas. With the book’s emphasis on positivity and hands-on science, kids are empowered to learn through doing. Who could resist making “Tasty Soil”—layers of cookies, whipped cream, and sprinkles—to learn about the strata of bedrock, subsoil, and topsoil, or using small fish-shaped crackers to understand sustainable fishing techniques? No frills (but clear) black-and-white photographs accompany the step-by-step text and aid in understanding each craft step.

Highly recommended for educators, home-schoolers, and any curious kid. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 4-12)

Kirkus Reviews