Normally, touting a book of science experiments as “seen on The Ellen Degeneres Show” wouldn’t be a big selling point, but this one is written by Steve Spangler, the science superstar and the man credited with first bringing the wonderful combination of Mentos and Diet Coke to the public consciousness. And, like the candy & soda spurtacular, Naked Eggs And Flying Potatoes is full of fun and more than a few hidden lessons. The book offers 30 scientific trials that not only teach you and your kids a little about science but also produce huge grins and laughs while you’re doing them.
Each experiment begins with a list of required equipment and most of the items you’ll find in your kitchen, garage or workshop. Next comes a section called “Let’s Try It” where Spangler describes, step-by-step, how to easily complete the exercise. He follows up with suggestions for pushing the boundaries of the experiment in “Take It Further” and wraps it up with a segment called “What’s Going On Here”, where he explains the scientific principles at work. The book is packed full of gorgeous photos that will help you as you follow the steps of the experiments.
Our favorite (so far) is using taco sauce to clean pennies. By using a packet of taco sauce, we were able to return a tarnished penny to a shiny, new state. But the experiment didn’t stop there. The next step was to look at the key ingredients of the taco sauce and then, by deductive testing, figure out which ingredients are responsible for removing the penny’s grime.
Other experiments include removing the shells from raw eggs, checking the iron content of your morning cereal, learning why some soda cans float (and others sink), and many more. We had a lot of fun with the experiments in this book and look forward to testing even more of them in the future. If you’ve got a budding scientist in your household, check out Naked Eggs And Flying Potatoes. You’ll have fun and may learn a thing or two while you’re at it.
Disclosure: GeekDad was sent a review copy of this book.
