This Book Thinks You're A Scientist book review (age 7+)

We've been reading a few non-fiction books recently, and one of our latest reviews 'This Book Thinks You're A Scientist' has really captured my 6 1/2 year old's attention. He currently wants to be a Scientist, and loves experimenting, especially Chemistry...

This Book Thinks You're A Scientist is by Harriet Russel. Absolutely crammed full of activities and experiments that children can do in their own home, if necessary using everyday items that most children can get hold of.

The book encourages children to think for themselves, and although it does have some detailed experiments for Chemistry and Physics, it also has some really open activities that make the reader sit up and think.

And some nice puzzles and challenges...

The book encourages the child to 'use' the pages as they go through. By writing on them, ripping them out, wetting them and using them as a template. It's nice, and a bit quirky, and not precious. It's bending the rules and for children of 6-8 learning which rules can be bent is a vital skill.

I'm more used to kitchen chemistry, and actually I've found a lot of experiments and activities in this book which I haven't seen before. My children have really enjoyed the Physics experiments - we have all attempted to beat each other bending forwards without falling onto the sofa, smallest angle wins - so far my 6 year old....I think youth has it.

I love the variation in experiments, and they're all simple to do, requiring very little extra equipment, if any.  This Book Thinks You're A Scientist is just a little old for my 6 1/2 year old, but he's very determined. Because each page or double spread is a new activity, he can pick out those which interest him, and where the text isn't too daunting!

Published in association with The Science Museum and their opening of Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery this October – "the most spectacular interactive science gallery in the world" - "This Book Thinks You're A Scientist explores seven key scientific areas in the Science Museum’s new interactive gallery for children: force and motion, electricity and magnetism, earth and space, light, matter, sound and mathematics."

This is a great book for any child who is inquisitive and wants to know why things happen.  It brings in terminology that they'll use at school, and teaches concepts such as static electricity, friction and magnetism using scientific method - asking children to guess what will happen, and then test that theory and find and record results.

This Book Thinks You're A Scientist is a pretty good bridge from Key Stage 1 science looking towards GCSE science, and it's done in a way that is really pressure-free and accessible to Key Stage children (age 7-11). Loads of fun, I like it a lot.

This Book Thinks You're A Scientist is published by Thames & Hudson, and available to buy now, rrp £8.95 in all good book shops and online including Amazon.