Imagine if you would with me... being able to make food that helps you explain scientific ideas. Eat Your Science Homework: Recipes for Inquiring Minds by Ann McCallum Books is the book I am talking about. :) Science lesson plus good food. Doesn't it sound great?
The Set Up
So you get a lesson in science, followed by a easy to medium level cooking lesson, which helps explain the science lesson, followed by an additional think it through section. Let me walk you through one of the lessons we did.
Open up your book to discover what the Method to Scientific Study is, along side it discover some kitchen safety rules.
So you get a lesson in science, followed by a easy to medium level cooking lesson, which helps explain the science lesson, followed by an additional think it through section. Let me walk you through one of the lessons we did.
Open up your book to discover what the Method to Scientific Study is, along side it discover some kitchen safety rules.
Discover then the chapters in the book which are
Atomic Popcorn Balls
Density Dressing and Veggie Sticks
Invisible Ink Snack Pockets
Loop, Whorl, and Arch Cookies
Sedimentary Pizza Lasnagna
Black Hole Swallow Ups
The final two sections are a review of the chapters and a glossary. Words in bold in the lessons are found in the glossary. Index in the back helps one find terms easily.
My son's favourite lesson was Loop, Whorl, and Arch Cookies. This was all about fingerprints and genetics. This lesson starts off introducing us to such terms as forensic science, minutiae and friction ridge skin. He had fun leaving his fingerprints on a variety of surfaces...the tap, drinking glasses, silly putty and what not.
Atomic Popcorn Balls
Density Dressing and Veggie Sticks
Invisible Ink Snack Pockets
Loop, Whorl, and Arch Cookies
Sedimentary Pizza Lasnagna
Black Hole Swallow Ups
The final two sections are a review of the chapters and a glossary. Words in bold in the lessons are found in the glossary. Index in the back helps one find terms easily.
My son's favourite lesson was Loop, Whorl, and Arch Cookies. This was all about fingerprints and genetics. This lesson starts off introducing us to such terms as forensic science, minutiae and friction ridge skin. He had fun leaving his fingerprints on a variety of surfaces...the tap, drinking glasses, silly putty and what not.
We then turned to the recipe. As you can see from the above image the recipe is well laid out, with clear instructions as well as listing the equipment you will need for making the recipe. My son virtually made this by himself with just some help in learning how to roll out cookie dough and doing some kneading.
We made a change in the ingredients for one main reason (didn't have M&M candies in the house). We tried M&M peanut candies, let's just say this >>> NOT a good fit. :) So we tried our "church candy" and that worked great! AND provided us with other items to observe as well. More on that later. :) This is an easy recipe that is so hands on for children to make. Mixing, rolling, moulding, choosing candies and patterns.
We made a change in the ingredients for one main reason (didn't have M&M candies in the house). We tried M&M peanut candies, let's just say this >>> NOT a good fit. :) So we tried our "church candy" and that worked great! AND provided us with other items to observe as well. More on that later. :) This is an easy recipe that is so hands on for children to make. Mixing, rolling, moulding, choosing candies and patterns.
What kind of designs can one make? What candies will work best? We used our church candy which consists of candy such as jelly beans, smarties, tic tacs, jelly bellies, red raspberries, wine gums and jolly ranchers.
What did we discover?
1. Candies with a hard coating - smarties, tic tacs - the coating would crack but nothing oozed out unless you pushed on it (genetics anyone??)
2. Candies like jelly beans with a smooth outside and softer inside would split and the insides would gush into the cookie center (didn't matter if jelly bean or a mike and ikes)
3. Wine gums get soft...regardless of size or shape and nothing more. Good for cooking with.
1. Candies with a hard coating - smarties, tic tacs - the coating would crack but nothing oozed out unless you pushed on it (genetics anyone??)
2. Candies like jelly beans with a smooth outside and softer inside would split and the insides would gush into the cookie center (didn't matter if jelly bean or a mike and ikes)
3. Wine gums get soft...regardless of size or shape and nothing more. Good for cooking with.
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The close of the lesson has children using sandpaper to get graphite dust to get their fingerprints. I had no sandpaper so we used flour and dark paper. We also did an ink pad and silly putty. Both worked well so show the loops, whorls and arches of our fingerprints. Dad didn't want to get messy so just allowed son to give his thumb and fingers a good going over.
Mom! Look and see what this one did? Hey.... do you suppose fingerprints can be destroyed by heat too?
My son thoroughly enjoyed this lesson and spent about 1/2 an hour playing with different floury type materials to find fingerprints on objects. I gave him a mascara brush (we'd gotten somewhere) and he had a hoot looking for fingerprints and even finding some that do not belong to our family on doorknobs. I do wish I had thought to get pictures of him doing this. :)
What did we think?
To be honest, not a particularly good fit in my "needs to be exact" male household. Both son and hubby queried with multiple lessons.... how does that recipe link with the topic at hand? OR my "learning not to be fussy about his food" boy would rebel at making a given recipe. I was able to do work-arounds with a couple of the recipes but then hit the "but that's not the recipe in the book mom so we aren't do the review right!!" Too much stress isn't good for a boy or his momma. :) It actually got the point where I said to myself "I'm done with this review". We happily enjoyed reading the lessons, answering questions, doing experimentation but didn't make anymore of the recipes. :)
So what do I like about this book?
1. I like the concept. Combining ways to learn a given topic is HUGE in my eyes.
2. The science information seems solid and provoked good conversations...
3. The material prodded my son into thinking and asking questions and making up his own experiments.
4. The book is colourful and well-laid out.
5. The recipes are accurate and don't need adjusting.
6. The illustrations were quirky and interesting enough they appealed to my artsy child.
7. The book itself is sturdy, yet thin enough to travel well.
8. I was able to take the information and use it in ways unexpected by my lad to reinforce ideas learned. Like when looking at a sugar pie I could ask him about how hard he thought the sugar would be before cooking, and what would the sugar be like now? What would the hardness of the crust be compared to the pie insides? Did cooking change that at all? How do you think heat and/or pressure changes rock or living matter? (couldn't make the recipe but we can still think on the concepts). :)
I have to admit, I don't know whether to recommend Eating your Science Homework or not. :) Just because it wasn't a good fit in our household doesn't mean it won't be in yours. I do love the questions he asked and how we were able to answer them, it was merely the recipe section that didn't set well in this schoolroom. Your schoolroom might be a tad more forgiving. :)
So what do I like about this book?
1. I like the concept. Combining ways to learn a given topic is HUGE in my eyes.
2. The science information seems solid and provoked good conversations...
3. The material prodded my son into thinking and asking questions and making up his own experiments.
4. The book is colourful and well-laid out.
5. The recipes are accurate and don't need adjusting.
6. The illustrations were quirky and interesting enough they appealed to my artsy child.
7. The book itself is sturdy, yet thin enough to travel well.
8. I was able to take the information and use it in ways unexpected by my lad to reinforce ideas learned. Like when looking at a sugar pie I could ask him about how hard he thought the sugar would be before cooking, and what would the sugar be like now? What would the hardness of the crust be compared to the pie insides? Did cooking change that at all? How do you think heat and/or pressure changes rock or living matter? (couldn't make the recipe but we can still think on the concepts). :)
I have to admit, I don't know whether to recommend Eating your Science Homework or not. :) Just because it wasn't a good fit in our household doesn't mean it won't be in yours. I do love the questions he asked and how we were able to answer them, it was merely the recipe section that didn't set well in this schoolroom. Your schoolroom might be a tad more forgiving. :)
The Crew has had time over the past few weeks to review a variety of the Ann McCallum Books we have reviewed: You can click here or the banner below.
Eat Your Math Homework
Eat Your Science Homework
Eat Your U.S. History Homework
Rabbits, Rabbits Everywhere: A Fibonacci Tale
Beanstalk: The Measure of a Giant
Eat Your Math Homework
Eat Your Science Homework
Eat Your U.S. History Homework
Rabbits, Rabbits Everywhere: A Fibonacci Tale
Beanstalk: The Measure of a Giant
Product Details:
Received: Softcover Book
Vendor: Ann McCallum Books
Author: Ann McCallum
Product: Eat Your Science Homework: Recipes for Inquiring Minds
Price: $16.95 Hardcover, $7.95 for softcover
Free Samples: Can be found here.
Ann's Blog: HERE. Helpful recipes and videos linked here. :)
Received: Softcover Book
Vendor: Ann McCallum Books
Author: Ann McCallum
Product: Eat Your Science Homework: Recipes for Inquiring Minds
Price: $16.95 Hardcover, $7.95 for softcover
Free Samples: Can be found here.
Ann's Blog: HERE. Helpful recipes and videos linked here. :)
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