As a home schooling family, we have found this book to provide the basics for a hands on science curriculum. The experiennts have been easy to perform and the materials needed easy to gather from home or the local hardware store. Our children ages preschool to fourth grade look forward to science due to the wide range of activities and "fun" educational projects. The directions and safety concerns are adaquate when the reader keeps in mind the title of the book is "How Parents AND Children....", and the book is enjoyed together. Group this book with a well stocked library for more indepth reading on the topics the book introduces and you have enough science for a year at least!

I bought this books years ago because I was attracted to its beautiful photographs. Now I am using it with my 11 year old daughter as part of her science curriculum at home. It can be used in many ways, but even if you don't ever do the experiments, just seeing the photos makes the complex easy to understand. Even after getting a master's degree, I find I am really understanding things that I supposedly learned years ago. I highly recommend this book.