Campus Elementary: "11 Experiments That Failed"

If you ask many students if they think science can be fun, the answer is an enthusiastic "yes!" But.. can science also be funny? After reading 11 Experiments That Failed by Jenny Offill and Nancy Carpenter, I think you will agree that the answer is also "yes!" Our intrepid young heroine is a keen-minded empiricist whose tireless pursuit of knowledge seems to end up getting her in more and more trouble. Be sure to let kids know that the experiments in this book do not need to be duplicated. We can trust this scientist's conclusions without reproducing them ourselves.

What could be the harm in leaving a cheese sandwich in your brother's shoe in the closet for weeks to see if a fungus garden grows? Or sending a hand-written order form for a live beaver out in the mail to see what comes back? Or using your mother's fancy perfume to freshen up the equally fancy (and smelly) cheese said mother is going to serve at a party? These are the questions that burn in the mind of a young scientist, and the results will have readers of all ages laughing and shaking their heads.

This book is a great introduction to key terms and ideas of the scientific method (such as 'hypothesis'), but disguised as a very funny story about a kid who you can't help but love, despite all the trouble she causes. A recommended read-aloud for elementary-age children.

- Dennis De Boer