The Totally Irresponsible Science Kit

Book excerpt: Stand back—genius at work! The perfect gift for every curious kid interested in science, here is a kit to perform 18 experiments that snap, crackle, pop, ooze, crash, boom, and stink. Included is a 72-page book with step-by-step instructions for the 18 experiments, including notes on how long each experiment takes, the necessary ingredients, warnings when applicable, and the “scientific excuse” to do the experiment. Sure, it’s a blast to send up a Soda Bottle Rocket, but it’s also worth doing because it illustrates Newton’s Third Law of Motion. And that messy and seemingly risky combination of ooze and electricity in the Static Electricity Slime? It demonstrates a fourth form of matter beyond solid, liquid, and gas—a colloid. Packaged in the kit are four helpful instruments for young scientists: a lateral split-orb measuring spoon, a vacuumatic test tube, a matter-retaining measuring cup, and photon-refracting goggles. So go ahead: Encase a younger sibling in a giant soap bubble. Drop Mentos into a bottle of diet soda, and stand back as a geyser erupts. Shoot a bolt of lightning from your fingertip. Any curious kid would be irresponsible not to try these experiments.