We’re always looking for a way to get our kids to a museum, but it’s never very hard when it is the Arizona Science Center. Kids run around from one activity to another as they explore science through fun, hands-on exhibits. We typically leave the place exhausted, but better educated and talking about science. Strange Matter is a temporary exhibit about Materials Science – or the science of what makes up everything around us. You’ll learn about plastic, glass, metal, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

Strangely enough, a lot of scientific discoveries are made by accident. We’ve always loved hearing about the quirky ways some discoveries are made. While we certainly can appreciate the methodical scientific approach, sometimes a good accidental invention story simply tickles us. This week’s book, Mistakes that Worked, tells some of these stories. We also think it’s good for kids to understand that they need to make occasional “mistakes” to do great things. We read books like this when we were kids, and we still like relating some of the funny facts we learned.

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We’re always looking for a way to get our kids to a museum, but it’s never very hard when it is the Arizona Science Center. Kids run around from one activity to another as they explore science through fun, hands-on exhibits. We typically leave the place exhausted, but better educated and talking about science. Strange Matter is a temporary exhibit about Materials Science – or the science of what makes up everything around us. You’ll learn about plastic, glass, metal, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

At home, one way to keep the interest in science high is through a funny book by one of our favorite children’s book dynamic duos, Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. Science Verse pokes fun at science class through a series of parody poems. But watch out! If you’re not careful you might learn something while you’re having fun.

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We feel there is no event that could replace the fun and excitement of spending Thanksgiving with family and friends, whether your group is big or small. To add a serving of childish fun and a dash of silliness, we enjoy having young and old create Thanksgiving hats to wear during dinner. The hats use simple materials: construction paper, scissors, glue, and staples. We have it ready on the coffee table to be completed as the Turkey is carved or the finishing touches are made to the dinner. Try it out! It will be a Thanksgiving to remember and the pictures are fantastic!

Thanksgiving on Thursday from the Magic Tree House book series is a great pairing of Thanksgiving traditions and learning historical facts about the pilgrims and Native Americans in the first Thanksgiving. In the book, the children are transported back to the Fall of 1621 and are asked to help with the preparations for the Harvest Celebration. The book focuses on children’s duties in the Plymouth Colony and ends with a lesson that could be applied in all our lives no matter what century we live in. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Toys coming to life is the premise of many of our favorite books (The Indian in the Cupboard), stories (Pinocchio), and movies (Toy Story). Children and adults alike are obsessed with imagining that there is something more to the wood, plastic, and fabric that makes up our toys than meets the eye. How do toys interact when we’re not around? What do they say? What do they like to do? What does it take for a toy to become real?

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams was perhaps the first well-received book to explore the subject. Written in America in 1922, the book has stood the test of time as a children’s favorite for several generations of make believers. We think your kids will love it. Paired with the activity from last week’s Chapter Book Blast – the TOYS exhibit at the Arizona Museum for Youth – this book will help you and your kids fall in love with some of your old toys all over again.

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