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.

The Book

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Title: Science Verse

Author: Jon Scieszka

Illustrator: Lane Smith

Recommended Age: 7 and up

Book Brief: What if a boring lesson about the food chain becomes a sing-aloud celebration about predators and prey? A twinkle-twinkle little star transforms into a twinkle-less, sunshine-eating-and-rhyming Black Hole? What if amoebas, combustion, metamorphosis, viruses, the creation of the universe are all irresistible, laugh-out-loud poetry? Well, you’re thinking in science verse, that’s what. And if you can’t stop the rhymes . . . the atomic joke is on you. Only the amazing talents of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, the team who created Math Curse, could make science so much fun.

About the Author:

Jon Scieszka
rhymes with Fresca.
Lucky for him ’cause
not much else does.

Jon is funny. You’ll have to read his books or check out his website to know what I mean. But be warned, the guys in the crowd might get his humor more than the ladies. That’s by design. Worried about boys’ general lack of interest in reading, Jon started an organization called Guys Read – it also has an interesting website – to provide tips for getting boys interested in reading. Jon is the author of many children’s book favorites (especially among boys), including The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Frog Prince Continued, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, and Cowboy & Octopus.

About the Illustrator:

Lane Smith
rhymes with
almost less-ska
than Jon Scieszka.

Lane has illustrated and written a bunch of stuff. Besides those written by Scieszka, Lane has worked on a number of high profile books, including James and the Giant Peach, written by Roald Dahl, and John, Paul, George, and Ben, which he wrote.

Extras: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs was the first book that Scieszka and Smith did together. It was Jon’s first book. He had already made the rounds to publishers and been denied by all of them. Lane read the story and liked it, so he completed the illustrations for it. He then showed some of the publishers he thought would print it, but they all found the illustration style a little to sophisticated and modern. One publisher finally thought the text and illustrations made for a hilarious book and took a chance on the duo. The rest – as they say – is history. And boy are we happy; we love these guys!

The Blast

Strange Matter Exhibit
Arizona Science Center
600 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004

(Click here to see a map and get directions.)

Website: www.azscience.org

When: Open daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Jan. 6, 2008

Cost: Includes general admission to Arizona Science Center and admission to Strange Matter
Adults – $11
Children (3-12) – $8
Seniors (62+) – $8
Members – Free

It’s a Blast: You are surrounded by Strange Matter. Everything around you is made up of molecules and atoms: from the foam in your sneakers, to the plastic in your contact lenses, to the metals in your bicycle. Strange Matter explores the science behind this everyday stuff and introduced visitors to some cutting-edge materials that can do amazing things! Watch mountains of foam grow before your eyes. Feel metals morph from liquid to solid with the touch of a button. Squeeze in some destructive testing with the incredible “Smash the Glass.”

And then explore everything else the Arizona Science Center has to offer!

Extra Tips for a Good Time:

• Join a hands-on workshop to experience the science of materials in another fun format. Find out how different ceramics, including glass, behave when they are heated and cooled. Make your own glass beads from an everyday household product. Learn how ceramics can be used to make light. Family Workshop (Saturday, December 1, 1:30-3:30 p.m.) or Teen Workshop (Saturday, December 8, 1:30-3:30 p.m.). See the website for more details.
• Click here for information on parking.
• The IMAX theater is currently showing The Polar Express in 3D (among other things).
• No food is allowed in the Center, and the only drink you can bring in is bottled water.
• Bring your own stroller – there are none available for rental.
• Leave your valuables at home, because there are no lockers to stash your stuff.
• City Bakery at Arizona Science Center offers an all-organic menu.
• For little kids, check out the Stroller Science program that caters to their interest levels.