Magic School Bus Science Kits - Review (Preliminary!)

Who needs field trips when you have the Magic School Bus? ;)

We recently acquired a set of Magic School Bus Science Kits for review. This is the set that comes with 7 kits (it does not include solar energy or dinosaurs).

From our preliminary digging through the boxes, looking through all the materials, perusing the list of experiments.... we are SO excited!!!!!

All the experiments are VERY hands-on, with a page in the booklet for each one - background information is provided, a question is posed, along with a hypothesis, materials needed, method and how to record the results and conclusions. If you or your child writes small enough, you can just the use the enclosed booklet; if you have more than one child or they need more space, I personally recommend a spiral bound science notebook (or a thin binder with loose paper). This extra notebook also provides space for drawings and such.

Each kit has TEN experiments and just about everything you need. While these do require more than just water (as another coveted set of science kits advertises), the required home materials are really SO basic! And most of the experiments can be done again or with multiple children using materials at home. For the purposes of replacing uncommon consumable items, I've tried to note where to purchase additional supplies below.

In addition a notebook (my own recommendation!) and a pencil to record observations, you'll need the following from home:

**NOTE: I have not listed the same item twice within a particular kit, unless you need more than one

Going Green:
pot for boiling water, oven mitt, and something from the freezer
water
leaf, cup
old food, newspaper, 2 cups
banana, spoon
big bowl, blender
dishcloth, rolling pin
mug
jugs
baking tray lined with foil, permanent marker, oven
cup lined with foil

Mysteries of Rainbows:
milk, dish soap, cereal bowl
drinking glass, water
sharpened pencil
tape
AA battery
(this kit even comes with a flashlight!)

Soaring Into Flight:
juice box
scissors
2 chairs, tape
vinegar, baking soda
paper and pencil
stopwatch or watch

Diving into Slime, Gel and Goop:
glass, milk, vinegar, spoon, paper towel
2 disposable plastic bowls or cups, water, food coloring (optional)
small bowl, cornstarch
plastic sandwich bag, twist tie, freshly sharpened pencil
salt
large cup

The World of Germs:
bread, water
cup
sugar
vegetable oil, salt, flour, large and small mixing bowls
toothpaste
yogurt

The Secrets of Space:
AA battery (to use with the small included flashlight)
large flashlight (better than the small light for a few things)

A Journey Into the Human Body:
chicken or other poultry bones, jar, vinegar
tape
oil of some sort (vegetable, baby, corn)
2-liter soda bottle
water
stop watch
bread, sugar, paper plate
bitter substance (such as baking cocoa or coffee), sweet substance (sugar), salty substance (salt), sour substance (lemon or lemon juice), 4 small cups or dishes, blind fold, water

Consumables that you MIGHT want to replace to re-do experiments:
Agar
Chicken bouillon
Yeast
Borax
Peat Pellets

(others are possible, but these are the most obvious ones - I'll update as we actually do the experiments!)