Backyard Biology: Investigate Habitats Outside Your Door with 25 Projects

Gr 5–8—This resource guide contains a wealth of information and challenging activities for budding scientists. It provides nature projects that can easily be implemented and includes growing microbes, molds, and yeasts; engaging in chemical chromatography; and learning what average people can do to protect neighborhood habitats. Each activity begins with an overview, provides a list of needed supplies, and then usually offers two pages of numbered directions. Many illustrations, diagrams, and sidebars are integrated into the text. The "Did you know" boxes contain interesting facts about the topics of investigation. Each activity expands students' vocabularies through "Words to Know" mini-glossaries on the pages on which they appear. An appended master glossary contains approximately 180 terms. A good choice for science collections.—Caroline Geck, Camden Street School Library, Newark, NJ