can anyone recommend a science/ experiment set for a 7 year old?

[puddle]

We'd be helping him so not too bothered about it being for older children.

TIA

egg in a bottle?

fabbo trick/experiment.

get a small egg and very lightly soft boil it. take the shell off (or you can soak a fresh egg in vinegar until the shell comes of)

get a milk bottle.

Light some paper and put it in the bottle. Quick as you can, put the egg on top. The pressure inside the bottle is reduced as combustion happens, air pressure outside will push the egg inside the bottle!

Or, outside only in crap clothes.....custard fights.

Mix custard powder with water until it makes a consistancy of single cream. When you put it under pressure it turns into a soild, when you relax the pressure it urns back to a liquid. Great for fights in the garden. Ver fun, v messy. A non newtonian liquid

mb - those are fab!

(what do you mean by non newtonian)

I actually meant one of those kits you can buy - it's ds's birthday soon and he's very interested in science and mixing up potions etc.

What sort of things does he want to do? We have used a couple of electronics sets with ds1 who loves building circuits. Alternatively the DK big book of science is great as it gives details of loads of experiements using household objects and "chemicals".

Eg you fill a small water bottle 1/3 full with vinegar, and put 2 tbsps of bicarbonate of soda into a balloon (using a funnel). You attach the balloon to the top of the bottle and then, once attached, tip the soda into the bottle. The combination of vinegar and soda produces CO2 gas which then fills the balloon!

I think that either Red House or the Book People were selling this book at a discount recently.

no, sod the kits they tend to be over priced.

Would he like to extract DNA? can be done at home quite safley?

Go on then MB - how would you do that?

Yes, maybe I should just get him a book - that one sounds good ladymuck.

University of Utah, but done for kids, it really works!