Lucy's Lab: Solids, Liquids, Guess Who's Got Gas

Title: Lucy's Lab: Solids, Liquids, Guess Who's Got Gas

Author: Michelle Houts

Illustrator: Elizabeth Zechel

Publisher: Sky Pony Press, 2017

Pages: 112

Genre: children's fiction (chapter book ages 7-9)

Obtained: from publisher in exchange for an honest review




Summary: The Harvest Festival is coming up and Lucy does not have a costume idea until she starts to learn about the states of matter- solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.

Thoughts: This is the second book in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) based chapter book series geared toward 7 to 9 year old children.  My 10 year old has really enjoyed this series and I think others this age would also be interested and entertained by it.  The books are a combination of science (nonfiction) and a realistic fiction story that has science dispersed throughout it.  The science is presented simply and not with an over abundance of detail, so it holds kid's attention.  The fictional story has lovable, well developed characters and the story takes place all over a small town which keeps children engaged through the action and movement.

The focus of this second book is on the states of matter- solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.  I liked that the states of matter worksheet Lucy did in the story was in the book, so my son could do it.  This way I could see if he understood the science concepts.  The material is presented with fun and humor which makes it memorable.  I can see a child recalling the information easily.

My son and I liked the second book in the series even more than the first.  The science and story were woven together more seamlessly and my son did not have the feeling the story was not finished which he did after reading the first.  I also liked that science vocabulary that was presented in the first book was repeated in this one which helps my son to remember new words, especially long ones.  New vocabulary such as properties, hypothesis, and atmosphere were introduced in this book. 

This book taught that science is all around us, there are different ways to test a hypothesis, and that there is more than one way to solve a problem.  It taught manners, safety, the importance of family, the value of studying and the usefulness of the library.  I thought it was a wonderful book for autumn, not only because it was about a harvest festival, but because the students went to an apple farm and learned all about picking apples and making cider.

I recommend this book for anyone who has a child interested in science.  This book and series is a fantastic way to introduce children to science.  It is a terrific story for homeschoolers to read along with their states of matter lesson.  Also, Lucy, the main character in the story, has her very own Pinterest page that has the science activities Lucy did in the book (and more), so children can do the same experiments as Lucy.

The third book in the series, The Colossal Fossil Fiasco comes out in February 2018 and is on my son's Amazon wish list already.  He is studying fossils in school now and it will be a nice review for him when we read the third book.



                                                 

Company: Adagio Teas

Tea: Spiced Apple Chai

Obtained: purchased








I love fall, especially the harvest and all the cooking (especially baking) that goes along with it.  I delight in the spices- cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, ginger, cloves, and orange peel- in pumpkin and apple pie, eggnog, apple cider, butternut squash, and even blueberry, pear, and peach desserts.  During the autumn season I enjoy drinking teas with some of these spices and I often make chai in the traditional way- warming tea leaves, honey, milk, and these spices on top of the stove.

Recently, I placed an order with Adagio Teas for some samplers and decided to include the Chai Teas Sampler for the fall season which contains four different chai blends.  The order arrived quickly.  The chai samples came in resealable bags in a gift box.  I found that the bags really need to be cut open and some are more difficult to reseal than others, but they eventually catch.

The Spiced Apple Chai is a beautiful potpourri of whole cloves, chunks of apple and spices, orange peels, and tea leaves.  It has a strong scent of spices and apple.  The ingredients (which are listed on the package) are: black tea, cinnamon bark, ginger root, cardamon, orange peels, cloves, apple pieces, natural apple flavor, and natural cinnamon flavor.  The website states that this tea has a high caffeine content.  I put two heaping teaspoons of leaves into my teapot (one with a fine sieve because there are some really small pieces in this blend) and poured eight ounces of boiling water over the leaves.  I let this sit for five minutes.  The cloudy orange liquid had a delectable scent of sweet apple and spices that definitely smelled like fall.  The taste of the tea was of spices and sweet apple.  It was flavorful, but not as strong as I expected a chai tea to be. I did not want to add milk or honey.  The apple added sweetness to the tea and I felt like if I added milk it would take away too much of the spiciness.

I really enjoyed this tea.  One cup was just not enough!   I made another one.  I don't know what it was with this tea (it could be just me) but it didn't really quench my thirst. I still enjoyed it though.

I recommend that chai lovers or someone looking for a cup of fall try this blend.  I would not call it "refreshing" like the website does, but it sure does taste delicious!