Magic Bus

When I was young I remember watching “The Magic School Bus” and being insanely envious of the students. They got to explore first hand all the wonders of science. I remember wanting to grow up and be a scientist so I could explore and discover all the wonders of the universe. Well, I went in the other direction and chose to follow Miss Frizzle and teach my love of science to new generations. Science is a huge part of our curriculum and even though they are young, the kids love exploring and discovering.

The Magic School Bus: Growing Crazy Crystals KitΒ was fantastic. The kit was full with everything you need (minus a few household items) to complete fourteen different experiments with your kids. Each experimenter is done buy one of Ms Fizzle’s students. It’s really cute and follows the classic Magic School Bus characters. I loved it in a nostalgic way and the kids just thought it was cool.

Magic Bus

Because I work with younger children, we did some of the easier experiments. We started out by talking about crystals and reading the notes. Then we looked at salt and sugar under our magnifying glass. The older kids talked about how the shapes were different and they got to draw what the shapes looked like.

Magic Bus

Magic Bus

Our “big” experimenter was growing crystals from baking soda. We mixed baking soda and boiling water together in a jar (Note: if you dump baking soda into boiling water it will create a volcano effect. While the kids get a kick out of this, it does create a crazy mess. I’d do a little at a time next time). We mixed everything together and used a pipe cleaner to make a shape. It was submerged and then the waiting game begins.I loved that these experiments taught the kids to be patient. We had to wait hours to see some of the crystals form but they waited and were very excited to watch it grow.

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This kit was a great way to teach kids about the scientific process and how to do experiments. They got to record their findings on a chart and label the jar. There were lots of steps they could do without my help and that is really important. The more hands on they can be the better. You can find other kits and sign up for The Young Scientists Club on their website. They have other great kits from The Magic School Bus and Clifford! This was a great way to get young children excited about science.

Disclosure: We were given this product to facilitate an honest review. All opinions are our own.