INTRODUCTION

Kids and science are a magical combination. Scientific exploration requires curiosity, and kids are famously curious. Most kids enjoy making a mess, and science can be wonderfully messy.

Enter the sheet pan, or rimmed baking sheet—a perfect vehicle for projects with a tendency to spill and overflow. With this simple metal tray, young learners can stir up loads of science fun while keeping drips and spills mostly contained.

Originally designed for professional kitchens, sheet pans have become a standard tool for the home cook. Often made of heavy aluminum to conduct heat evenly, the rimmed pans come in a variety of sizes. While full-sheet pans are designed to fit commercial ovens, half-sheet pans measure 18 by 13 inches (46 by 33 cm). You can even find sheet pans as small as an eighth of the size of a full sheet pan. Professional chefs nickname sheet pans by size—half-sheets, quarter-sheets, and eighth-sheets. Most home cooks use half-sheets, which are perfect for the projects in this book, but full sheets will work well too.

Sheet Pan Science contains twenty-five fun, educational projects that encourage kids to explore science concepts such as surface tension, germination, and capillary action using items many people have on hand. Each project in this book contains simple instructions, an easy-to-understand science explanation, and step-by-step photographic guides. Although a stovetop or freezer may occasionally be required, most steps of the experiments can be performed directly on a sheet pan, and each project is rated for messiness and complexity.

Messy play is important for young learners. Mixing colors, creating bubbly chemical reactions, and playing with goo are visual and tactile experiences that create strong memory pathways. In addition to allowing kids to explore and hone problem-solving skills, science experimentation encourages curiosity and engages a sense of wonder. A sheet pan and a few simple ingredients will instantly transform any kitchen countertop into a laboratory filled with scientific fun.

The projects in Sheet Pan Science cater to a wide range of interests. While some kids love getting their hands into cornstarch goo, others will enjoy creating colorful tie-dye milk. Using a lemon, aspiring geologists can test rock collections to see whether they contain limestone. Art-lovers may gravitate toward fabric-dyeing and leaf prints, while budding chefs can play with edible experiments.

So grab a sheet pan and a few simple ingredients and let the curiosity bubble over!