The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip

I love anything Magic School Bus related, and the electric field trip was truly electric. I found this book and got so excited because many of my students' homes lost power in the recent storm and we had a really interesting conversation about electricity. This book explains what I was trying to explain in a fun and creative way, and I would definitely read this to my class. Maybe not all at once but bit by bit!

I forgot how much information is really packed into Magic School Bus books! The book takes readers on a journey through electricity starting with the talking about what uses electricity to work around us, and then broke it down in terms of atoms. A thunderstorm conveniently knocked out the electricity in the classroom, so after Ms. Frizzle explained the electricity in lightning, they took a field trip to find the cause and ended up traveling through a power plant and electrical system. The book is full of illustrations and kid-friendly jokes and speech bubbles, yet the content is rich with vocabulary. I even learned some new things about electricity!

In a classroom, this book could be used for so many things! Not only is it fun to read, show more but it also holds so much information. It would be a great addition to a STEM lesson, and could be followed by students completing their own circuits! show less

Ms. Frizzle drags her class on another wild and educational adventure, this time through wires and currents and power plants. Her students learn all about electricity. The school bus transforms itself into a dump truck, which clothes the students in heat-proof suits and dumps them in a furnace of a power plant. They observe the fuel that creates steam, and follow the steam as it powers an enormous turbine and generator. They leave the power plant through a power line, and jump into various buildings to see how electricity powers machines like vacuum cleaners and lights. This book has a nice touch at the end: a board game that helps readers discern between the factual and fictional details in the book.

The subject matter of this book in show more the series is more complex, but the author and illustrator do an admirable job of simplifying the subject as much as possible. As with other books in the series, extra information on the topic is collected in school papers (supposedly written by the students) and notes on the sides of the pages, and the illustrations are both comical and crammed with details that illuminate the subject. Be prepared to discuss the difference between the factual scientific information and the fantasy elements, but the fanciful framework is an inviting premise to capture a young reader's interest. Still, this particular Magic School Bus book is an advanced read because of the intricate subject matter, and will be better appreciated by older children, as opposed to the dinosaur book which has a broad appeal. If a parent or teacher is looking for a child-friendly way to teach about electricity, though, this book is suited to the purpose better than any other I know. show less

I have always loved "The Magic School Bus". As a child, I enjoyed watching the movies and it was a fun way to learn about many different things. I enjoyed the book because it reminded me of how much fun learning can be. The book is wordy and would be best for children in upper-grade levels. The book was very similar to the movies, which I liked very much because it made it just as interesting. Electricity has always been a confusing topic but the book found a way to literally take you through the function and processes of electricity. I think the book is very fun to read and it doesn't just list facts about the topic.

This book was extremely informational with the main message being what electricity is and how it works. The book is laid out in such a way that there are facts no matter where you look on the page, yet they are given to the reader as characters thoughts and homework. This structure of the story made the information easier to comprehend and more enjoyable. The pictures also made the information the story was discussing come to life in a child friendly way, yet it was still fun. After all, what type of bus can go INSIDE an outlet.

This "Magic School Bus" book follows Ms. Frizzle and her class as they take a journey through electricity itself. Their trip starts at a power plant, where they see the inner workings of the plant, and how they generate electricity to travel to our homes. The way powerlines work is then explained, as well as what transformers do and why different voltages are important. Then, the parts of different electronics are shown, and the way these parts work together to produce heat, light, or movement is explained as well. Many other facts about electricity are given throughout the book, many of which I didn't know. Atoms are explored as well, since electrons are the reason we have electricity in the first place. Just like the other "Magic show more School Bus" books I reviewed, this one is excellent. The illustrations and text teach the reader about the different situations better than most textbooks I've read, and I feel like both adults and children could learn from these books. show less

I love The Magic School Bus books! This one is all about electricity. The book discusses electricity, how it occurs, the processes used to make it applicable in our every day lives, and it even discusses the subject all the way down to the molecular level. The book is fun, humorous, educational, adventurous and allows children to use their imagination. I love the illustrations and also how the students all have their own little dialogues. I'd recommend this book.