Practical Encyclopedia Illustrated Series: Practical and Fun Experiment Illustrated Guide

Author: Shigeo Arisawa (Text), Kiyomi Tsukimoto (Images)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: On a certain day in February, I wandered into a forest of fallen leaves. I went there to confirm the fact that butterfly larvae hibernate wrapped in leaves and to draw them. Among the withered leaves near the tree roots, I discovered the presence of these tiny creatures. They quietly pass the winter wrapped in fallen leaves, and such courage is truly admirable. For ease of future observation, I placed the leaves with larvae into a dish. When I returned to collect other leaves, I found that the position of the larvae in the dish had changed. Previously, I thought that when the weather got cold, the larvae would be completely motionless. This discovery surprised me, as if I had made a significant new finding, and I couldn’t help but feel excited. Actually, the reason I’m mentioning this is to illustrate two points: first, through observation, many important things can be discovered that are not found in books, and second, fun is not just for summer—it can also be done in winter. Moreover, social fun experiments have nothing to do with the season.
In elementary school, fun experiments mainly involved collecting and making insect or plant specimens. By now, I’ve forgotten almost everything I learned in school. However, the fun experiments I did as a child, such as collecting insects in the forest or drying plant specimens by continuously changing newspapers, remain vivid in my memory in every detail. Around each of us, there are countless unknown mysteries. With curiosity and independent thinking, if you conduct fun experiments, you might experience many unexpected surprises, emotions, and joys that you can’t find in schoolbooks.
In simple terms, fun experiments mean, "Better to fish than to yearn for fish." You are sure to make unexpected new discoveries. They will become your precious spiritual wealth.