Discovery

Web Watch -- Do try these at home...

http://madsci.wustl.edu/experiments/
Yet another "Mad Scientist" site, but we can forgive the name for the wonderful approach to all sorts of edible and inedible science -- try using cheese to find out about tectonic plate movements and fractures, or jelly to see vector components in action. (At least even if you haven't followed the simple explanations, you can always eat the results...)

http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/snackintro.html
The Exploratorium has made its large number of simple Science Snacks available online. It hasn't been updated for a year or so, but there's plenty to go on with in the meantime, and they are nicely laid out.

http://sunsite.anu.edu.au/Questacon/ho_main.html
Questacon brings you hands-on science fun, but you need to have Shockwave for many of them. The Kidspace section has some nice activities related to displays at Australia's National Science and Technology Centre. (see below)

http://www.flash.net/~spartech/ReekoScience/ReekoIndex.htm
Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab is great (just ignore the name), with lots of experiments, games and all sorts of interesting information.

http://nyelabs.kcts.org/homedemos/index.html
TV science star Bill Nye the Science Guy provides a range of activities.

http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/HOMEEXPTS/HOMEEXPTS.html
Here's a fun collection of experiments that are easy to do at home, from finding out how to make soap bubbles last longer to making a fireproof balloon, courtesy of chemistry professor Bassam Shakhashiri.

http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/the-lab/do-it-yourself/current/default.html
The navigation on this site from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is a little unintuitive, but the experiments and discussion are good once you find them.

Vicki Hyde is the editor of New Zealand Science Monthly.