Learn about science the same way Ben Franklin did--by performing incredible experiments!<br><br>Ben Franklin, the famous patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was also America's first great scientist. At a time when science was a mystery to most people, he performed incredible experiments that revealed amazing facts about light, heat, sound, electricity, the weather, and other aspects of the natural world.<br><br>Now the enormously popular Franklin Institute Science Museum shows you how to do your own exciting experiments Ben Franklin's way. He used common objects such as cooking oil, a glass bottle, or pieces of colored cloth to chart the Gulf Stream, predict the weather, or measure how much a molecule weighs. Using inexpensive, easy-to-find items, you'll discover how to: <br>* Build an optical toy shop, including a prism, kaleidoscope, telescope, and periscope <br>* Make a weather station with a working barometer, hygrometer, and other homemade meteorological instruments <br>* Create an orchestra with flutes, water chimes, maracas, and a guitar you make yourself <br>* Build your own printing press and print documents on paper that you make in your own paper mill <br>* Perform these and dozens of other experiments at home, in the classroom, or as science fair projects--and enjoy the fun of it<br><br><br>The Franklin Institute Science Museum was built in 1934 in Ben Franklin's hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first hands-on science museum ever, it offers people a chance to learn about science by experimenting with hundreds of exhibits, including a 20-foot model of the human heart, a 350-ton steam locomotive, and a working weather station.