Beth Harris, a Raleigh mom of two, is familiar to Go Ask Mom readers, who have watched her demonstrate all kinds of fun activities in our Easy Experiments series or purchased one of her Fort Kits for Kids, which includes everything kids need to build a fort at home (other than imagination).

Harris also is an author - and recently came out with her sixth book of science experiments. "365 Weird & Wonderful Science Experiments" was released last week. She's also (again) on Go Ask Mom's annual Made by Mom Gift Guide, which you'll hear more about later this week! I can't wait for my kids to unwrap her latest book under the tree next month!

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I checked in with Beth, who has many more activities on her own blog, to learn more about her book, her work and what she loves about it. Check the Q&A below.

Go Ask Mom: Tell us about your book and what it's all about?

Beth Harris: This book is a collection of science experiments that are easy enough for most 7 to 12 year olds to do without (or minimal) grown up help, but fun enough to keep them engaged. You can even do most of the projects with stuff you probably already have around the house like straws, string and balloons - and a lot of plastic bottles!

Most experiments were tested with my own kids, conveniently ages 7 and 12. There are some classics, like paper airplanes and slimes, as well as some you might not have seen before like the magnus flyer and the triboluminescent duct tape. Each project has the basics of getting started and then a “What If” section to get kids exploring further and trying a new way to do something, make it bigger, or go further and faster.

This is actually my sixth book of science experiments - and definitely the longest!

GAM: When did you first get excited about this kind of stuff? Did you do experiments at home when you were a kid?

BH: I’ve always liked science. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut and loved studying the stars. The earliest experiment I remember doing with my parents involves sprinkling pepper on a bowl of water and then dipping some soap in the middle. I remember doing it over and over and trying other stuff besides pepper because it was so cool.

GAM: Why are these kinds of activities so much fun for kids ... and so important to do with them?

BH: Kids like to try stuff and get their hands dirty. So often they are told not to touch this or don’t pick that up. It is important for them to be able to try and do things themselves. If it doesn’t work, they need to figure out how to make it work. These are all skills that are useful no matter what you end up doing, not just in science.

GAM: Do you have a favorite experiment or two?

BH: I’m not sure I could pick a favorite experiment but I do have a favorite section - Fool your Brain. These experiments involve different ways you trick your brain into doing weird stuff like optical illusions, false memories, floating arms and proprioception.

GAM: So ... you've written a book about 365 experiments, are there any, do you think, that you don't know about? Are you still always turning up something new and fun?

BH: Absolutely! When my editor first asked me to do this I thought, "there is no way I can come up with 365 experiments!" Turns out I had plenty left over.

I love looking at science news and seeing some new discovery that I can reproduce at home. I’ve written about two of the recent Nobel Prize winners - in medicine and physics - and how you can model their research at home. There are a couple that didn’t make it in the book because they involve really hot stuff and I didn’t want kids to get burned, but you could still do them at home with a little grown up help. Check out Self Folding Plastics and Dancing Droplets.

I am now working on 365 Engineering Challenges which is due to come out this summer!

Harris has a couple of events coming up. Check her website for details.

Go Ask Mom features local moms every Monday.