In this book a character named Archie and his friends teach science and reinforce alphabet skills. This approach combines reading and rhyming with simple science activities that begin with a list of everyday household materials and come with colorfully illustrated step-by-step instructions. Also provided are explanations of the science principles behind the fun. The 26 activities engage children and adults in making rainbows, rockets, music, fingerprints, and glue while exploring density, thermodynamics, wave transmission, mechanics, shadows and other topics. An index is included. (DDR)