Science non fictions books and fun experiments for kids to do at home.
I just saw the Museum of Science of Boston’s presentation on weather for 5th graders today and I remembered how difficult it was for me to help my fifth grader figure out how to study for her weather unit. I spent hours googling weather terminology to help her with flashcards but then, trying to put together all the casual relationships was confusing, even to me.
Use picture books Stellaluna, Owl Babies and Owl Moon to explore the relationship between bats and owls. More science links on ecolocation, virtual owl pellet and more included.
I am starting to buy into this idea of teaching and really connecting material through games and apps. I was sort of on board with this concept, but since playing around with The Elements (a Harry Potter version of the Periodic Table) that my brother-in-law turned me on to, I am now a believer as I saw, with my own eyes, how captivated my kids were with the Periodic Table, an otherwise dull chart.
Thank you to author Jacqueline Houtman for the Giveaway of The Reinvention of Edison Thomas. Please leave a comment with the reason why you want to win. The most compelling comment will win. The winner will be picked in one week. I will confess that I have been thinking and working on this post for MONTHS. The gist in my mind was science-y books that are NOT non-fiction, that make science fun and accessible, and excite a child’s imagination. Yep, it’s taken a while to find enough books that fit this criteria to make it to 10 but I think these are worthy of this list. What do you think? What non-fiction science-y books do you and your children like? Are there enough to actually make this a new children’s lit. genre? Now THAT would be exciting!
A toad chanced upon my path and I snapped its picture and noticed how well camouflaged it was. This lead to Frog and Toad science fun including some info, a worksheet, a great iPad app, and my favorite Arnold Lobel series Frog and Toad.
I recommend this app as a way of making science an interactive and fun experience for children. I think even children as young as five-years-old would enjoy this if they show an interest in science. And I think that is the key here. This app is great for anyone who is fascinated by frogs, amphibians, nature, animals, biology, and science. It’s a great hands clean and hands on experience! To check out the app at iTunes, just click on the icon at the very top of the frog.
I grew up in Southern California and experienced many a earthquake including the Northridge earthquake which was memorable. Though many in many area felt the recent East Coast earthquake, it went unnoticed at my house. I think it was because we were all in the basement so we did not feel our house move at all. Still, this is a teachable moment for any child who might have anxiety or curiosity about earthquakes between this one and the huge one in Japan. I found these links from a variety of articles and hope you find them useful!