Help my story lover to love science

[silver]

My kindergartener is very "meh" about science so far (we're 4 months into our year, so she's had time). I want to spark the interest in her.

 

What she likes:

• Being read to.
• LOE Foundations--I think she likes the readers that you tear out of the workbook and put together.
• Math. We started with MLLE, which is a story. As get further in, I'm liking it less and less. So now we read the story, do some (but not many) of their problems, and I'm heavily supplementing with RS games and playing with our various manipulatives. So math to her is story+games+hands on.

She doesn't seem to like discussion. BFSU has been a bust with her so far, except when there is a good demonstration or activity to go with it. My older child loved BFSU in K, but it's not so shining this time around.

 

We've done some investigations from Everyday Science Mysteries. We've observed the phases of the moon and recorded the dehydration of an apple slice. She seemed to enjoy those and now she's really enamored with the moon (to the point where she no longer falls asleep in the car at night because she's looking for the moon). But she only really participates in the observation part of that. She doesn't really want to discuss the story in the book and come up with answers to test and she doesn't want to talk about what our observations have told us. I feel like she's missing out of a lot of the science by not wanting to discuss.

 

I would love to just read to her dozens of fabulous science books from our library. But our library is very inconsistent across science topics. If I did this we would be reading 5 books on butterflies and none on living (and the needs of living things) vs non-living. Many of the books I've tried from our library are boring, wordy, and over my kids' heads. I also have found that I don't do so well long term with fly by the seat of my pants school. I need it planned out ahead of time. So I wouldn't do well with randomly grabbing books off of the shelf, but I do well with a list of topics to work through systematically.

I'm not a big fan of the science "experiment" books. They seem to be big on "wow factor" and low on explanation for why they work. Some of them that I've look at have been blatantly wrong for their explanations. If I do demonstrations, I want them to have an accurate explanation that is at the level my Kindergartener can understand. Sure, baking soda and vinegar blowing up a balloon is really neat, but chemical changes are a bit over her head right now, so the explanation is useless. They'd need to have easy to find materials (or an affordable kit to purchase).
 

I want her to love science as much as she loves reading and math. I need a plan. It could be a plan of good topics to cover in K and a list of age appropriate books to try to find in our library system. It could be some way to make my current resources (BFSU and Everyday Science Mysteries) less discussion based and more reading/hands on based; I'm not sure how well that will work because they're both fairly discussion based curricula.

[Sammish]

I'm sure others will post with the usual disclaimers about kindergarten being very young, science should be about them enjoying it, and keeping the interest alive, etc. (Which I agree with and love, I'm just not very good at explaining it. :))

 

However, I also wanted to mention that she might enjoy the latest offering from Kathy Jo (a poster here, and author of English Lessons Through Literature, and Reading Lessons Through Literature). Her husband is writing a series of living science books, for pretty much the reasons you gave - libraries are often lacking in good living books on topics like physics and chemistry, particularly for the younger years. She just published the first one, on botany, which you can check out here. I can't remember if there are demonstrations included, but if you were interested and wanted to ask questions, there's a Yahoo group that is pretty active, and Kathy Jo answers lots of questions there. 

[nature girl]

I know the discussions and experiments in BFSU are supposed to help the kids come up with their own answers and follow-up questions, and in some cases that worked well for us, but because my DD was young when we started I often had to lead her into the answers, holding her hand through the discussions. (Nebel would say, "The children will probably ask about XXX" and that pretty much never happened, haha. But I'd bring the topic up and we'd discuss it for awhile, it seemed to work quite well.)

 

But if you're looking for something more story-based, have you tried Magic School Bus books? They have them on almost every topic imaginable...(Many of) the kits are also good, and I'd bet she'd be more into those experiments because in the kits the characters are actually involved in describing them and discussing results. They're perfect for K, I think.

 

 

[silver]

I'm sure others will post with the usual disclaimers about kindergarten being very young, science should be about them enjoying it, and keeping the interest alive, etc. (Which I agree with and love, I'm just not very good at explaining it. :))

 

 

I agree with this, too. Which is why I'm making this post. I want to have her enjoy science and keep the interest alive. And BFSU is not doing that for her, even though it did for my older child.

 

 

However, I also wanted to mention that she might enjoy the latest offering from Kathy Jo (a poster here, and author of English Lessons Through Literature, and Reading Lessons Through Literature). Her husband is writing a series of living science books, for pretty much the reasons you gave - libraries are often lacking in good living books on topics like physics and chemistry, particularly for the younger years. She just published the first one, on botany, which you can check out here. I can't remember if there are demonstrations included, but if you were interested and wanted to ask questions, there's a Yahoo group that is pretty active, and Kathy Jo answers lots of questions there. 

 

I'll take a look at it.

 

Has anyone started it yet? I worry that mixing a book to teach science with science fiction would be confusing for younger kids. They wouldn't know what part of the book was true and what part was fantasy. My daughter sometimes will ask questions about the stories we read to her that show that she's not sure where the line between fiction and reality falls in stories. When my older was in Kindergarten, he expressed surprise that even though the story we were reading was made up, the location it was set in was real.

[SilverMoon]

The 13 Moon Series by Jean Craighead George may be right up her alley. ;)

 

I have just done living book science with my younger kids, and aim for establishing a solid wonder of discovery. My teens did actual curricula, but it didn't cover nearly as much as reading real books has. Just living books has been far more effective for my 6th, 4th, and 1st graders.

[silver]

I know the discussions and experiments in BFSU are supposed to help the kids come up with their own answers and follow-up questions, and in some cases that worked well for us, but because my DD was young when we started I often had to lead her into the answers, holding her hand through the discussions. (Nebel would say, "The children will probably ask about XXX" and that pretty much never happened, haha. But I'd bring the topic up and we'd discuss it for awhile, it seemed to work quite well.)

 

But if you're looking for something more story-based, have you tried Magic School Bus books? They have them on almost every topic imaginable...(Many of) the kits are also good, and I'd bet she'd be more into those experiments because in the kits the characters are actually involved in describing them and discussing results. They're perfect for K, I think.

 

I don't think she needs story based science, it's just that stories seem to be the best way to capture her interest so far. She'd be happy with dozens of non-fiction science books from the library if only I could organize myself enough to do that.

 

She loves the Magic School Bus books that we've read. I've not looked at the kits for her before, I'll see what they have available.

[silver]

The 13 Moon Series by Jean Craighead George may be right up her alley. ;)

 

I have just done living book science with my younger kids, and aim for establishing a solid wonder of discovery. My teens did actual curricula, but it didn't cover nearly as much as reading real books has. Just living books has been far more effective for my 6th, 4th, and 1st graders.

 

It doesn't look like the 13 Moon Series is in print any more. Does it matter if they're read in order, or could I read them in whatever order we find them?

 

As for doing living book science, do you know of any list of good books to use for that for early elementary? When I just grab a book from the shelf or request a book from the catalog online, it often winds up being about as un-living as a book could be. (Often being even more boring than a textbook!) I know my library has some good books, I just don't know how to determine which ones those are using only the online catalog.

 

 

Magic School Bus series is fun and covers a lot of topics. They also have kits.

 

Sassafras Science by Elemental Science is a living book science series. 

http://sassafrasscience.com/

http://www.elementalscience.com/living-books-series/

 

We finally started it and the kids love hearing the story. They have lapbooks for the early elementary level. They have a large list of living science books to supplement each chapter. They only use one experiment book and that's VanCleave's Science Around the World. 

Which of the supplements would one have to purchase to get the list of living science books to supplement each chapter?

[SilverMoon]

13 Moons can be in any order.

 

I don't have a go to list. Here's an old thread with lots of helpful recommendations and links. ~ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/258500-science-through-living-books/

[HelenNotOfTroy]

My son loves to read/be read to as well and we have just gotten books from the library. I find lists on here and on blogs and just get what I can from our library system. If something is supposed to be really great, I will request it by inter-library loan if necessary. Now, I just look for everything the library has on the topic and check it all out, with the expectation being that we will use what we like. We also watch documentaries. I figure some topics will be missed and I am not worried about that, we will get to them later.

[Kerileanne99]

If you are wanting a fun, gentle program that introduces ideas and piques her interest, AND she already likes Magic School Bus? I would get her the MSB videos and make it a study. You can order the MSB kits for some hands-on experiments as well, and the library will have their books...

 

But the real fun comes from this website. The Scholastic link to MSB has teacher's guides with ideas and info to go with each, as well as the ability to search for a selection of children's living science books to align. I did this with my dd when she was younger, and it was a lot of fun. One of the great things is that you can choose your pace...and if something catches her fancy you can go more in depth:)

http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/parentteacher/faq.htm

 

I would also add in a discussion of the Scientific Method, and HOW we approach science.

[maize]

Magic School Bus series is fun and covers a lot of topics. They also have kits.

 

Sassafras Science by Elemental Science is a living book science series. 

http://sassafrasscience.com/

http://www.elementalscience.com/living-books-series/

 

We finally started it and the kids love hearing the story. They have lapbooks for the early elementary level. They have a large list of living science books to supplement each chapter. They only use one experiment book and that's VanCleave's Science Around the World. 

 

I was going to suggest Magic School bus (there are picture books and chapter books as well as the videos, and the kits are fun) as well as Sassafrass science.

[rocassie]

At Kindergarten age, it is all about discovery here.  When asked a question, we look online or get books out of the library.  A lot of exploring outdoors, kitchen experiments, nature shows, etc. and then just talking about our observation.  Nothing formal and little to no written work.

 

There is nothing wrong with a formal curriculum but I feel like a real love of science comes from exploring the many answers/discoveries to "Why?"

[FriedClams]

Magic School Bus videos.

 

We loved the One Small Square books then, too. Lots of hands on. Lots of messes.

[Lori D.]

Sounds like you already have a good idea of what works! Keep it simple: read, do short hands-on, don't over talk it, and don't need to worry about any formal program until about grade 5-6 -- just explore topics of interest and "make your own units" type of approach. 

 

 

1. Lots of good short books:

*** Let's Read and Find Out About Science series is ideal (many have an experiment or two imbedded in the book, which makes the "why" very understandable)

- Wells of Knowledge series (Wells)

- stepped reader science books -- Hello Reader, Step into Reading, All Aboard, I Can Read Eyewitness DK

- "_______ Do the Strangest Things" book series by Hornblow (animals; insects; birds; reptiles)

- Wonders of Our World series (Morris)

- early elementary science books by individual authors (esp. good authors: Aliki, Gail Gibbons, Seymour Simons, Charlotte Zolotow)

- Magic School Bus books

- Usborne science titles for younger children

(Usborne Beginning series; Starting Point series; Explainers series; Finding Out About... series, etc. --

although some more than others can get very "busy" with lots of illustrations and captions per page)

- List of Favorite Science Picture Books (thread with suggestions)

- Favorite Science Books for Elementary (thread with suggestions)

- Awesome Books for K-3 Help Please No Library (thread with suggestions)

 

2. Subscription to early elementary age kids science magazines (these are all ad-free):

- Ladybug (ages 2-6)

- Zootles (ages 2-6)

- National Geographic Little Kids (ages 3-6)

- Click (ages 3-7)

- Ranger Rick Jr. (ages 3-7)

 

3. Lots of short discovery-based hands-on:

*** 365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials and 365 More…

(each experiment takes 5-10 minutes to set up do, and clean up; has an explanation of what is happening/why; experiments in all the science subject areas -- and really do use things you really do have around the house)

- The Kids Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities (very discovery and appreciation-based)

- Magic School bus kits

- Science Pocket: Human Senses and Body Parts (and other Science Pockets)

- TOPS radish unit or corn & bean unit

 

4. Science videos/DVDs:

- Sonlight science experiment DVDs

- Magic School Bus series

- Let's See How They Grow series

- Kratts Creatures episodes

-

(2-5 minute YouTube videos)

- Mr. Rogers shows -- he often showed how things were made, and esp: expressed genuine interest

-

, There Goes a Bulldozer, and others about ordinary 

 

 

A few years away, but Guest Hollow has a free life science curriculum list for gr. 3-5: Otter's Science

[silver]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm looking through them to try to find a good fit. It's a lot easier to teach her brother science, as he loves the "how it's made" and "popular mechanics for kids" type of shows and is always asking why and how and what. My daughter is more likely to be pretend to be a character from a book I just read her as part of an elaborate pretend play game.

 

I have a few questions.

 

1. OKBud mentioned Evan Moor science. The daily science appears to be no longer available from Amazon. Is it still published/available? Or is there a different series?

2. For Magic School Bus, has anyone used the kits they sell? Do they give good explanations for the activities and demonstrations they include?

3. What would be the best way to organize myself for just using books from the library? As I mentioned, I'm not good at "fly by the seat of my pants" schooling. I need more of a plan. It could be as simple as a list of topics to work through or as detailed as a list of specific titles in a logical order of topics along with activities to do with them. But I need something planned or I'll wind up doing nothing come February.

[Lori D.]

… What would be the best way to organize myself for just using books from the library?

 

One way is to make a list of "unit" topics your DD is interested in, and go from topic to topic of interest. Or, list topics by which general science area they fall under, and then more systematically work your way through the physics topics, or life science topics.

 

I find it helpful to organize myself by looking at the table of contents in a children's science encyclopedia and from various elementary-age science curricula to get a feel for what kinds of topics to cover. From there, I look at what concepts the topics will cover, so then I know what kinds of books, activities, videos, etc. to search for at the library or online or items to purchase, for at the same time to create a unit.

 

At the kinder stage, for a VERY full science schedule, you could plan on the following per week, spending 10-30 min/day, may two days a week (more if you both REALLY get into a topic; or just once a week if not as interested in a topic, just to "touch base" with science regularly) (and really TWO DAYS a week is plenty at this age!!). Base your amount of time on the activity and how much depth you want to go into, but ESP.on  your child's interest level -- DON'T OVER DO and hit science burn out!). Very general guide:

 

- 1-2 days = 1 book (depends on the book -- some books may take 1-2 WEEKS)

- 2 days = 2-4 hands-on experiments (depends on the complexity)

- 1 kit = 1-2 WEEKS (depends on the complexity)

- 1 day = 1 video -- OR -- online site -- OR game -- OR related craft activity (may re-use throughout the weeks of the unit)

 

Some books and kits are longer and may take all week, or more than one week. That's okay! Sometimes your child will want to watch the video several times -- great! That all allows for taking it at your child's pace, and repeating is great reinforcement. Allow time for unstructured self-discovery and experimentation -- lots of learning happens that way, and often leads to child-initiated discussion.

 

Below are some ideas of topics to get you started, and then below that, I fleshed out Life Science topics a little with some concept ideas, so you can see how you might list things and then search out support materials. (I just cut-and-pasted from previous posts of mine.) At this stage, don't worry about having to be "complete" or "structured" -- or even sticking to one science area! Plenty of time to get formal along about grades 6-8. What you want now is to encourage a love of learning, discovery, making connections, and exploration.

 

Enjoy your science adventures -- sounds like you and DD are off to a GREAT start with what you've already done! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

Life Sciences

- anatomy (human body) (systems, senses, 

- zoology (animal kingdom) (mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, insects…)

- botany (plant kingdom) (kinds of plants, leaves, seeds, flowers, stems, roots, photosynthesis…)

- marine biology (sea kingdom) (food web, levels of ocean/types of creatures…)

- ecology (water cycle, food web, protecting the environment / pollution, biomes…)

 

Earth Sciences

- geology (rocks, formations, earth layers, tectonics...)

- geography (physical aspects of Earth, landforms, measuring & mapping, latitude/longitude,

- biomes ("climate zones": desert, arctic, jungle, prairie, forest, mountain, pond, seashore...)

- meteorology (weather -- wind, sun, water, forecasting...)

- astronomy (earth, sun, moon, solar system, comets, stars, space exploration…)

- oceanography (tides, currents, waves, geology of sea floor, plate tectonics...)

 

Chemistry

- matter (states, mass, density, elements, atoms & molecules, periodic table, compounds......)

- reactions (thermodynamics, equilibrium, catalysts )

- solutions/mixtures (water, solubility, suspensions, acid & base, pH...)

- plant chemistry (photosynthesis, how people use plants, organic chemistry overview...)

- biochemistry (people chemistry) (food for energy, metabolism, cycles, DNA, proteins, enzymes...)

- kitchen chemistry (edible reactions, solutions, mixtures, thermodynamics, etc.)

 

Physics

- light/sound

- energy/forces/motion

- air (pressure) and water (adhesion & cohesion, floating & sinking, density, surface tension)

- electricity/magnetism

- electronics/computers

- nuclear energy/forces

- simple machines

- rocketry/flight

- building structures/engineering

 

Other short unit ideas

- Science Fair project

- 4-H: join an animal, plant, or rocketry project

- First Aid & CPR class and certification

- the scientific method

- unit on paleontology and fossils

- unit on nutrition

- unit on health

- unit on use of microscope

- unit on famous scientists or inventors

- unit on safety and emergencies and how to respond

- unit on worm composting, hydroponics, or horticulture (Community Gardens??)

 

 

​SO… Let's say you pick Life Science topics; now look at what kinds of concepts you can cover, which will help you decide on books, activities, videos, etc. Here are just some activity ideas:

General Life Science Resource Ideas:

* The Kids Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities

* Little Labs: Plant Science Kit

* Magic School Bus Kit: Exploring the Wonders of Nature

* Magic School Bus Kit: Microscope Lab

 

HUMAN BODY (Anatomy)

- Body Systems

* Magic School Bus Kit: Human Body

* life size human anatomy systems

* digestive system: make poop

* Blood (clogged/clear arteries, components of blood (or, a different version here))

- Five Senses

* Science Pocket: Human Senses and Body Parts

* guess what things are just by scent

* see how smell & taste are connected: blindfold so you can't see; then hold nose shut tightly, then have assistant hand you a piece of peeled potato and a piece of peeled apple; eat and see if you can tell which is which

* test the sweet/sour/bitter/salty parts of the tongue 

- more topic ideas to search for activities:

* Germs / Illness / Medicine

* Teeth / Dental Hygiene

* Brain

 

PLANTS (Botany)

- plant parts (stems, roots, leaves, flowers, seeds)

* collect and eat veggies that are different parts of the plant (carrot = root; celery = stem; lettuce = leaf; broccoli = flower bud)

* leaf collection, leaf rubbings, identify tree varieties through matching leaves to a tree ID book

* cut the bottom off a stalk of celery, place in water with food coloring in it, see color go up stalk

* buy a carrot with the greens still attached; cut off greens with about an inch of carrot, place in a shallow saucer of water, and watch the carrot grow new roots -- then plant it

* collect several very different flowers; cut in half with scissors or plastic knife; examine with magnifying glass -- how similar/different? label parts

- seeds and gardening

* TOPS radish unit or corn & bean unit

* watch a bean seed sprout

* buy marigold seeds and plant in a disposable cup (hole punched in bottom) and potting soil; grow on window sill

* egg carton garden (start a variety of seeds)

* sprout grass or alfalfa seed in a disposable pie pan of soil

* chart plant growth rates

- ecology

* make a terrarium from a recycled soda bottle

- Magic School Bus Kit: Going Green

- more topic ideas to search for activities:

* gardening / compost / earthworms

* pollination

* tree rings

* how plants make food

* different types of plants: fungi / water plants / catcus

- eco-systems

 

ANIMALS (Zoology)

- Birds

* how strong are bird bones

* dissect an owl pellet

* examine different types of bird feathers

* compare different bird beaks with what the bird eats

- Insects

* do a backyard bug survey

* make a chart of butterfly's life cycle with pasta

* catch a caterpillar, make a habitat, watch the who life cycle

- Fish

* visit the pet store or aquarium and watch different fish up close

* go fishing; when you gut the fish, examine all the innards (dissection!)

- more topic ideas to search for activities

* zoology science fair ideas

* Mammals

* animal tracks (here or 

* Reptiles

* Amphibians (frog activities,

* life cycles

* zoo

* habitats

* food chain

* marine biology

 

[silver]

That is really helpful; thank you so much!

[Pronghorn]

I have a daughter who did not start caring about science until age ten or eleven. My first caution is don't push it too much. My second bit of advice is to try to approach it by using what she likes. With my daughter I read aloud tons of history of science, since she likes history. You could probably make a list of very famous scientists and then look for simple biographies of them.

[Momof3littles]

I don't feel I received much science education in lower elementary, but what I did have was a lot of time outdoors and good tools.  I would encourage things like field guides, magnifying glasses, maybe a microscope, keeping some sort of little cabinet of specimens she can look at, etc.  Growing up I had access to a pond and a stream, tools like nets, binoculars, a microscope, a magnifying glass, and good boots :)   I think that sparked my early interest in biology, and I went into a bio-heavy career.  I'm not saying throw her to the wolves, but maybe work on observation skills, measuring skills, growing a little garden, looking at how frogs develop, whatever.  If you can find time to get out into nature, maybe she'd be more interested in reading more about certain topics?

 

I have used some of the Critical Thinking Through Science books, and the first one might or might not work for her age and development, but I thought those were worthwhile.  They are scripted and easy to use IME, other than the work it takes to gather materials.

[Kharisma]

Gail Gibbons has lovely books on many K friendly science topics, the moon, all kinds of animals, est. Your library system would most likely have them.

[lewelma]

Great list Lori!

[wintermom]

I'd probably ditch a curriculum and look for activities and books that focus on "delight learning." Go on field trips and nature walks, and incorporate learning by doing and discovering. Science is discovering the beauty of the world around us, so get out there and DO things. I'll third the recommendation on Gail Gibbons books. There are also a ton of wonderful picture books with science themes, as well as interesting biographies geared for children on scientists, mathematicians and other well-known people. 

[silver]

Does anyone know of a good science themed kids magazine for Kindergarten? I was thinking that she'd love getting mail and it would be a good supplement for her.

[Lori D.]

Does anyone know of a good science themed kids magazine for Kindergarten? I was thinking that she'd love getting mail and it would be a good supplement for her.

 

These are the ones I listed above (look around for subscription deals):

- Ladybug (ages 2-6) - science

- Click (ages 3-7)- science

- Zootles (ages 2-6) - nature/animals

- National Geographic Little Kids (ages 3-6) - nature/animals

- Ranger Rick Jr. (ages 3-7) - nature/animals

 

Here are more ideas:

 

monthly mail/kit clubs

- Young Scientist Club

- Magic School Bus Club

 

classroom-based magazines

- Studies Weekly: Science - 24 issues (during school year)

- Scholastic: Let's Find Out - 32 issues (during school year)

- Scholastic: Science Spin - 8x/year (during school year)

[silver]

Thank you, again!

[Incognito]

I think the most important thing in encouraging science and the love of science in kids is instilling a sense of wonder and curiosity (keen observation).  My advice - go outside a lot and really LOOK and LISTEN.  Mix things/cook and take a lot of time OBSERVE what is happening.

 

In addition, mix a lot of scientific vocabulary into your lives.  You're omnivores.  That is a coniferous tree.  Etc.  If a child learns to really pay attention, and has the foundation of a broad vocabulary, they will not be limited in their scientific career.

 

FWIW, Magic School Bus is fun - and I know many people who have enjoyed the kits.  We have many of the Let's Read and Find Out books - they are enjoyable as well.  

[happypamama]

I'd get the Thornton Burgess Adventures of. . . series, any order, for her.

 

I would also look at the books from Queen (I haven't seen them in person myself, though): https://www.queenshomeschooling.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=71_72_74&zenid=0aa5485ea752f7cb35771000eef5176f

[Lori D.]

I opened this thinking you were going to ask about a high schooler. Lol :)

 â€¦ 

(that's right, I have teenagers)

 

Cadam, for a more literature-based (or at least, less formal textbook) science for high school you might look into some of the Great Courses lecture series from the Teaching Company; I know others on these Boards have used The Joy of Science, Understanding the Universe: Intro to Astronomy, Nature of Earth: Into to Geology, Chemistry, etc., as a spine or supplement to high school science

 

For curriculum, check out Hakim's Joy of Science (secular) and Tiner's Integrated Physics and Chemistry.

 

And of course the high school level TOPS units and other kits from Home Science Tools, and supplement with lots of NOVA and Mythbuster episodes...