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Fun Physics for 8yo boy?


jessie5
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Hi,

 

My son is very bright but hasn't been interested in science projects or nature study so far. He is fascinated by things like watching a Nova show about the multiverse theory, Brain Games, Myth Busters (although he wasn't very interested in doing the experiments from their book), Fetch... 

 

Anyways, last year we did lots of chemistry experiments but I felt like he was just humoring me by doing them and not all that interested. Science should be super fun and absorbing, so I'd like to get it right this year. 

 

I asked him if he'd rather mix a couple things together and have them change, or run a light bulb with a lemon and he said the latter. So I was thinking about getting him a physics course with weekly experiments. But now that I'm reading my question I wonder if I should be trying to find him interesting videos about theoretical something?

 

Any suggestions appreciated. 

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Perhaps Backyard Ballistics is more what you're looking for.

 

 

Not a physics curriculum, but The New Way Things Work by David Macauley could be fun to work through.

 

Bite-size Physics by Science Jim is an easy to use curriculum with frequent experiments.

 

 

My kids have found science super interesting without constant experiments, fwiw.

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DD liked the Cartoon Guide to physics and the Manga guide to physics. Both are a little technical, but the cartoon format helps. She also liked Why Things Work and Life of Fred Physics (we did a lot of little experiments based on LoF.).  We also did the Disney Imagineering video series and Knex Rollercoasters as part of a co-op while doing physics at home, which overlapped nicely (I think both could be done at home) and a physics of toys class at Mad Science, which DD enjoyed (but I don't know how much she learned from that she hadn't already gotten in other ways).

 

 

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My s10 does occasional experiments but he gets so much out of watching videos and TV Shows (all that has been mentioned and Science of Stupid). He is happy enough with that for now.

 

We are also doing Elemental Science for the Logic Stage (middle school) and we do an experiment a week. It's not super exciting but he likes it well enough as well as I let him watch tons of videos on science topics he chooses -- from all you mentioned to ASAP Science and more (can't remember all of them!). And he has most of the books everyone mentioned. Backyard Ballistics is his new favorite but mom and dad are not too motivated to go get all those materials (that are not so easy to find where we live). 

 

When he was younger, we subscribed to SuperChargedScience. We did a ton of experiments in the beginning. He found those fun. After a while he just started watching all the video experiments. I couldn't keep up with getting all the stuff we needed for the experiments and he was happy to just watch and go through the program faster. They have lots of physics stuff in there. 

 

While we were in the States this summer, we picked up a Lego car kit and he chose a bunch of motors and stuff. He plans to build the car and then add on and turn it into a remote control car. And he got the Radio Shack Make It Robotics Starter Kit. Pricey stuff but we only get to the US once every 2 years.

 

Oh and he might like this!

Last year, my ds took a FREE online class about physics "How Things Work" from University of Virginia. 

Designed for non-science students, this course is a practical introduction to physics and science in everyday life. It considers objects from the world around us, identifying and exploring the scientific concepts upon which they're based. Because it starts with objects and looks within them for science, it is the reverse of a traditional physics class. Instead of the usual principle-driven physics class, How Things Work is case-study physics. In this pilot semester of How Things Work, we will explore the basic laws of motion in the context of six familiar objects or activities: (1) Skating, (2) Falling Balls, (3) Ramps, (4) Seesaws, (5) Wheels, and (6) Bumper Cars. Despite their simplicity, these topics will bring us in contact with some of the most important concepts in physics, including inertia, energy, and momentum.

The videos are entertaining and my son would laugh out loud occasionally. 

 

 

@dmmetler: where can one find the Disney Imagineering videos?

 

Have fun!

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Every now and then Disney Education runs sales and you can buy the DVD set (same with Bill Nye). Some libraries carry them as well, so it may be worth it to check there. They're non-sequential.

 

http://www.dep-store.com/The-Science-Of-Disney-Imagineering-Trajectory-p/77d56vl00.htm

 

According to the website, there's a code now that reduces the videos to $10 each.

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Perhaps Backyard Ballistics is more what you're looking for.

 

 

Not a physics curriculum, but The New Way Things Work by David Macauley could be fun to work through.

 

Bite-size Physics by Science Jim is an easy to use curriculum with frequent experiments.

 

 

My kids have found science super interesting without constant experiments, fwiw.

 

Backyard Ballistics looks fantastic! 

 

And Science Jim has some great stuff on his facebook page. 

 

Thank you SilverMoon! I'd never seen those before. 

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DD liked the Cartoon Guide to physics and the Manga guide to physics. Both are a little technical, but the cartoon format helps. She also liked Why Things Work and Life of Fred Physics (we did a lot of little experiments based on LoF.).  We also did the Disney Imagineering video series and Knex Rollercoasters as part of a co-op while doing physics at home, which overlapped nicely (I think both could be done at home) and a physics of toys class at Mad Science, which DD enjoyed (but I don't know how much she learned from that she hadn't already gotten in other ways).

Thank you dmmetler! Cartoon Guide to Physics and the Manga Guide to Physics both look very fun, thank you for these and all of your other suggestions as well! I'm checking them out, and they look great. 

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My s10 does occasional experiments but he gets so much out of watching videos and TV Shows (all that has been mentioned and Science of Stupid). He is happy enough with that for now.

 

We are also doing Elemental Science for the Logic Stage (middle school) and we do an experiment a week. It's not super exciting but he likes it well enough as well as I let him watch tons of videos on science topics he chooses -- from all you mentioned to ASAP Science and more (can't remember all of them!). And he has most of the books everyone mentioned. Backyard Ballistics is his new favorite but mom and dad are not too motivated to go get all those materials (that are not so easy to find where we live). 

 

When he was younger, we subscribed to SuperChargedScience. We did a ton of experiments in the beginning. He found those fun. After a while he just started watching all the video experiments. I couldn't keep up with getting all the stuff we needed for the experiments and he was happy to just watch and go through the program faster. They have lots of physics stuff in there. 

 

While we were in the States this summer, we picked up a Lego car kit and he chose a bunch of motors and stuff. He plans to build the car and then add on and turn it into a remote control car. And he got the Radio Shack Make It Robotics Starter Kit. Pricey stuff but we only get to the US once every 2 years.

 

Oh and he might like this!

Last year, my ds took a FREE online class about physics "How Things Work" from University of Virginia. 

Designed for non-science students, this course is a practical introduction to physics and science in everyday life. It considers objects from the world around us, identifying and exploring the scientific concepts upon which they're based. Because it starts with objects and looks within them for science, it is the reverse of a traditional physics class. Instead of the usual principle-driven physics class, How Things Work is case-study physics. In this pilot semester of How Things Work, we will explore the basic laws of motion in the context of six familiar objects or activities: (1) Skating, (2) Falling Balls, (3) Ramps, (4) Seesaws, (5) Wheels, and (6) Bumper Cars. Despite their simplicity, these topics will bring us in contact with some of the most important concepts in physics, including inertia, energy, and momentum.

The videos are entertaining and my son would laugh out loud occasionally. 

 

 

@dmmetler: where can one find the Disney Imagineering videos?

 

Have fun!

Thank you so much GThomas! I'm looking into all these things, and the class looks great! 

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Boston Science Museum had a series of children's activity books, which are *excellent* imo. Really good explanations, simple experiments. Out of print, seem to cost about 1 cent. Highly, highly recommend.

 

Also like Janice VanCleave books, good experiments.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Balloons-Boston-Childrens-Museum-Activity/dp/0688083250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441646155&sr=1-1&keywords=Boston+science+museum+balloons

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Bill Nye the Science Guy videos should be a great compliment. My daughter loves doing the experiments that he suggests. Whenever I'm teaching a subject in science, I check if Bill Nye has episodes covering it to help bring the concept to life.

 

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

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