mominbc Posted May 26, 2009 Share Posted May 26, 2009 I would love to build my home library with living science books. What are your favorites? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mominbc Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick Galen and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeanne Bendick The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Katherine Lasky Along Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick Marie Curie's Search for Radium by Beverly Birch Mathematicians are People, Too - Luetta and Wally Reimer The Story of Thomas Alva Edison - Margaret Cousins The Joy of Science by Joyce Hakim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 My favourites are all listed on this page: http://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Potter%2C%20Tessa Sarn, Digger, Greyfur, and Fang 4 books, 4 animals, 4 seasons, interweaving stories, local geography. We spent hours and hours on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I really like the Let's Read and Find Out Science series for little ones. This is a great general living science book list: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/sciencebooks.htm The book Books Children Love by Elizabeth Wilson has a great list too. I own it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 This isn't specifically science, but just today I picked up from the library a lovely book from the 1960s called String, Straightedge and Shadow: The Story of Geometry by Julia E. Diggins. I believe it's recently been reprinted. It has the same look and feel as Jeanne Bendick's books and is nicely written and illustrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atozmom Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sis Let's Read and Find Out About Science series Magic School Bus books and videos Usborne Science books Kingfisher Science books Top Readers series (found at Barnes and Noble) Do you have a good library near by? We started to purchase several books, but have found our library to be such a great resource, we now by only what we will have to use multiple times in the year or something our library does not carry. HTH :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_thurm Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I know this will sound idiotic but I am new to HSing :) What does "living science" actually mean? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makita Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) These are what I consider 'Everybody Books' or 'Picture Books' but they are amongst my favorites: In the Woods, Whose Been Here by Lindsay Barrett George as well as In the Snow... In the Garden... and Around the Pond... actually, most anything by her is great. I also love anything by Jim Arnosky and Jean Craighead George. They engage the reader and invite discussion... allow for connections with nature. Edited May 27, 2009 by Makita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makita Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I know this will sound idiotic but I am new to HSing :) What does "living science" actually mean? Thanks! From Jimmie's Squidoo Lens: "Books that are so engaging you don't want to put them down. Your children will beg for "just one more chapter." And you, the adult, even enjoy living books. They are classic. When the book ends, you feel sorry that there is not more. These books engage your thoughts and imagination with the vivid narrative and realistically portrayed characters." Give your children living ideas, encounters with great minds, and they will never forget them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Books that are actually about a whole topic, and delve into it at some depth, are generally called living books. They are not textbooks nor anthologies, where the content consists of excerpts of living books, or even worse, sections written by committee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 We LOVE Thornton W. Burgess's books and the One Small Square series by Donald Silver.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheWillFly Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 We LOVE Thornton W. Burgess's books and the One Small Square series by Donald Silver.:001_smile: I second the Burgess books. My Bird absolutely loves them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_thurm Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Thanks for the explanation :) From Jimmie's Squidoo Lens: "Books that are so engaging you don't want to put them down. Your children will beg for "just one more chapter." And you, the adult, even enjoy living books. They are classic. When the book ends, you feel sorry that there is not more. These books engage your thoughts and imagination with the vivid narrative and realistically portrayed characters." Give your children living ideas, encounters with great minds, and they will never forget them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Q Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 If you are a Christian you may like Joanne De Jonge. I think most of her books are out of print, but you can get them used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamoon Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 me too on the thornton burgess books. right now we are enjoying parables from nature by margaret gatty. it is from yesterdays classics~a place that i just love~ http://www.yesterdaysclassics.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 My kids' favourites are the various books by Tiner- History of Medicine, History of Chemistry etc. They are fussy actually, and many science books- including Archimedes etc have been a flop, but Tiner seems to speak to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Nicole, I am looking at this book for Living Math. Have you read it? This isn't specifically science, but just today I picked up from the library a lovely book from the 1960s called String, Straightedge and Shadow: The Story of Geometry by Julia E. Diggins. Peela, How is The History of Chemistry? I just purchased The History of Mathematics since my dc enjoyed Exploring Planet Earth and Exploring the History of Medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Nicole, I am looking at this book for Living Math. Have you read it? Not yet, though I have skimmed it a bit. I only just picked it up at the library yesterday. There seems to be some dated stuff about cavemen grunting by the fire, but the stuff about the Egyptians and Greeks looks good. I'll report back once we have a closer look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 My kids' favourites are the various books by Tiner- History of Medicine, History of Chemistry etc. They are fussy actually, and many science books- including Archimedes etc have been a flop, but Tiner seems to speak to them. I could not interest my boys in the Archimedes book either. I'll check these out! Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraceinMD Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 We're reading The Planets, by Dava Sobel right now (as part of our study of the Solar System) and it's v. interesting - ds has studied the Solar System in the PH Science Explorer book, and Sobel's "take" is much more poetic. Seems like it will be a nice book, if not exactly a "living book." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 We're reading The Planets, by Dava Sobel right now (as part of our study of the Solar System) and it's v. interesting " Thank you for this suggestion. I had no idea that this is the same author who wrote Longitude: The Story of the Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time We were telling a neighbor how much my dss loved Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. He offered his copy of the Sobel book to complement it. Fascinating. Come to think of it, you could definitely use the Bowditch book for science if you aren't using it for American history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 We're reading The Planets, by Dava Sobel right now (as part of our study of the Solar System) and it's v. interesting - ds has studied the Solar System in the PH Science Explorer book, and Sobel's "take" is much more poetic. Seems like it will be a nice book, if not exactly a "living book." I'm so glad you mentioned this. I love her books, and have The Planets on the shelf, but haven't started reading it yet. My oldest son asked if that could be a read-aloud, and this is a good reminder to get to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laylamcb Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) I don't know the ages of your kids, obviously, but if you've got youngers (5 and up), they might enjoy Clara Dillingham Pierson's "Among the ___ People" series. It includes forest, night, meadow, farm, and pond critters. My daughter LOVED every one of the books and can't wait to re-read them with her younger brother. They're available from The Baldwin Project/Yesterday's Classics. Oh--caveat: Folks who don't like talking or otherwise anthropomorphized animals need not apply. ;) Edited May 27, 2009 by laylamcb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline4kids Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 We LOVE Thornton W. Burgess's books and the One Small Square series by Donald Silver.:001_smile: :iagree:too and would add any of the CLP Nature Readers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBlessedThrice Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I don't know the ages of your kids, obviously, but if you've got youngers (5 and up), they might enjoy Clara Dillingham Pierson's "Among the ___ People" series. It includes forest, night, meadow, farm, and pond critters. My daughter LOVED every one of the books and can't wait to re-read them with her younger brother. They're available from The Baldwin Project/Yesterday's Classics. Oh--caveat: Folks who don't like talking or otherwise anthropomorphized animals need not apply. ;) :iagree: This is a GREAT series. I'm reading them with my 5- and 6-year-olds right now, and they beg for the next chapter. After each chapter we look up pictures online and usually can find a video clip of the animal or bird, too. I'm amazed how many details they're learning. (And the morals woven in don't hurt either--they're not at all obtrusive). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mominbc Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 I don't know the ages of your kids, obviously, but if you've got youngers (5 and up), they might enjoy Clara Dillingham Pierson's "Among the ___ People" series. It includes forest, night, meadow, farm, and pond critters. My daughter LOVED every one of the books and can't wait to re-read them with her younger brother. They're available from The Baldwin Project/Yesterday's Classics. I have been curious about these books. I'm excited to hear they are a hit. I think my kids would love them:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Nicole, I am looking at this book for Living Math. Have you read it? Are you the author of the Living Math site, then? Or are you doing Living Math? We have taken to drawing geometric constructions at the end of every math lesson, as an incentive to get through the "boring" stuff like fractions, rates, percents, etc. So this afternoon while my son was drawing, I read him the first several chapters. This is just a lovely, lovely book. She is not a young earth person, so some may have to edit those few lines (in the same way that I make the language inclusive as I read ;).) And she does talk about prehistoric peoples as being frightened, which always annoys me (how would we know?), but we did have a nice discussion about that. Those are the only, imho, very small distractions in a truly wonderful book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 Check out the NOEO site, and look at the book lists they use with the curriculum. We've really enjoyed the books so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Are you the author of the Living Math site, then? Or are you doing Living Math? No, Julie Brennan is the talent behind the Living Math site. I will be using it to supplement Saxon next year for my youngest who will also be studying Ancient History. She has an extensive book list that could be useful for science too. I've linked you to the first unit for the intermediate level. Thanks for your review of the book. I've ordered it from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 My son is loving the What is Smaller than a Pygmy Shrew What is Older than a Giant Tortoise series of 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Peela, How is The History of Chemistry? I just purchased The History of Mathematics since my dc enjoyed Exploring Planet Earth and Exploring the History of Medicine. Basically the same style. My ds13 is enjoying it. Both my kids go to a Science class, but I felt to do something else at home, without tackling a whole science program, and Tiner books are good for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplain Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 For a high schooler, The Double Helix by James Watson. It is the most realistic characterization of how scientific discovery really happens that I've come across. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Let's Read and Find Out Science books One Small Square books How to Think Like a Scientist by Stephen Kramer anything by Jim Arnosky, but especially his Crinkleroot books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Too many to name here! The One Small Square series is excellent. Everything by Seymour Simon and Isaac Asimov is excellent. The Let's-Read-and-Find-Out series is terrific (various authors). Millicent Selsam has out a bunch of good science themed books for children. DK's Eye Wonder books are less busy than the Eyewitness series. Kingfisher has out a similar, more simplified series of science books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crosseyedparent Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 My kids have liked Jeanne Bendick's books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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