JeanM Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 My 10 yo ds currently plans to become a veterinarian. He has told me that he does not think that he is currently studying enough science. He is doing biology (Singapore's Biology Matters) this year, and honestly it is the first year that we have really followed a formal curriculum. He is enjoying the biology, but he thinks that it is too focused on humans and plants. So, I'm looking for something to supplement the Biology Matters, but our budget is very limited. I was thinking that maybe he could memorize the bones or muscles from a dog, but I'm having trouble finding resources for that. Just wanted to add that he reads at a high level and is currently doing algebra in math, so advanced books are probably fine. Any ideas? Thanks, Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 has he done dissections? Those are pretty cheap from Home Science Tools - about $2 for a sheep's heart. THe guide for the dissection is available online for free at Home Science Tools. A fixed frog would be nice with the veins fixed in blue and the arteries in red. What about asking a Vet if he can observe a surgery? When we had to euthanize my puppy and both the vet and nurse were crying, that ended any thoughts I had of a career in vet medicine. I stayed in a scientific research however. How about a unit study in comparative immunology? That could be interesting. That would be reading and not hands on. Do you have any pets? How about compare pH and other components in dog's or cat's urine vs humans? you can get those little test strips at the pharmacy or ask your dr if you can have some or ask a vet. In the process, learn how kidneys work. Ask vet if he/she has any prepared slides of kidney tissue. Do some dissections of kidneys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 I second the dissection idea. I purchased a "tub" of animals and dissection kit from Edmond's Scientific and they dissected them in order of increasing complexity and we kept charts and discussed the differences and similarities through the semester. We also got a cow heart from a local slaughter house for free...they save them and send them to the local medical school so were very glad to help when we explained our need. If live dissection is not up your alley, there is Digital Frog with animated dissection on computer. There is a Gray's Anatomy coloring book that is very nicely done and I found a nice copy of Gray's Anatomy at a local book exchange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 has he done dissections? Those are pretty cheap from Home Science Tools - about $2 for a sheep's heart. THe guide for the dissection is available online for free at Home Science Tools. A fixed frog would be nice with the veins fixed in blue and the arteries in red. What about asking a Vet if he can observe a surgery? When we had to euthanize my puppy and both the vet and nurse were crying, that ended any thoughts I had of a career in vet medicine. I stayed in a scientific research however. How about a unit study in comparative immunology? That could be interesting. That would be reading and not hands on. Do you have any pets? How about compare pH and other components in dog's or cat's urine vs humans? you can get those little test strips at the pharmacy or ask your dr if you can have some or ask a vet. In the process, learn how kidneys work. Ask vet if he/she has any prepared slides of kidney tissue. Do some dissections of kidneys. I like the idea of the dissections. I had no idea you could obtain the materials so cheaply. I figured it would be out of our budget. I wish we had a microscope, but we can't spend the money on something like until DH gets a permanent job. DS actually put a microscope on his Christmas list though, and maybe one of his grandparents will buy one! Comparative immunology would be interesting, but do you know of any materials that are relatively kid-friendly? DS reads at a high level, but graduate level immunology texts would probably not grab his interest. If I had more time/energy I'd write something for him. We do have a dog, and we do have ph strips and other stuff from when we used to have an aquarium. That is a fabulous idea to test the dog's urine, although I'm not sure how exactly to collect a sample. :001_huh: Thanks! These are great ideas. Keep them coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 I second the dissection idea. I purchased a "tub" of animals and dissection kit from Edmond's Scientific and they dissected them in order of increasing complexity and we kept charts and discussed the differences and similarities through the semester. We also got a cow heart from a local slaughter house for free...they save them and send them to the local medical school so were very glad to help when we explained our need. If live dissection is not up your alley, there is Digital Frog with animated dissection on computer. In all honesty, I'm not sure he is going to like the dissections, but I think there is value in learning that as well. My dad used to make us dissect the fish that he caught, but I've never done that with my kids. There is a Gray's Anatomy coloring book that is very nicely done and I found a nice copy of Gray's Anatomy at a local book exchange. I think we're going to try the dissection thing, I just need to talk to ds. The digital dissection sounds cool in some ways, but it is kind of expensive. I like the idea of Gray's Anatomy, but ds doesn't want human stuff. I keep telling him that there is a lot of similarity between humans and other mammals, but he really wants info that is focused on animals. I've found some dog anatomy flash cards at Amazon that I think we may try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUJLBE Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Here are some ideas: Look in your public library in the adult section for books about dog and cat care-some of these have anatomy and physiology sections. They may also be in the reference section. Our library has this book in the adult reference section that has diagrams of anatomy for many different species: Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates by George C. Kent. This web site: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/ has free information about diseases and care of domestic animals Do you have a relationship with your veterinarian or live in a small town? Most vets have plastic models of dog bones, organs etc that they use to explain diseases to owners. Your vets may be willing to show their collection to your son. An older vet may even have a skeleton in the back some where. An older anatomy text still contains a lot of up to date information. You can buy used classic veterinary level dissection books for less than $20: http://www.amazon.com/Millers-Guide-Dissection-Malcolm-Miller/dp/0721657486/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259193039&sr=1-2 This is another one which is probably not as extensive: http://www.amazon.com/Dissection-Dog-Cat-Michael-Shively/dp/081380826X/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259192345&sr=8-7 or this one: http://www.amazon.com/Mammalian-Anatomy-Aurora-M-Sebastiani/dp/0895826836/ref=cm_lmf_tit_16_rsrsrs1 You can also do Google searches with dog anatomy image and find diagrams that you can print out. I also scanned the Amazon Animal Physiology books and found some that are less than $10: http://www.amazon.com/Comparative-Animal-Physiology-Philip-Withers/dp/0030128471/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259193718&sr=8-7 Yes it will be a little out of date as physiology has advanced more than anatomy-but it is still a start. I really think that most chapters of a human physiology text would be great in your son's studies. Maybe get a book out from the library on Human Physiology and go through it together to mark the chapters that are the same in all species- digestion varies considerably between cats and cows and humans but pancreatic function does not. Lastly, if you live in a state with a veterinary school you may be able to check out one of the more expensive books used in vet tech or vet education from your state university library. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Do you have a vet school nearby? Perhaps he could borrow some materials from their library? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 http://www.amazon.com/Zoology-Coloring-Book-Lawrence-Elson/dp/0064603016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259269836&sr=1-1 Zoology Coloring Book Even if he doesn't like coloring the pictures are good and labeled. The Gray's Anatomy comment reminded me of the Gray's Anatomy Coloring Book which reminded me of the Zoology Coloring Book. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 Thanks for all the fabulous ideas! If anyone has more input, that is always welcome. I know this is giving me lots of ideas to explore! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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