mominbc Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I have a 5 year ds who loves science, inventing, creating. My older children are musicians that love history etc. and don't have an interest in science at all so this is new for me. Has anyone raised a science lover and what resources/kits etc. would be good for him to nurture this love? Thanks so much.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I have one of those, and he's 5 too! Just today my ds15 commented on all of 5 yo's experiments all over the house, because we always have things in progress that we're observing on the kitchen counters, on the window sills, in the fridge, etc. He lives for science experiments. I provide a lot of books on science- Magic Schoolbus being a favorite, and I also get him a lot of kits and books on experiments. Janice VanCleave's books have been great- all of the experiments have been easy to do, most have involved things around the house, and there are just so many ideas in those books that it keeps ds busy. He got this kit from Nana for Christmas and really enjoyed doing most of it himself, very simple, yet fun experiments. I see that Thames and Kosmos has a whole line of "Little Labs" kits. We have a Little Professor geology kit going right now that he loves. They are pricey kits but come with everything and are a lot of fun. He has enjoyed this Smart Lab human body kit. Ein-o Science Kits have been greatly enjoyed as well, especially the levers and pulleys one. Though some of the pieces can be frustrating to get together. He also enjoys Young Scientist Club kits, which are much more affordable. They have them at Rainbow Resource. I got some great suggestions in this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157179 HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 One thing I'd recommend for him is the Sonlight "Discover and Do" series. These dvds do demonstrate the experiments in the elementary Sonlight science levels, but you do *not* need to be doing Sonlight science to get a lot out of the experiments. They're really fantastic, like having your enthusiastic, goofy baby brother come by to "do science" with the little ones. :) Along with the dvds, buy Sonlight's non-consumable kit *and* the grade level kit for whichever dvds you buy. You'll get all of the "everyday" things you'll need for him to imitate and expand on any of the experiments Justin does on the dvds. It's a great way to give a younger student a fun science mentor *and* the materials to experiment on his own (with a little adult supervision). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 (edited) One thing I'd recommend for him is the Sonlight "Discover and Do" series. These dvds do demonstrate the experiments in the elementary Sonlight science levels, but you do *not* need to be doing Sonlight science to get a lot out of the experiments. They're really fantastic, like having your enthusiastic, goofy baby brother come by to "do science" with the little ones. :) Along with the dvds, buy Sonlight's non-consumable kit *and* the grade level kit for whichever dvds you buy. You'll get all of the "everyday" things you'll need for him to imitate and expand on any of the experiments Justin does on the dvds. It's a great way to give a younger student a fun science mentor *and* the materials to experiment on his own (with a little adult supervision). :iagree: My boys LOVE Justin and the experiments! Books that my science-loving boys loved at that age were: Let's Read and Find Out Science 1 and Let's Read and Find Out Science 2 books. Jim Arnosky's "Crinkleroot" books (my library had most of these!) Rod and Staff's "God is Good" series Edited to add: Oh, and Home Science Tools has some fabulous toys and kits, too! Edited March 12, 2010 by Heather in WI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mominbc Posted March 12, 2010 Author Share Posted March 12, 2010 Thank you all for these great suggestions.:D I like the looks of the experiment kits. Has anyone found good kits for inventing, creating or taking things apart? (if that makes sense:tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 You may want to try the K'nex education kits, but he might still be a bit young for that. We've found that WTM science has worked great here as far as curriculum goes. also make materials available for her to build with at anytime, things like construction paper, tape cardboard, chopsticks, paper clips, rocks and so on. My dd has build a ton of things just from her imagination with no help from me. Also, I have found that watching Mythbusters has sparked many an idea :D. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Thank you all for these great suggestions.:D I like the looks of the experiment kits. Has anyone found good kits for inventing, creating or taking things apart? (if that makes sense:tongue_smilie:) Lego and k'nex are the way to go. Klutz made a "Lego contraption" kit with all kinds of cool projects and most of the lego pieces you need. K'nex has similar kits. ThinkGeek.com has lots of fun gadgets, mostly for teens and older, but there is a section of kid stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 (edited) Yup, legos and erector sets (some actually have motors they can use to build contraptions & robots). Can you let him take apart real things? My dad goes to the junk yard and brings back old adding machines, mother boards, printers gone bad, that kind of thing and the boys LOVE dismantling them. We've also pounded nails into wood, pulled them out, screwed in screws, & general boy mayhem. They seem to like the "real life application" stuff the best. I'm also listening for further ideas as I've got one of these myself obviously! Forgot to add: Wedgits are a huge hit in our house as well and they come with puzzle cards to build. Ds loves them! Edited March 12, 2010 by FairProspects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.