Lovedtodeath Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) Here will be all of the resources in a separate thread so that we aren't tempted to get into the debate. Apologetics Press has some picture books that would be at your son's reading level. Actually, it sounds like he would be ready for the advanced ones. They don't have an encyclopedia, though. I haven't found much from a creationist point of view that can be read BY a younger child. We used ASCI science from CBD this year so that my son could read some on his own. They have colorful pictures and such. I'm also reading this one TO my son now: http://www.christianbook.com/kids-guide-to-gods-creation/tracy-sumner/9781602607590/pd/607591?event=CFN There is an animal one as well.We do discuss the millions of years comments. He loves science books so he'll be getting a lot of that. You might try Eye Wonder Space or perhaps Usborne or Kingfisher. . .Some books emphasize the evolutionary content more than others. Jennifer Are you looking for books he can read on his own? These may be below his reading level, but have a look at these books by Heno Head: http://www.amazon.com/Made-Outer-Space-Happy-Books/dp/0784710449/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1299610078&sr=8-12 http://www.amazon.com/Gods-World-Weather-Simple-Science/dp/0784711011/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1299610078&sr=8-4 Also maybe these would be helpful to you, for activities and such, not as a textbook. http://www.amazon.com/Made-God-School-Specialty-Publishing/dp/0742428095/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299610165&sr=1-3 http://www.amazon.com/Made-God-Solar-System/dp/0764709763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299610195&sr=1-1 I'm all for teaching various theories, it would just be awesome if they (from any camp) printed books that didn't teach the theories (whatever they are) as if they're known facts that have been tested and repeated. If anyone knows of one I'd love to know about it. Taking a quick look on my shelf, the Usborne Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia does a nice job of this, IMHO. The section on The Universe, for example, says "...How the universe was created is not fully understood. Most scientists believe that it began about 15,000 million years ago with an unimaginably violent explosion known as the Big Bang. This idea is called the Big Bang Theory." (italics mine) There is a section explaining the theory, and a brief section titled Big Bang Evidence which has a paragraph about an echo signal that could be evidence, and a paragraph explaining that if the theory is true, then there must be more matter in the universe than we currently know about. So it's sort of a "this piece looks like it fits, this other piece may or may not" kind of thing, which is nice. They then briefly explain three theories of the future of the universe (slowing down, oscillating, big crunch). I think the whole section does a nice job of showing that some of the ideas are more accepted/supported than others, as a sort of example of science as a work in progress. The Evolution page has a similar "most scientists believe" sentence, and refers to "the theory of evolution" and "the theory of natural selection". They do not get into how life came into being at the beginning. This is clearly not a Bible-based book. However, as a secular science book, it does seem to do a decent job of conveying the current state of what most scientists believe without overstating the case. Plus, it is a huge, beautiful book full of good info for a budding scientist to peruse on a rainy day. In any case, I second the recommendation of The Usborne Internet Linked Science Encyclopedia. It's not perfect, but it at least acknowledges that many of these questions are up for debate. We are enjoying it. I was worried at first that it was over his head. I can't think of a good example off the top of my head, but it was more than the typical elementary science stuff. But he is enjoying it. We only read a page or 2 at a time. I'm glad I waited until 3rd grade for this one. I think the animal one would be slightly easier. It is a BEAUTIFUL book, though. I checked out Usborne's First Encyclopedia of Space from the library to review it as a possible resource for next year (2nd grade). I decided it had too much "millions of years" stuff in it to actually buy it. But, my son found it on the shelf and started reading through it on his own. That is exactly the kind of book I want to buy - one he will be so interested in that he takes it down on his own to read "for fun". (He doesn't do that with our science textbook - GDL). What resources are out there without the evolutionary bias? I have been looking through the AiG website, but everything I looked at seemed over his grade level and/or boring. Not sure you will find an encyclopedia that doesn't teach evolution but I think the Apologia Elementary series are great books. They are colorful and appealing and easy enough for a 2nd grader to read (if he reads well). Yup. The Apologia textbooks by Jeannie Fulbright are probably your best bet. MilknHoney, you may want to look at the Wonders of Creation Series. They do a good job of explaining how the evidence can be interpreted in more than one way, and they have a bit more of an encyclopedia like format than the Apologia books. The authors are YEC. We are not, but we want to present as many views as we can and teach my children to be tolerant of them (since I wasn't and learned my lesson). So I also encourage you not to get rid of the Usborne Encyclopedia. ;) I should also mention that our family does not enjoy books by Ken Ham, and we are very cautious with Creation magazine, as the style of writing teaches us to be intolerant of others views. :iagree:Though I would suspect it's the conclusions the author draws from the scientific evidence that the OP objects to, rather than the science itself. Most secular books tend to make statements seem like facts when they aren't. The books will say things like "X is Y" rather than: "Based on what scientists have observed about Z, most scientists believe that X is Y." Edited March 9, 2011 by Lovedtodeath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 I was also in your position not too long ago looking for a history encyclopedia resource. While I do teach my children differing views during our lessons, I wanted a history resource that did not contain an overwhelming theme of evolution that they could look and read alone. It's tough. One book had almost 10 pages of evolutionist pages. Another not as much but over 5 pages. I couldn't find one that contained zero. All were secular. I finally settled on the Kingfisher Encyclopedia of World History as it only had 2 pages. (And no I don't do use a sharpie blacking text out or rip pages from a book, etc. ;) ) I suspect for Science you will run into the same problem. I'd go to the library and pick up the main ones out there: Usborne, Kingfisher, DK, Oxford, etc. and count the pages. And go with the one with the least amount. If it doesn't need to be a visual encyclopedia source, Apologia is nice. My kids really enjoy the elementary series. Charlotte Mason style text with nice colorful photos. We have Zoology 1, Zoology 3, and Astronomy so far. They are presented from a YE viewpoint yet other theories are explored. My kids (even the 3 year old) likes to simply pick these books up and explore their pages. Another option is going with individual field guides and such. You can handpick these according to interest or need. You could utilize the library and rotate through field guides, providing 1 or 2 at a time for your son to pick up. These are the only general science resources I have on my shelf at the moment (I've been busy building my history books library... haven't gotten to science yet! :tongue_smilie: ) Scholastic Encyclopedia of Animals by Laurence Pringle For grades PK-1st. Although this a younger text than what your son would use, it is some information and a color photo for each animal listed. Animals are listed in alphabetical order. There are no origins discussed. My oldest picked this book up long after she was "too old" for it. Everything You Need to Know About Science Homework by Anne Zeman and Kate Kelly For grades 4-6. Has a little bit everything with pictures and diagrams: The Animal Kingdom, The Plant Kingdom, Planet Earth, Outer Space, The Physical World, and Ecology and the Landscapes of Life. Evolution is discussed on 4 pages: p16-17 Dinosaurs, p20 The First Plants (1 sentence), p46-47 Planet Earth, p83 The Sun (1 sentence). There is a bit on Globa Warming as well if you are not a believer in that as well. No discussion for alternative views of origins but evolution is not discussed as well. It just says "... millions of years ago..." Explore and Learn series from The Southwestern Company For grades early to mid elementary. I love this series! I got it from some college kid selling these door to door. Big, colorful, interesting details on a variety of topics. Images include artwork and real photos. 6 total volumes that include: Volume 1 Earth and Space: p15 Fossils (1 sentence), p24 on erosion (1 sentence) Volume 2 Science and Technology: No references or mention of origins or the words "millions of years". Volume 3 The Natural World: No references or mention of origins or the words "millions of years". Volume 4 People in Place and Time: Throughout book, dating will not line up with a YE viewpoint. p8 Time Ticks Away (brief question to encourage a kid to think a million years ago), no discussion on origins Volume 5 Me and My Body: No references or mention of origins or the words "millions of years". p70-71 Where Do Babies Come From and p72 A Baby Is Born (not evolutionist topic but a concern for parents who wish not to discuss this subject with their children yet. Shows female and male anatomy as well as the development of a baby 1 month prenatal through artwork (not real photos); p71 also shows an ultrasound image; pg72 shows the baby in the momma - not an ultrasound or real photo but a drawn image.) Volume 6 Atlas of the World: No references or mention of origins or the words "millions of years". Hope that helps and you can find something that works for you and your family. :001_smile: I would agree that the Usborne books can be very useful. I've learned this after having once been anti-Usborne. Our favorite multi-resource curriculum has taken a beating for including some books that contain evolutionary material (Usborne), but as has been testified in this thread, it's HARD to find good science resource books that are colorful and engaging without a single mention of evolution. The author of our chosen curriculum has discovered that and is doing what she can to find Creation-focused books in a similar style, but for those topics where she doesn't have such books, she adds plenty of commentary and explanation inside the TMs for the parent to do with what they please. And yes, we present the differing views as well... even moreso as the student gets older. For a 2nd grader, you might also consider adding some of the children's books that Answers in Genesis sells to your home library. I think I recall a MFW representative at a conference workshop saying that they had made some special arrangements with some publishers to have the evolutionary content taken out of some of the books they use. What I remember about this was that when some publishers were going to take their books out of print MFW negotiated with them to buy a certain number of their books if they would make some changes regarding evolutionary content. I don't know that you would be able to tell from the catalog which books are a MFW-version and which are original. You would probably have to call them or view their books for yourself at a conference. Good luck with finding something that will work for you. You are right! I seem to recall the same thing, so I ventured a search on the MFW message boards and at least one volume is a reprint: Usborne Living World Encyclopedia. It was specifically reprinted by Usborne for MFW without evolution content. There might be a few Usborne books that MFW uses in 1st grade that don't have any evolution in them at all. I don't own any of these, so I can not verify. Maybe a MFW user will chime in? :001_smile: What curriculum are you using? A curriculum that utilizes the "intersting books" (instead of a textbook) and a TM that will help me with explaining the evolution stuff we might run into sounds like a good fit for me. Yep, MFW works with Usborne on this, though I couldn't tell you *which* Usborne books have been adapted for this purpose, as there are many Usborne resources for different ages, and I don't know specifically which ones MFW has obtained of the adapted versions. I also know that MFW has started obtaining materials from Answers in Genesis to replace where possible. The most recent "MFW special edition" actually comes from DK Publishing for World History. It says right on the front in the lower right corner, "My Father's World Edition". On the copyright page, it has a last revision date of 2007, but then in fine print you find a note saying that THIS American edition was published in 2010. It starts with 5000 B.C., "The First Civilizations", and the text gives us facts undisputed by both Creationists and evolutions (aside from some uncertainty about the exact date, i.e., 4000 or 6000): "In 5000 B.C. most people in the world live by hunting and gathering their food. Small villages of settled farmers do exist in China, India, the Nile valley, the eastern Mediterranean parts of Europe, and central and South America, but most of the world's population are still essentially nomadic..... " http://www.mfwbooks.com/inc/popups/itemDetail.html#17703 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryanne Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Thanks for taking the time to pull all of this out of the other thread. I will definitely save this info for future reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milknhoney Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Yes, thank you for taking the time to do this! I also want to say thanks to all of you who took the time to pull your books off the shelf and report on how much/little evolutionary content they contain. That was very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenninMN Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 This thread made me curious so I've been pulling some of the kids' books off the shelves and checking them out. Eye Wonder Space has 2 millions of years references on pp. 5 & 39. Best Book of Volcanoes has no evolutionary references. Best Book of Weather has 1 reference on p. 8. Eye Wonder Ocean has 2 references to prehistoric times and 1 reference to the age of the dinosaurs. Usborne First Encyclopedia of the Human Body has no evolutionary references. I've started Usborne's World of Animals and haven't found any yet, but I'm not done. This has been quite fascinating. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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