Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Our library system just isn't stocking a lot of classical literature anymore. The flip side of that is that I'm getting some great deals as they clear out inventory but it's not a matter of finding it there - they no longer carry many of these books. I am deeply in love with both Abe books and amazon's used stuff though. :) We have a library loan program that supposedly goes out of our system - I've had success with one book from a list of about 40 in the past YEAR. It's not worth it for me to even try the library sometimes. I'll search the internet program at our library and move on when I find very little. :glare: But if anyone ever needs a Spongebob $4 reader - let me know!! A bit of a tangent, but sadly libraries are going to invest in what gets used. And at some point, that becomes a self-licking ice cream cone. Pop culture books get high circulation because they have become the bulk of what is on the shelf or what is featured on end caps or what is in attractive color bindings. I've had some luck in being active with the local Friends of the Library group, filling out book purchase requests, asking the children's librarians for help finding books on specific topics, etc. I also made sure that we filled out the survey the library did recently and pointed out that we were homeschoolers and really appreciated the classic literature and good non-fiction offerings. When we were using a military base library, I would submit comment cards to the base complementing the library on everything I thought they were doing right. It helped them get some of the morale & welfare budget money for things beyond just internet terminals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 This is my first time hearing about your site, and I'm very excited! My 8 and 9yos loved the first mineral video and are working on the worksheet right now, even though we didn't plan for today to be a school day! :D We're going to work through the unit and I'll try to keep notes to report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I like your site as it is! I have been looking through it as time permits. Today, while Doodle (7yrs/2nd grade) was having a school break, I started watching the video about erosion. Doodle quickly joined me to watch too. So instead of a play break, he and I watched several earth science videos that related to what we read about last week. We are using Mr Q's Earth Science for our text. Your videos are a wonderful addition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 You might also consider if there are older books that you consider helpful. Given that science knowledge develops at a different pace than historical understandings, there may be older books that are unacceptable because statements made in them have since been found to be untrue. In many cases, older books are MUCH better. Morgan's "The Boy Electrician" is an incredible book for learning electricity, but if you are lucky enough to find a copy, it will cost you a fortune. And unfortunately, there are no longer many 12 year olds that want to build their own voltage meter when you can buy one for $5 at Walmart, but you learn SO MUCH science when you build it yourself. Another excellent example is Michael Faraday's "A Chemical History of a Candle." http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14474 It is a series of children's lectures that made Faraday the historic version of Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, and it is still an incredible way to learn about the chemistry and physics of combustion. Interestingly, at the time (1861), these lectures were considered simple enough for young children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 You should post this on the K-8 curriculum board also. Will do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Another excellent example is Michael Faraday's "A Chemical History of a Candle." http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14474 It is a series of children's lectures that made Faraday the historic version of Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, and it is still an incredible way to learn about the chemistry and physics of combustion. Interestingly, at the time (1861), these lectures were considered simple enough for young children. I didn't know that! I got that book for free on my Kindle, but I didn't realize it was originally meant for children. I haven't read it yet, but now I'm definitely adding it to my "to-be-read" pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 I didn't know that! I got that book for free on my Kindle, but I didn't realize it was originally meant for children. I haven't read it yet, but now I'm definitely adding it to my "to-be-read" pile. As you read it, keep in mind that his audience was mostly 9-12 year olds, and that these children were cramming the auditorium to bursting to listen. It will give you some perspective, since the concepts are more on par with high school science today. I love Faraday's style of making things understandable without talking down to his audience. I reread this book every Christmas, and always come away with new ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Maybe linking it to a kingfisher science encyclopedia, they seem to be decent. Or to the Hakim science books. The Kingfisher book is great! (On an unrelated note, I sure hope Ms. Hakim finishes that set someday. Weren't there supposed to be six?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 A homeschool friend of mine directed me to this forum, saying that I would find lots of useful information. She sure was right! I produce The Happy Scientist website, the Science Photo of the Day, and the Experiment of the Week email newsletter. I'm not here to sell anything. Instead, I am hoping to get a better idea of what science resources the homeschool community wants and needs. It's good to see you here! I'm glad to see everyone has been giving you such great ideas! We are currently members of your site and FB fans. I will be anticipating these new resources for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I run into the same problem recommending good books for different subjects. So many of the newer books are too watered down, and their science is sloppy. The really good books are have often been out of print for decades. Please enlighten us. This is something I have been turning over in my mind for awhile. Could you name some of the series we should avoid, or if you don't want to do that, name some newer ones that you think are good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 (edited) I just have to say I LOVE the idea of a wide spectrum approach as opposed to units for specific grade levels (although those would probably appeal more to the insitutional school market). At my house I love to do science as a whole family endeavor whenever possible. Not only does combining the kids' science studies simplify my prep work, but it also gives them someone else with whom to discuss the concepts being presented, which I think is important in studying science. This can be a little tricky, though, because not only is there a 5 1/2 year age difference between my kids, but they each have their own specific learning "quirks". My son can be especially challenging to plan for. Because of his autism, his level of ability to comprehend and perform can vary pretty drastically depending on any number of factors like the amount of sleep or exercise he's had, when he last ate, the weather, brightness of the sunlight, any stray smells I didn't even notice. Some days he functions at a pretty high level and can easily work at an upper high school or lower college level. Other days I'm lucky if I can get him to read or participate at a junior high or upper elementary level. In the past I've worked around this either by skipping science on the "high autism quotient" days, or by correlating reading and activities for two different levels for him, and then choosing which level to give him as we go along (which is what has worked best). Adding in my daughter means I'm correlating materials for elementary, junior high, and high school levels all at once, which can get pretty involved. A program that already included options for all those levels would be like manna from heaven. My daughter, on the other hand, struggles with reading, but loves hands-on, participatory activities and explanatory videos. She can understand concepts presented to her verbally at a much higher level than the level at which she can read. I don't like to let her reading troubles hold her back conceptually, so I like to let her do the activities, videos, and so forth for a level "up" from her grade level, while letting her do the reading "down" a level. But I can only do that if the same subject is correlated at all the different levels. Another thing I like about the broader spectrum, multi-level approach is that when one of my kids becomes particularly interested in a subject I can give them additional reading or activities "up" a level from where they regularly work, or if we're really dragging in a subject and there's no interest, I can drop "down" a level and just cover the basics and then move on. I think that's a feature that would be useful for most homeschoolers, really, but I have to say that with my particular unique kiddos flexibility is a BIG key to success, especially in science. I loved what you said about taking an approach in which a first grader, high schooler, and college professor could each find something to take away. Give me that in an organized curriculum that covers the basic concepts of all the "standard" science disciplines (along with some fun extras) at an affordable price, and I would be ALL over it. Either your option 1 or option 2 would make me happy, btw. But I know writing can be pretty time intensive. Also, my dh owns and operates his own business doing web design, video editing, iphone and android apps, and all that jazz. I don't know what kind of help you might be looking for in those areas, and I don't want to "advertise" for him here but if you'd like to get in touch with him send me a private message and I can give you contact info. :) Edited January 9, 2012 by MamaSheep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Please enlighten us. This is something I have been turning over in my mind for awhile. Could you name some of the series we should avoid, or if you don't want to do that, name some newer ones that you think are good? Hmm, that is a hard one. I have yet to find an "all-in-one" science book that meets my standards. To get adequate coverage of a subject, you really need a dedicated source. Of course, that means buying a huge pile of books, but as my dw will tell you, I LOVE books. I like Larry Gonick's Cartoon Guides (physics, chemistry, genetics, etc.) They succeed in getting across really meaty science that is accurate and understandable, and they are fun to read. I also like the Discover Nature series by Stackpole books. They are well written, and have very good activities for a wide age range. They are not all by the same author, which means that the styles vary from book to book, but it also means that each is written by someone that really knows the subject. I have been working on a list of "warning signs" for sloppy science, and will post it here once it fills out a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Hmm, that is a hard one. I have yet to find an "all-in-one" science book that meets my standards. To get adequate coverage of a subject, you really need a dedicated source. Of course, that means buying a huge pile of books, but as my dw will tell you, I LOVE books. I like Larry Gonick's Cartoon Guides (physics, chemistry, genetics, etc.) They succeed in getting across really meaty science that is accurate and understandable, and they are fun to read. I also like the Discover Nature series by Stackpole books. They are well written, and have very good activities for a wide age range. They are not all by the same author, which means that the styles vary from book to book, but it also means that each is written by someone that really knows the subject. I have been working on a list of "warning signs" for sloppy science, and will post it here once it fills out a bit. I look forward to seeing it. Thank you! By the way, I think #2 would work best for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 As you suggested, I have started a thread in the Curriculum K-8 board, asking what you want in a science curriculum. Between that thread and this one, I am getting a marvelous flood of ideas! I can tell you how much I appreciate that!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 In many cases, older books are MUCH better. Morgan's "The Boy Electrician" is an incredible book for learning electricity, but if you are lucky enough to find a copy, it will cost you a fortune. And unfortunately, there are no longer many 12 year olds that want to build their own voltage meter when you can buy one for $5 at Walmart, but you learn SO MUCH science when you build it yourself. Another excellent example is Michael Faraday's "A Chemical History of a Candle." http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14474 It is a series of children's lectures that made Faraday the historic version of Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, and it is still an incredible way to learn about the chemistry and physics of combustion. Interestingly, at the time (1861), these lectures were considered simple enough for young children. That's just the sort of book I'm thinking of. However, I think that it benefits from glossing or footnoting to point out areas where our understanding of things has advanced. But I've seen that older books seem much more willing to discuss nitty gritty technical concepts than current books. For example, All About Sattelites, written around the time of the Apollo space missions, spends a lot of time on different orbits and the physics of why one sattelite needs to be at one altitude to pass over many parts of the earth; while another, designed to be geostationary, must be at a different altitude. This is a level of discussion that I don't see much in children's books anymore, dominated as they are with high resolution photos on a white background to eliminate context, I mean clutter. I found a nice quality scan of The Boy Electrician I think the thirst for this sort of understanding and ability is what is creating the market for books like The Dangerous Book for Boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 A bit of a tangent, but sadly libraries are going to invest in what gets used. And at some point, that becomes a self-licking ice cream cone. Pop culture books get high circulation because they have become the bulk of what is on the shelf or what is featured on end caps or what is in attractive color bindings. I make a point of searching out and checking out OOP books that are in the storage stacks of our library system. If I find a good old book on the shelf, I will check it out even if I don't think my kids will have any interest in reading it. Our library system annually culls its collection using a list of books that haven't been checked out in a certain amount of time. I do my best to keep more books off that list! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Welcome aboard. Love the website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Thank you for being patient. I had a marvelous time with the science teachers, and managed to squeeze in some birding and nature photography too. I'll scan back through your responses, and try to answer them all. If I miss something that you asked, don't hesitate to ask again. I had a chance to get my hands on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade science textbooks from National Geographic, and so far, I am VERY impressed. This is the first school textbook I have seen that recognizes that there are quite a few rocks that do not contain any minerals! That is one of my "test questions" for evaluating science books, and I was very pleased to see correct information in a public school textbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Thank you for being patient. I had a marvelous time with the science teachers, and managed to squeeze in some birding and nature photography too. I'll scan back through your responses, and try to answer them all. If I miss something that you asked, don't hesitate to ask again. I had a chance to get my hands on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade science textbooks from National Geographic, and so far, I am VERY impressed. This is the first school textbook I have seen that recognizes that there are quite a few rocks that do not contain any minerals! That is one of my "test questions" for evaluating science books, and I was very pleased to see correct information in a public school textbook. Are you talking about the Glencoe books? If so, excellent! I just bought about 15 of them (used) but felt I was taking somewhat of a risk. I am integrating them in with BFSU (as I am with your videos, books, and other resources). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Bumping this up. Can anyone link to the Nat'l Geographic books? Are they available for us to buy, or only schools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 Bumping this up. Can anyone link to the Nat'l Geographic books? Are they available for us to buy, or only schools? Florida's textbooks were written for Florida by National Geographic, to fit the state science standards. The ones I have seen (4rd, 4th, and 5th grades) are OK as modern textbooks go, but like others, they seem to fill up a LOT of space with photos and graphics, instead of with text information. You can find their info here" http://www.ngsp.com/tabid/271/Default.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Thank you. I'm considering CPO in about a year, but my kids LOVE Nat. Geo. so they would like those texts even just to read for fun. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I like Larry Gonick's Cartoon Guides (physics, chemistry, genetics, etc.) They succeed in getting across really meaty science that is accurate and understandable, and they are fun to read. We love these! My son devours them and has really retained the information. Going to check out your website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 (edited) In many cases, older books are MUCH better. Morgan's "The Boy Electrician" is an incredible book for learning electricity, but if you are lucky enough to find a copy, it will cost you a fortune. And unfortunately, there are no longer many 12 year olds that want to build their own voltage meter when you can buy one for $5 at Walmart, but you learn SO MUCH science when you build it yourself. Another excellent example is Michael Faraday's "A Chemical History of a Candle." http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14474 It is a series of children's lectures that made Faraday the historic version of Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, and it is still an incredible way to learn about the chemistry and physics of combustion. Interestingly, at the time (1861), these lectures were considered simple enough for young children. My son (12) LOVES A Chemical History of a Candle. And another favorite has been On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals by William Harvey Old timer home schoolers told me about those books. Edited March 2, 2012 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 My son (12) LOVES A Chemical History of a Candle. And another favorite has been On the Motion of the Hart and Blood in Animals by William Harvey Old timer home schoolers told me about those books. Faraday's lectures are amazing. Chemical History of a Candle is my favorite, but his lectures on The Forces of Matter are very good to. You can find them free online at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1859Faraday-forces.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Faraday's lectures are amazing. Chemical History of a Candle is my favorite, but his lectures on The Forces of Matter are very good to. You can find them free online at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1859Faraday-forces.asp Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kames Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Thank You Happy Scientist for your site. We enjoy it immensely and particularly your videos. Today we tried to access your site and find the graphics are showing up wrong on the page. There is one column of text in the middle of the page with other information under that column. We are not able to get to the help page or to contact you through the site. Are you having trouble with the site right now? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Thank You Happy Scientist for your site. We enjoy it immensely and particularly your videos. Today we tried to access your site and find the graphics are showing up wrong on the page. There is one column of text in the middle of the page with other information under that column. We are not able to get to the help page or to contact you through the site. Are you having trouble with the site right now? Thank you You might have better luck contacting him through his facebook page if the site is down: https://www.facebook.com/TheHappyScientist I'm pretty sure you can message someone even if you don't have a facebook account yourself. Let him know what browser you are using. They did make some upgrades, but I think that was a while ago now. It's working for me right now with Chrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Scientist Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 Kames, No, the site is not down, but I recognize that problem. Have you changed the zoom text setting in your browser? For some reason, selecting to zoom just the text gives Drupal (my content management system) fits. If that is not the problem, email me at rob at krampf.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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