Eyesoflyte Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Can anyone give me some recommendations for early elementary age books on astronomy? Nonfiction, fiction, curriculum, ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferLynn Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 We have used various books from the library but nothing specific I can recall or recommend. However, if you do have Netflix check out some of the science documentaries. My kids that age like 400 Years of the Telescope and How the Universe Works. We're going to try Carl Sagan's Cosmos next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeterbug Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Let's Read and Find Out science books are perfect for that age, RR has packages for astronomy. Also there are several MSB books on astronomy. And Usborne First Encyclopedia of Space and See Inside Space (love the whole See Inside series!), and Usborne Beginners books, there are several on space...Living in Space, The Solar System, Sun Moon and Stars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesoflyte Posted February 9, 2013 Author Share Posted February 9, 2013 She has read all the Magic School Bus books on space. The Let's Read and Find Out Books and good, I'll have to see what I can get from inter library loan, or buy that we haven't read yet. I'll have to pull out my RR catalogue and refresh my memory of what they have. Thanks for the reminder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshin Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 If you want to really wow her, see if you have a local astronomy club that does public star parties. Some clubs even do kids' astronomy clubs or youth classes. Took my son to one when he was almost six and he has been their most attentive young member since. My advise for anyone with a kid falling in love with the night sky is get them a planisphere and a good pair of binoculars! As for books, here's a few that were/are popular around here: A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky A Visual Encyclopedia of Space (DK) Find the Constellations (H.E. Rey) Any of the space books written by Seymour Simon The constellation books written by Jacqueline Mitton The Young Astronomer (Harry Ford) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 My girls love the astronomy books by the author of Curious George. Find The Constellations The Stars Also, I have crafted a few fun activities to do for astronomy that I used with my young kiddos. This was one fun constellation one. And here is a list to all the rest labelled astronomy. Also I recommend going on star walks when the weather and night skies allow. You can easily grab an night sky app for your phone to guide you along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 You guys should definitely try Stellarium. It's a free program you can get from Sourceforge (a website that promotes free programs from amateur programmers) and it's absolutely the coolest thing ever. You can set it to show you any spot on Earth, and it shows all the constellations, names of stars, everything. You can even set it to show constellations from different cultures. And did I mention it's free? :D Sourceforge is completely safe, btw. We've downloaded stuff from it for years, and it's a really well-known website, so no worries about viruses. http://sourceforge.net/projects/stellarium/?source=directory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Can your K'er write a bit? http://www.evan-moor...Exploring-Space Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 My girls love the astronomy books by the author of Curious George. Find The Constellations The Stars I love these books as well as 365 Starry Nights: An Introduction to Astronomy by Chet Raymo. Using Raymo's book and binoculars, we were able to find the nebula in Orion's belt on a clear night. (We do live in a dark place though.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 We enjoyed the Intellego K-2 Astronomy unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swiegers Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 If you have an iPad or something like that, Star Walk is an excellent app. It's not too expensive. My 5 year old is also very interested in space and he loves playing with that. It gives a lot of information about planets, stars, galaxies and satellites. The Usborne Children's Encyclopedia also has some great pages with pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Seconding the Let's Read and Find Out series. The books are well written and age-appropriate. There are some great Magic School Bus videos on space -- they would be at the top of my list for videos for K ages. And Stellarium is fantastic. You would need to help with navigating the program. It's not difficult, but you do need to know directions (east, west,north, south) and various other things that are basic for an adult, but not necessarily for kids. Stellarium can help you identify things, and then you can tell your ds. There are also lots of good iPhone/Pod/Pad programs that let you point at the sky to identify things. If there is any kind of planetarium or astronomy club nearby, that would be a big plus. Some places have shows geared for early elementary. ETA Sorry, I see you wanted books, and I have rambled on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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