rose Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 My 11yo daughter thinks all science is boring. She would much rather read any book that involves a real live person. We still do learn pure science but I was thinking that it might be nice to try to inspire her a bit by trying to find some engaging biographies of scientists that dive a little into the science behind their work. She has appreciated in the past a book about Marie Curie and another about George Washington Carver. More along those lines would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Has she seen the Scientist in the Field Series? I think they would fit the bill of engaging biographies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Check your library for Marvels of Science: 50 Fascinating 5-minute Reads by Kendall Haven. If your dd finds any of the stories particularly intriguing, I'm sure she could find a longer work about that particular scientist to learn even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Or for a science-as-history, the Joy Hakim books are pretty engaging - the 3 volume Story of Science books. I think they are actually better with kids who are a little older and can really make the connection between historical events and scientific discoveries. 11 is a great age to start with these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Here's a list I recently emailed to a friend... The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True, by Richard Dawkins (evolutionary science, and more) The World in a Drop of Water; Life in a Bucket of Soil; and The Code of Life, all by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein (microscopic life, life underground, DNA) Dr. Art’s Guide to Science, by Dr. Art Sussman (overview of several science topics) You Are the Earth: Know the Earth So You Can Make It Better, by David T. Suzuki (environmental conservation) My Life With the Chimpanzees, by Jane Goodall (chimpanzees, conservation, memoir) Secrets of the Universe series, by Paul Fleisher (intro to physics topics) The Plant Hunters: True Stories of Their Daring Adventures to the Far Corners of the Earth, by Anita Silvey (botany) Skunk Cabbage, Sundew Plants & Strangler Figs: And 18 More of the Strangest Plants on Earth, by Sally Kneidel (botany) A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson (overview of several science topics) Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy, by Robert M. Hazen (overview of various branches of science) Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth, by Jay Hosler (evolutionary science) Tree: A Life Story, by David T. Suzuki (environmental conservation) The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan (botany, and by the way, anything by Pollan is good!) For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow Through the Edge of Time, by Walter Lewin (physics) Relativity Simply Explained, by Martin Gardner (relativity, quantum physics) A Briefer History of Time, by Stephen Hawking (astronomy, particle physics, astrophysics, quantum physics) Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood, by Oliver Sacks (chemistry, memoir) Napoleon’s Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History, by Penny La Couter (chemistry, technology, does refer to birth control) The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love & the History of the World From the Periodic Table of Elements, by Sam Kean (chemistry, history of periodic table) Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities, by Amy Stewart (biology) The Microbe Hunters, by Paul de Kruif (bacteria, microbes, vaccines) Swampwalker’s Journal: A Wetlands Year, by David M. Carroll (biology, wetlands conservation) The Year of the Turtle, by David M. Carroll (biology) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 My older daughter did a history fair project on Rachel Carson -- lots of interesting material there, and she was a wonderful writer. Before she wrote about DDT, her first books were about the oceans. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson has a children's version and an adult version. An 11 y.o. might take an interest in either -- the adult version for more details, but the kids version for the pictures. Check the library first and see which fits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rose Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 Thank you all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Beautiful Feet has History of Science: http://bfbooks.com/History-of-Science-Pack-with-The-New-Way-Things-Work We loved it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Not exactly living science, but we have had a lot of fun with the book called Physics of Superheros. It goes through how the various superheros could have had the various power they have based on physics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 :lurk5: Posting so I can find the thread again. Lots of great suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justified Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I like this series. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Giants+of+science Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 Great thread, and we have many of these wonderful books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I don't think this would be a full science plan, but another tactic might be to have her read fiction books with science. So, for example, George's Secret Key, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, and various others are books that have a lot of science in them. There are especially a lot of naturalist leaning books out there like Owls in the Family, Chasing Redbird, Gone Away Lake, My Side of the Mountain, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I don't think this would be a full science plan, but another tactic might be to have her read fiction books with science. So, for example, George's Secret Key, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, and various others are books that have a lot of science in them. There are especially a lot of naturalist leaning books out there like Owls in the Family, Chasing Redbird, Gone Away Lake, My Side of the Mountain, etc. That's a fantastic idea. George's Secret Key and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate were entres into science for my older dd. Gone Away Lake is one of my younger dd's all time favorite books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 I don't think this would be a full science plan, but another tactic might be to have her read fiction books with science. So, for example, George's Secret Key, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, and various others are books that have a lot of science in them. There are especially a lot of naturalist leaning books out there like Owls in the Family, Chasing Redbird, Gone Away Lake, My Side of the Mountain, etc. Ds read George's Secret Key last year and we linked it to some of our science studies, he really enjoyed those books. I did My Side of the Mountain as a read-aloud and I wished after the fact that I would have pre-read it and pulled in some more resources to flesh it out more, it would be perfect for some nature studies/survival skills/zombie apocalypse prep :) I still have this on my list of maybe some day, Jean Craighead George wrote several nature related books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 My 11yo daughter thinks all science is boring. She would much rather read any book that involves a real live person. Our then teen enjoyed reading Classic Feynman: All the Adventures of a Curious Character which is a compilation of two of Richard Feynman's earlier books -- "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" and "What Do You Care What Other People Think?". The edition I've linked above is wonderful because it includes a CD of Richard Feynman telling some great stories of his time at Los Alamos. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Harmony Art Mom used living books for science in high school. I'm sure you could read the books earlier than that if you wanted to. harmonyfinearts.org/2011/09/living-books-for-high-school-science/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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