Science experiment curriculum or book recommendations?

[displace]

I know science gets brought up a lot on the forums and I've searched but I couldn't really find what I was looking for.  I'm using Sciencesaurus as a read aloud for science.  DS LOVES science but does not want a read aloud as his curriculum.  He just wants to do experiments.  My original plan was to do a read aloud, then science related experiments but IDK if using the book is going to go over well.  I am strong in science and though I prefer a curriculum, I could prep and just talk through main points in a discussion. 

 

Are there any curricula or books for science that are just experiments or a combo of DVD with experiments or something along those lines?  I know there are good science experiment books but I don't have any.  I have BFSU at home and enjoy the process of discovery and can make it work but IDK if it's quite right for us.  I also have Mr. Q which I can use the experiments with (and I will) but I'm not sure if it's going to be enough for "just" the experiment section.  The written Mr. Q is okay but as a read aloud is difficult.  Any ideas?  I'm thinking of just going through DIY science kits for different subjects of DS's interest (solar system kit, chemistry kit, microscope kit, etc) and learning through those, using the Sciencesaurus as more of a prep for me to introduce vocab and for introduction of subjects, and doing DIY experiments for a lot of other stuff.

 

Additional restrictions: secular or at least scientific based principles that are strong, and we've already watched every episode of Bill Nye and Magic School Bus.  He likes both but just recommending the videos will not be enough.  If the Magic School Bus kits were really good we could maybe cycle through them.  Suggestions to skip science or only do nature walks will be of limited value for us (though if you could recommend a parent guide about nature walks and science I'd be open for that as a side interest). 

 

Thanks! 

[desertflower]

Real science odyssey life science. Materials are available from Walmart. Read about half a page to him and the rest is an experiment. Real easy to implement.

 

Hth

[displace]

Thanks, I looked at RSO and did like it online but didn't pull the trigger.  Now I'll relook since my goals have changed from info to experiment based. 

[mohini]

There's this free trial offer from supercharge science.

http://www.superchargedscience.com/affiliate/401_science_activity_manual1.htm

I don't know exactly how it works - I think you have some time to try the video program and pay like 100$ if you decide to keep it. But it's worth poking around on the site. A couple of weeks ago I downloaded a pdf with like 10 experiments (all of which look good) for free.

[marynamo]

Just a suggestion, perhaps check out some books at the library, our library stock several great books of only experiments. You could also check on Pinterest for ideas, there are thousands ;)

 

[Aurelia]

The GEMS guides are almost all experiments. DD liked the ones we used.

[Raining Pineapples]

I second RSO. It is all experiments . Well not ALL, there is one page to be read that explains the concept. Most are experiments are super easy and demonstrate the concepts well. 

 

We are moving on to BFSU because I want a more in depth introduction to the topics. I will tie the RSO experiments in.

 

 

[Jackie]

I'm lining up Science in a Nutshell kits with BFSU. I also like the discovery method and library book suggestions in BFSU, but my daughter would be hugely disappointed if we didn't do more hands on. The SiaN kits each have about 10 demonstrations/experiments, they're well written, and include most of the supplies in the kit. It feels like a good combination of approaches and adds up to a decent bit of science.

 

We also are using Snap Circuits and Lego Education kits for more hands on. The Happy Scientist website has many short science videos and my daughter loves them.

[Staceyshoe]

I discovered Janice van Cleave science experiments books through WTM, and our library has an arsenal of them.  The books work really well with any other resource you are using.  There are many books divided into age categories and topics, so you can pick whatever is most relevant to what dc is learning.

[Slache]

Timberdoodle has some cool kits and I've heard great things about Exploration Education.

[Farrar]

I think the best easy experiments book for early elementary is DK's 101 Great Science Experiments for Kids. We used the individual volumes from way back when before they were reprinted like that. Most of them are physical science, they almost always come out right, they're easy and simple but also fun.

 

There are plenty of other options out there though. I also especially like Blood and Guts if you wanted something more biology focused.

 

If you wanted something that's more in depth, I'm completely in love with the OOP Boston Children's Museum Activity Books. Really good stuff, heavy on the set up though. We also got a lot of good stuff out of The Amateur Zoologist and there's other volumes in that series. Also out of Biology Experiments for Children.

 

But there's plenty more out there - the Janice Van Cleave books are sort of hit or miss to me. And there's a number of other imprints.

 

I know this thread is full of people suggesting you go for a curricula and, of course, that can be a good way to get experiments done. But, on the other hand, just DIY can be cheaper and more fun. And it would let you read a lot of good books. There's great living science books out there. So I would encourage you to keep that idea under consideration. As for a nature guide - The Nature Connection is a really nice simple one that includes a few student pages.

[Alessandra]

I discovered Janice van Cleave science experiments books through WTM, and our library has an arsenal of them. The books work really well with any other resource you are using. There are many books divided into age categories and topics, so you can pick whatever is most relevant to what dc is learning.

Wonderful books.

 

Like the Nutshell and GEMS too.

 

Did anyone mention TOPS? The materials they use are so cheap and ordinary, great for the budget conscious, but no compromise in the auality of the writing.

 

Also, I would suggest poring over the Home Science Tools catalogue and getting on their email list. They send out regular bulletins with neat experiment ideas.

[Eagle]

Check out the books Exploratopia and Exploralab. They have some really different and fun experiments and are good at explaining the why behind the experiment.

http://www.amazon.com/Exploratopia-kid-friendly-experiments-explorations-curious/dp/0316612812/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415336835&sr=8-1&keywords=Exploratopia

http://www.amazon.com/Exploralab-Exploratorium/dp/1616284919/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415336835&sr=8-2&keywords=Exploratopia