Not_a_Number Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Hey all, What would you do if you wanted some high quality books to read aloud to your kids to get a decent coverage of history and science? My kids are (almost) 10 and 6, although I'd rather aim at the older kid. We're having a fairly turbulent few years. I'm realizing that what I want the most are some books I can read to the kids and that we can talk about that would get good coverage of the basics, and I'm happy to figure out assignments for them myself or to even let them figure out their own assignments. It's best if the books are fun but weave together a cohesive story. We were reading the Thrifty Guide to Time Travel series (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KVLH57S) recently and my older girl has retained a surprising amount from that, but I'd like something more serious than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 We used a range of resources, but some of the best for read aloud were all the Horrible series. Horrible Histories, Horribly Famous, Horrible Science etc. We never used these as a sole source, but they were excellent as a fun foundation to then launch off. I know you said you were after 'serious', but I'm not sure if you mean non-funny or credible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 9 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said: We used a range of resources, but some of the best for read aloud were all the Horrible series. Horrible Histories, Horribly Famous, Horrible Science etc. We never used these as a sole source, but they were excellent as a fun foundation to then launch off. I know you said you were after 'serious', but I'm not sure if you mean non-funny or credible. Yes, my older girl adores those and reads them on her own time. But I can't quite get into reading those out loud -- a little too silly for me!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UHP Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 History is easier than science, since it lends itself better to storytelling. I've liked all the WTM suggestions I've tried, especially Hillyer. I'm also at a loss for science reading. There is a tradeoff between "has substance" and "is fun to read out loud." Maybe for your 10-year-old the first of Feynman's "six easy pieces," on atoms and molecules and their consequences? The other five pieces are more dry, if I remember. Maybe histories and biographies in science are a place to start. Or maybe some kind of "hard" science fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemsondana Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Royal Fireworks Press has some biographies (and possibly other books) that might work. I got a set about...I think Babbage and Pascal and maybe somebody else? There was one about Florence Nightengale and how she pushed the use of statistics in figuring out basic epidemiology. I haven't looked to see what else they have since mine are now older and on to other things. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Have you done the Hakim A history of US and Story of Science books yet? They work well as readalouds and discussion. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black-eyed Suzan Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Guest Hollow has science trade books listed for their curriculum. I have never used the curriculum itself, but have enjoyed titles they’ve listed. NSTA lists outstanding science trade books each year. We’ve found good options from those lists. https://www.nsta.org/outstanding-science-trade-books-students-k-12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malam Posted July 12, 2022 Share Posted July 12, 2022 (edited) For science, maybe use some nonfiction popular science books, like The Song of the Cell, The Case of the Disappearing Spoon, The Alchemy of Us Also check out Thinking Physics by Lewis C Epstein A nice thing about Joy Hakim's science history series is rhat there are accompanying instructor and student workbooks Edited July 12, 2022 by Malam 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted July 16, 2022 Author Share Posted July 16, 2022 On 7/10/2022 at 3:03 PM, UHP said: History is easier than science, since it lends itself better to storytelling. I've liked all the WTM suggestions I've tried, especially Hillyer. What's Hillyer? On 7/10/2022 at 3:03 PM, UHP said: I'm also at a loss for science reading. There is a tradeoff between "has substance" and "is fun to read out loud." Maybe for your 10-year-old the first of Feynman's "six easy pieces," on atoms and molecules and their consequences? The last thing we read (before our life kind of exploded) was this: https://www.amazon.com/Stuff-Life-Graphic-Guide-Genetics/dp/0809089475/ It was great -- both had substance and was fun to read. We also read the Evolution novel by the same people. I'll take a look at Feynman's six easy pieces. I think what I want is for it to be interesting, thought-provoking, and teach her something new that still connects with my almost 10-year-old's view of the world. I can imagine it being lots of things... both my kids are very scientifically minded, so I'm not really that worried about proficiency at this point, just inspiration and interest. On 7/10/2022 at 3:03 PM, UHP said: Maybe histories and biographies in science are a place to start. Or maybe some kind of "hard" science fiction. I don't think I can think of any science fiction that really engages with science in a good way, and I like science fiction. To me, the best kind of science fiction engages with philosophy but not really science. Do you have anything in mind? Histories and biographies are a good idea, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted July 16, 2022 Author Share Posted July 16, 2022 On 7/10/2022 at 6:28 PM, Dmmetler said: Have you done the Hakim A history of US and Story of Science books yet? They work well as readalouds and discussion. I haven't yet. I remember I had some issue with them, but I have no idea what it was anymore... are there any valid criticisms of those? They are a good idea, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UHP Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said: What's Hillyer? "A Child's History of the World." 2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said: It was great -- both had substance and was fun to read. We also read the Evolution novel by the same people. It looks great. Did you like Evolution less? 2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said: I'll take a look at Feynman's six easy pieces. I think what I want is for it to be interesting, thought-provoking, and teach her something new that still connects with my almost 10-year-old's view of the world. I think the first "piece" on atoms and molecules fits the bill, while the others are either more abstract ("what do we mean by a physical law?") or tell less about life in the day to day (relativity). 2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said: I don't think I can think of any science fiction that really engages with science in a good way, and I like science fiction. To me, the best kind of science fiction engages with philosophy but not really science. Do you have anything in mind? I liked "Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson. It might be more of a teen interest. A novel can't teach you to solve the heat equation but it can dramatize some things that stick in memory (I read in 20 years ago): the solar wind is radioactive and bad for astronauts, spaceships use their gas at the beginning and end of a journey not in the middle, you would weigh less on Mars than on Earth, Mars's day is about a half-hour longer than Earth's day, wouldn't a space elevator be cool... But yes lots more "philosophy" and other sugar in it than science lessons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 Have you tried the "Little Histories" books. I enjoy reading those aloud, and my kids have been fond of them too. Some of my kids' favorite read alouds were the Donald Prothero "in 25 {somethings}" books. They are dense and very high-level and filled with hard to pronounce names (my kids found my mispronunciations hilarious), but for some reason even my 5 year old was fascinated. I think the main thing that makes or breaks read alouds at my house is if I am enjoying them. So I tend to find books that are teaching me new things in an entertaining way, and then I just dive into them projecting full confidence that of course the kids will like them if they just give them a chance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted July 22, 2022 Share Posted July 22, 2022 (edited) Have you checked out the NSTA lists? https://www.nsta.org/outstanding-science-trade-books-students-k-12 I have found many of them really good. It does look like the more recent year winners are a bit more surface level but some of the older ones were quite in depth. We’ve also enjoyed David Macauley books and some of the Great Minds of Science biographies. We’ve used a few Ellen McHenry units and although there’s some teacher input you can do them mostly independently. Great Courses can be helpful too. Your kids may be a little young but given their overall learning level it might work. Edited July 22, 2022 by Ausmumof3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malam Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 (edited) The booklists here seem appropriate for middle school students. Edited August 2, 2022 by Malam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckittre Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 Why not just read them adult nonfiction -- one-word-style books on different science topics that grab kid interest. I remember we read one called "Venomous" when they were a little younger than yours, and it led to a lot of great exploration and quite a good understanding of various aspects of chemistry and biology. Even if you don't have broad coverage in the topic, usually a ton of related stuff is brought in to those types of books (including history), and discussions can fill in any missing background. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted August 6, 2022 Author Share Posted August 6, 2022 On 8/1/2022 at 7:44 PM, mckittre said: Why not just read them adult nonfiction -- one-word-style books on different science topics that grab kid interest. I remember we read one called "Venomous" when they were a little younger than yours, and it led to a lot of great exploration and quite a good understanding of various aspects of chemistry and biology. Even if you don't have broad coverage in the topic, usually a ton of related stuff is brought in to those types of books (including history), and discussions can fill in any missing background. I'm all for that. I'd love to see some suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 12 hours ago, Not_a_Number said: I'm all for that. I'd love to see some suggestions. Here are some nonfiction books we enjoyed during the teen years: The Ghost Map Encounters with the Archdruid Outliers Freakonomics Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (not exactly nonfiction) Lila (again, not exactly nonfiction, also there are a lot of sexual references) The Righteous Mind Sapiens The Upright Thinkers Napoleon's Buttons Uncle Tungston The Disappearing Spoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted August 6, 2022 Author Share Posted August 6, 2022 2 hours ago, EKS said: Here are some nonfiction books we enjoyed during the teen years: The Ghost Map Encounters with the Archdruid Outliers Freakonomics Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (not exactly nonfiction) Lila (again, not exactly nonfiction, also there are a lot of sexual references) The Righteous Mind Sapiens The Upright Thinkers Napoleon's Buttons Uncle Tungston The Disappearing Spoon Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 If you’re open to podcasts, this one is excellent: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/759973777/california-burning-solutions-to-california-s-wildfire-problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mckittre Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Second Sapiens. For podcasts, we had lots of great discussions from this one : https://www.npr.org/podcasts/481105292/more-perfect about the supreme court and about the constitutional amendments. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreyaO Posted September 29, 2022 Share Posted September 29, 2022 I know this is an old thread, but I enjoyed it and wanted to add: how about some long form journalism? E.g. New Yorker, weekend issues, etc. They often account to mini biographies or give a good overview on issues from history to politics to science. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not_a_Number Posted September 30, 2022 Author Share Posted September 30, 2022 7 hours ago, FreyaO said: I know this is an old thread, but I enjoyed it and wanted to add: how about some long form journalism? E.g. New Yorker, weekend issues, etc. They often account to mini biographies or give a good overview on issues from history to politics to science. Great idea! It's an old thread, but I plan to draw from this stuff for a while, so suggestions are still very welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malam Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 Men, Microscopes, and Living Things The Science of Superheroes (and the sequel, The Science of Supervillains) Max Axiom Thinking Physics How Things Work: The Physics of Everyday Life King Solomon's Ring 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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