Good read aloud history and science

[Not_a_Number]

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. Both the girls are gifted and need a high level of input -- they found Story of the World boring. 

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. 

[Roadrunner]

There are excellent Oxford history textbooks intended for middle schoolers. 
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Roman-World-Times/dp/0195153804/ref=pd_aw_sbs_sccl_2/133-2214524-2079147?pd_rd_w=3LO2d&content-id=amzn1.sym.0c279229-4118-4446-82ce-2a5493d1e222&pf_rd_p=0c279229-4118-4446-82ce-2a5493d1e222&pf_rd_r=2FNN1VS0BGAJ16GS0X9S&pd_rd_wg=RYesF&pd_rd_r=b66c4b4f-8991-45e9-95d8-b2189b6a4f84&pd_rd_i=0195153804&psc=1

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Roadrunner said:

There are excellent Oxford history textbooks intended for middle schoolers. 
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Roman-World-Times/dp/0195153804/ref=pd_aw_sbs_sccl_2/133-2214524-2079147?pd_rd_w=3LO2d&content-id=amzn1.sym.0c279229-4118-4446-82ce-2a5493d1e222&pf_rd_p=0c279229-4118-4446-82ce-2a5493d1e222&pf_rd_r=2FNN1VS0BGAJ16GS0X9S&pd_rd_wg=RYesF&pd_rd_r=b66c4b4f-8991-45e9-95d8-b2189b6a4f84&pd_rd_i=0195153804&psc=1

I've seen those. I think I have a few of those. I'm not sure they make fascinating reading aloud, though... 

Edit: We should try again, though. Last time we tried, my older girl WAS interested, just the younger one had trouble. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by Not_a_Number

[Roadrunner]

You know of horrible science and history sets I am sure. My kids loved the science ones. 

[Roadrunner]

And Scientist in the Field books are also great. 

[Guest]

Hey NaN! Nice to see you 🙂 !

We love the following authors. We didn't do them as readalouds, but they lend themselves well to being read aloud. Your girls would do fine with the content. Some of the books are written at a lower level than others, so if you pick one and it's too easy, try another one from the same author.

HISTORY:

Russell Freedman

Jim Murphy

Diane Stanley - great pictures, too.

SCIENCE:

David Macaulay - can be read a loud, but more fun to pore over the pictures together while you read aloud 🙂 . 

 

 

 

[Guest]

The Ellen McHenry science stuff is also very read-aloud-able. A lot of them are for older kids, but I think your girls would do fine with the content if you're reading it with discussion and letting them look at the pictures (or drawing on a white board). I think my DD did Cells when she was about your older DD's age.

[Momto6inIN]

K12's Human Odyssey is surprisingly readable for a textbook. Maybe you could read that aloud as a spine and they could jump off from there on their own?

[EKS]

Another vote of K12's Human Odyssey series.

[EKS]

Also, for science--The Magic of Reality.  It isn't really a decent coverage sort of thing, but it's really interesting.

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by EKS

[Guest]

BFSU isn't really what you'd think of as a readaloud, but IMO it really provides a solid foundation for conceptual understanding of science, not just factual knowledge. With most other science readalouds, I think you're really getting facts rather than concepts.

I used BFSU as a modified readaloud. I'd skim the lesson before hand. With the kids, I would read a paragraph or 2, discuss / explain / draw, read another paragraph or 2, discuss / explain / draw, etc.

[Clarita]

I haven't started yet but https://scicurriculum.com/sci/ puts together BFSU in a more open and go format. 

[cintinative]

16 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

There are excellent Oxford history textbooks intended for middle schoolers. 
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Roman-World-Times/dp/0195153804/ref=pd_aw_sbs_sccl_2/133-2214524-2079147?pd_rd_w=3LO2d&content-id=amzn1.sym.0c279229-4118-4446-82ce-2a5493d1e222&pf_rd_p=0c279229-4118-4446-82ce-2a5493d1e222&pf_rd_r=2FNN1VS0BGAJ16GS0X9S&pd_rd_wg=RYesF&pd_rd_r=b66c4b4f-8991-45e9-95d8-b2189b6a4f84&pd_rd_i=0195153804&psc=1

we used these also (link:  https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/w/the-world-in-ancient-times-wat/?cc=us&lang=en&,  There is also a medieval series by OUP.  We also read Human Odyssey Volume 1 (K12). All very readable. We did them as read alouds.

[Not_a_Number]

On 7/9/2022 at 9:29 PM, WTM said:

The Ellen McHenry science stuff is also very read-aloud-able. A lot of them are for older kids, but I think your girls would do fine with the content if you're reading it with discussion and letting them look at the pictures (or drawing on a white board). I think my DD did Cells when she was about your older DD's age.

Is that secular? I remember there was some controversy there. 

 

On 7/9/2022 at 9:37 PM, Momto6inIN said:

K12's Human Odyssey is surprisingly readable for a textbook. Maybe you could read that aloud as a spine and they could jump off from there on their own?

Interesting idea. Is there a link I could look at to get a feel? I know @EKS has suggested this before, and I looked around and then lost steam. 

Basically, I'm getting a bit lost in all the options and wind up doing nothing (especially given how much turmoil life's been in in general recently.) Ugh. 

 

On 7/9/2022 at 10:05 PM, EKS said:

Also, for science--The Magic of Reality.  It isn't really a decent coverage sort of thing, but it's really interesting.

What is this? Sounds intriguing. 

I don't at this point care that much about coverage. More about inspiration. The kids will have plenty of time to get more coverage in middle school and high school. 

 

On 7/9/2022 at 11:10 PM, WTM said:

BFSU isn't really what you'd think of as a readaloud, but IMO it really provides a solid foundation for conceptual understanding of science, not just factual knowledge. With most other science readalouds, I think you're really getting facts rather than concepts.

I used BFSU as a modified readaloud. I'd skim the lesson before hand. With the kids, I would read a paragraph or 2, discuss / explain / draw, read another paragraph or 2, discuss / explain / draw, etc.

I tried to do BFSU and realized I wasn't going to be able to hack it with our current level of business and (lack of) organization. Plus, the kids just take to concepts easily... I don't know that I need them quite as delineated as that (although I appreciate having it as a reference.) 

I see why people like it, though! 

[Guest]

I’ve only done botany and Cells . I found them to be secular

[Not_a_Number]

28 minutes ago, WTM said:

I’ve only done botany and Cells . I found them to be secular

Thanks!! I've been meaning to look at those. 

[EKS]

1 hour ago, Not_a_Number said:

What is this? Sounds intriguing. 

It's basically Dawkins showing that you don't need the mysticism of religion to be awed and inspired by the universe.  

Here is the version we used: The Magic of Reality

Unfortunately, my younger son (whose experience is helpful when I'm thinking about suggestions for your family) was in school when he was 10 and 11, and I didn't keep records of everything we read.  But the Magic of Reality and K12's Human Odyssey I do remember, and they were definitely hits!  Another one you might take a look at is the concise version of A History of US (Hakim).  I don't like the original version, but the concise version is great.  We used that when my son was 9, so your daughter may be beyond it at this point.

Some of the young people's editions are good for that age as well.  A Young People's History of the United States (two volumes) is good (or at least I thought it was good back then), The Third Chimpanzee for Young People, Chew on This (adapted Fast Food Nation), and The Omnivore's Dilemma Young Readers Edition.  These all take interesting ideas and present them in a way that is better for kids' attention spans.  Interestingly, my son ended up reading the adult versions of a few of those books just because he wanted to a little while later.

Also, have you looked at the Big History Project?  There are also textbooks (and other books) that talk about the same stuff.  Origin Story is one of them (note that I have not read this, but I do have it on the shelf right here!).

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, EKS said:

I don't like the original version, but the concise version is great.  We used that when my son was 9, so your daughter may be beyond it at this point.

What makes the concise one better? 

My daughter isn't much into history, so I don't know that we need to aim that high. I just want her to be interested. 

[Susan in TX]

Guest Hollow has some elementary science courses. You can see the books they use without purchasing anything. Also look at Build Your Library, Beautiful Feet Books, Sonlight, Simply Charlotte Mason, and Torchlight. They all have their booklists on their websites. I used to use Tapestry of Grace booklists but the last time I was at their website it was difficult to navigate.

There's also Outstanding Science Tradebooks for Students K-12. 

Those are the resources I would use to find books. I would also just browse my library and pick up whatever looks good. I also like to buy books from Book Outlet. They regularly have 20% off sales and their selection is always changing. I just buy whatever looks good that is under $5. I have gotten a lot of good books this way.

Susan in TX

[EKS]

27 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

What makes the concise one better? 

The original has this wander-y narrative that drove me crazy (I read the entire thing aloud to the oldest).  The concise is much more focused.  Also the original looks like it was laid out by a crazy person, all jammed together, black and white, with terrible graphics.  The concise is much more restful, and is in full color with beautiful images.  It's really well done.

[cintinative]

@Not_a_Number I don't think there is a preview on line for the K12 but I can take some pictures if that would help you. Just let me know.

Not a read aloud, but Inquiry in Action by ACS is supposed to be good--it's very hands on though. And it is "only" chemistry, really. We did Middle School Chemistry by the same group (ACS) and I really enjoyed it. 

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction-current.html

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/k-8/inquiryinaction/fifth-grade.html

https://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/

For Physics, not a read aloud again, but the Eureka! videos on Youtube (older educational videos) are good. Also I liked Dr. Carlson Science Theatre.

Eureka  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Oz7LBZ9-7qgjEwuiGQLX8UwQG6Tk1e8

Dr Carlson   https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~mjcarlso/ST/videos.html

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by cintinative

[Guest]

You might look at the Practical Engineering channel on YouTube.

[HomeAgain]

I would say go with your gut when it comes to picking out books.  Most comics in serious subjects are out, but he was willing to tolerate McHenry's sketches in The Elements & Carbon Chemistry.  He loved Hakim's Story of Science, K12's Human Odyssey, Leon's Outrageous Women of ______, and a few smaller things, but other books that were popular with his peers were not as loved here.  He still has a soft spot for You Wouldn't Want To Be (again, willing to break his cartoon rule about it) and Junior Genius Guides by Ken Jennings.

[madteaparty]

On 7/9/2022 at 8:46 PM, Roadrunner said:

There are excellent Oxford history textbooks intended for middle schoolers. 
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Roman-World-Times/dp/0195153804/ref=pd_aw_sbs_sccl_2/133-2214524-2079147?pd_rd_w=3LO2d&content-id=amzn1.sym.0c279229-4118-4446-82ce-2a5493d1e222&pf_rd_p=0c279229-4118-4446-82ce-2a5493d1e222&pf_rd_r=2FNN1VS0BGAJ16GS0X9S&pd_rd_wg=RYesF&pd_rd_r=b66c4b4f-8991-45e9-95d8-b2189b6a4f84&pd_rd_i=0195153804&psc=1

We did do these as a read aloud for a while. They were not impossible and we are total slackers

eta that we got further along reading  these aloud than reading SOTW aloud, FWIW.

Edited July 16, 2022 by madteaparty

[ScoutTN]

We used the K12 Human Odyssey books as a RA spine in middle school and they were good!

 

Maybe Hakim’s science books?

Edited July 16, 2022 by ScoutTN

[caffeineandbooks]

You could see the full text of the third K12 Human Odyssey book, the modern history one, at Open Library for free.  Here it is: https://openlibrary.org/search?q=human+odyssey+cribb&mode=everything

[EKS]

2 hours ago, caffeineandbooks said:

You could see the full text of the third K12 Human Odyssey book, the modern history one, at Open Library for free.  Here it is: https://openlibrary.org/search?q=human+odyssey+cribb&mode=everything

The books change drastically between the first and the third.  

[EKS]

8 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Is there a link I could look at to get a feel? I know @EKS has suggested this before, and I looked around and then lost steam. 

I would just buy a used copy (or copies) to review.  I just looked, and you can get the first volume on Amazon for $11.

[Momto6inIN]

8 hours ago, EKS said:

The original has this wander-y narrative that drove me crazy (I read the entire thing aloud to the oldest).  The concise is much more focused.  Also the original looks like it was laid out by a crazy person, all jammed together, black and white, with terrible graphics.  The concise is much more restful, and is in full color with beautiful images.  It's really well done.

 

2 hours ago, EKS said:

I would just buy a used copy (or copies) to review.  I just looked, and you can get the first volume on Amazon for $11.

These are both what I was going to say too.

[caffeineandbooks]

8 hours ago, EKS said:

The books change drastically between the first and the third.  

@EKS, I did not know that as I've only seen the Open Library one.  Can you tell me a bit more about how they're different?

[EKS]

5 hours ago, caffeineandbooks said:

@EKS, I did not know that as I've only seen the Open Library one.  Can you tell me a bit more about how they're different?

The first volume is very obviously for younger kids.  The print is larger, there are more pictures, and there are stories they call "imaging the past" that are fictional reenactments (for lack of a better term) of various moments in history.  The second volume is sort of between the first and third volumes.  The "imaging the past" pieces are replaced with "historical close ups," which are biographical sketches of interesting figures, and while the type appears to be the same size, the book is longer overall.

[FlyingSack]

We're trying out Time Trekker Academy's letter subscriptions on inventors as well as their one on American history. My kids are a tad young for all of the content, but the letters are written as a story with illustrations, so they create enough interest that they work as a jumping off point for conversations. I figure we'll save the letters and cycle back when the kids are more developmentally able to take in all the information.