Frogs by Nic Bishop

Frogs by Nic Bishop

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As strange as it may sound, we're reading this for Circle Time! My little guys are LOVING the book. The pictures are amazing. If I didn't know it's impossible to do, I'd say that Bishop was staging the photos and asking the frogs to pose. There is just enough information to keep it interesting without feeling like you're reading a textbook. We've read many, many books about frogs and this still has new stuff to learn. My 5-year-old has been walking around for days spouting frog facts. The older boys have read it 3 or 4 times themselves.  And I'll just say it right now....see-through frogs are gross.  My 7-year-old has commented many, many times, "I didn't even know they existed!"

We own several Nic Bishop books and I will continue to buy them whenever I can. (I could check them out from the library but they are so well done I want them in my home library as I KNOW they'll be read over and over again.) At the end of the book he spends a page or two discussing what it was like to shoot the pictures and travel around. It makes you feel like a real person made the book and that that person is your cool friend.

Highly recommended.

Here is a list of his other books (done in the style of Frogs)....I hope he makes many more!
Lizards
Spiders
Butterflies and Moths
Marsupials

There are two "field guide" type books, but I've never seen them in person.
Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close
Forest Explorer: A Life-Sized Field Guide

And a Scientist in the Field series...but I think he's only the photographer in these.  I'm not sure if it's the same great style as the others.

View all my reviews

Chemistry Fun

I may or may not have told you recently that we're studying chemistry.  So, we're studying chemistry.  It's our second time through and it's fun to be working at a bit higher level.

We're using Real Science 4 Kids and adding in some "extra" books to make it more exciting.  And because I can't use any curriculum without messing around with it.  I have issues.

There are three resources that have been particularly fun though, thus the purpose of this post.

First, the book The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray.  My boys have spent hours looking through this large, glossy book.  It's fascinating to actually be able to see some of the things we're reading about and to see what they are used for.

Second, another book called The Periodic Table: Elements with Style! by Simon Basher.  This is more cartoony, but still gives solid information in a way my boys appreciate and remember.

We use it in conjunction with these videos from the University of Nottingham (heehee, I love that name!).  They have a video for every element (except two or three) and they show you what it looks like, the professor discusses it and they do an experiment or two.  I thought the videos might be over their heads, but they love them!  We read about one element per day and watch the corresponding video.

The kindness of strangers

The other day my husband received an email at work, asking if there were any homeschoolers in the squadron.  We weren't exactly sure if that was a good thing, or a bad thing, and if answering would reap benefits or punishment and ridicule.

But we answered and the Chief Master Sergeant, himself a homeschool dad, bequeathed to us a new microscope with all the supplies and books for a full year's study.  His daughter was off to high school for her last year and they wanted to find "a good homeschooling home" for the equipment.  

We have had the greatest fun the last few days looking at all sorts of prepared slides and making a few of our own.  We've seen frog ovaries and human blood, motor neurons and amoebas.  We've also seen a rather large booger donated by the 4-yr-old which won all sorts of "gross” and “really cool" comments.

Some days we just need a reminder that the Lord is aware of us and concerned for our needs.  And that He is looking down and blessing our efforts.  Usually, He does it through other people.

Toads

Yesterday the neighbor brought over a toad he had found in his garage.  We have an unspoken sort of agreement that whenever we find an interesting creature, we show each other's kids.

We learned a few things about toads yesterday.

1.  They are very hard to identify.  We tried several different internet sites and looked at a ton of pictures.  But within each species they differ greatly in the coloring and warts.  We think he is a Texas Toad.  Maybe.

2.  To tell if a toad is male or female, gently turn it over onto its back.  A female will squirm around.  A male will squirm around and make all sorts of squeaking noises.  We had a male.

3.  Toads really do pee when you pick them up.  They do this for two reasons, both defensive.  First, by eliminating some of their water weight, they can jump farther.  Second, their urine is acidic so if a dog or other predator had the toad in its mouth, the toad would pee and the predator would spit them out.

4.  It is hilariously funny to anyone under the age of 12 to see a toad pee on an adult.  And they pee A LOT.  The toad probably lost half his body size by the time he was done peeing all over the neighbor.

You can find more information about toads in the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock, pages 170 to 177.  Also, the Christian Liberty Nature Reader Book 4 has information from pages 159 to 166.

Here are some picture books which would be perfect for a study on toads.

Toad by the Road: A Year in the Life of These Amazing Amphibians - Joanne Ryder
Frogs, Toads and Turtles (Take-Along Guide) - Diane Burns
Frogs and Toads - Bobbie Kalman
What's the Difference Between a Frog and a Toad? - Mary Firestone
Adventures of Old Mr. Toad - Thornton Burgess

Videos
All About Amphibians - Animal Life for Children series by Schlessinger Media
Amphibians - Animal Life in Action by Schelssinger Media
Amphibians - Bill Nye

image of Texas toad taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Toad

Oreo cookie phases of the moon

Today we made the phases of the moon using Oreo cookies. Similar to this, except we took the top off of each of them and carved the creamy filling to make the shape we wanted. We choose the Double Stuffs because a) they are easier to take to top off of and b) I appreciate the filling to cookie ratio of the Double Stuff.

I don't have any pictures because by the time I got back with my camera the cookies were being eaten.

As one of my 9-yr-olds said, "Who knew science could be so delicious?"

Chemistry Booklist

Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry, Pre-level 1 and Level 1

Additional references:
Elements: Ingredients of the Universe – Ellen McHenry
Carbon Chemistry
Usborne Complete Book of the Microscope
Usborne Internet-Linked Mysteries and Marvels of Nature
Usborne Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia

We rent the videos listed below from A Plus Video Rentals since our library doesn't have anything.

BrainPop and BrainPopJr – www.brainpop.com or www.brainpopjr.com

Chapter 1 Atoms (periodic table)
Basher Periodic Table: Elements with Style – Simon Basher
Elements: A Visual Exploration – Theodore Gray
Mystery of the Periodic Table – Benjamin Wiker
Simply Science: Atoms – Melissa Steward
True Books Series: The Periodic Table – Salvatore Tocci
What’s Chemistry All About? - Alex Firth
What’s Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? – Robert Wells
World of Elements and Their Properties – Lynn Van Gorp

BrainPop – Atoms
BrainPop – Atomic Model
BrainPop – Periodic Table of Elements

Movies:
Bill Nye – Atoms and Molecules
Atoms & Molecules (Physical Science in Action series)
Periodic Table (Physical Science in Action series)

Chapter 2 Molecules
Atoms and Molecules: Building Blocks of Matter – Louise Spilsbury
Atoms and Molecules: Building Blocks of the Universe – Darlene Stille
Elements and Compounds: Building Blocks of Matter – Louise Spilsbury
How to Think Like a Scientist – Stephen Kramer
Investigating the Scientific Method with Max Axiom – Donald Lemke
States of Matter (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
True Books Series: Hydrogen and the Noble Gases – Salvatore Tocci

BrainPopJr – Scientific Method
BrainPop – Ions
BrainPop – Isotopes

Movies:
Chemistry- Bill Nye

Chapter 3 Molecules Meet (reactions)
Basher Chemistry: Getting a Big Reaction – Simon Basher
Chemical Reactions: Building Blocks of Matter – Louise Spilsbury
Chemical Reactions (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
True Books Series: Calcium – Salvatore Tocci

BrainPop – Radioactivity
BrainPop – Water

Movies:
Bill Nye – Chemical Reactions
Investigating Chemical Reactions

Chapter 4 Acids and Bases
Acids and Bases (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
True Books Series: Carbon – Salvatore Tocci

BrainPop – Acids and Bases
BrainPop – pH Scale

Chapter 5 Acids and Bases React
True Books Series: Oxygen – Salvatore Tocci

BrainPop – Chemical equations

Chapter 6 Mixtures
Day-Glo Brothers – Chris Barton
Floating and Sinking - Franklyn Mansfield Branley
Matter and Materials: Hands on Science – Sarah Angliss
Mixtures (Material Matters)– Carol Baldwin
Mixtures and Solutions: Building Blocks of Matter – Louise Spilsbury
Compounds and Solutions (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin

BrainPop – Compounds and Mixtures
BrainPop – Diffusion

Movies:
Bill Nye – Phases of Matter
Bill Nye – Fluids
All About Solids (Physical Science for Children)
Elements, Compounds & Mixtures

Chapter 7 Un-Mixing
Crazy Chemistry (A Weird History of Science ) – John Townsend
Hot As an Ice Cube - Philip Balestrino
Metals (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
Nonmetals (Material Matters) – Carol Baldwin
Simply Science: Solids, Liquids, and Gases – Simon Charnon
What is the World Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases - Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld


BrainPopJr – Changing States of Matter
BrainPopJr – Solids, Liquids, and Gases
BrainPop – Matter Changing States
BrainPop – Property Changes
BrainPop - Metals
BrainPop – States of Matter

Movies:
Chromatography

Chapter 8 Food and Taste (energy molecules)
Story of Salt – Mark Kurlansky

BrainPop - Salt

Chapter 9 Molecular Chains (polymers, plastics)
How We Use Plastic – Chris Oxlade OR Plastic - Holly Wallace
Transformed: How Everyday Things are Made – Bill Slavin

BrainPop - Plastic

Chapter 10 Molecules in Your Body (DNA)
Amazing Schemes Within Your Genes - Frances Balkwell
Cell Works: Microexplorers - An Expedition into the Fantastic World of Cells - Patrick A. Baeuerle
Cells Are Us - Frances Balkwell
DNA is Here to Stay - Frances Balkwell
Enjoy Your Cells - Frances Balkwell
Gene Machines - Frances Balkwell
Have a Nice DNA - Frances Balkwell
How the Y Makes the Guy: Microexplorers - A Guided Tour Through the Marvels of Inheritence and Growth - Patrick A. Baeuerle, Norbert Landa
I Know How My Cells Make Me Grow – Kate Rowan
Ingenious Genes: Microexplorers - Learning About the Fantastic Skills of Genetic Engineers and Watching Them at Work - Patrick A. Baeuerle, Norbert Landa
They Came From DNA - Billy Aronson
Supercell - Frances Balkwell

BrainPop – Body Chemistry

Movies:
Genes – Bill Nye

These links contain other links to all sorts of chemistry videos -
http://chemistry.about.com/od/sciencevideos/tp/chemistry-videos.htm
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/03/top-10-amazing/ http://www.kentchemistry.com/KentsDemos.htm
http://science.discovery.com/videos/how-its-made/ (shows how things are made)
http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/pirelli/pages/cca2icebomb.html
http://www.periodicvideos.com/extravideos.htm#

Experiment books:
Adventures with Atoms and Molecules – Robert Mebane
Fizz, Bubble & Flash – Anita Brandolini
Super Science Concoctions – Jill Frankel Hauser

Manipulatives to use:
Ein-O’s Box Kit: Molecular Models
Thames and Kosmos Chem C2000 Chemistry Experiment Set
Young Scientists Club experiment kits (# 5, 12, 13, 15, 34, 35)

Biographies (to be read throughout study):
Antoine Lavoisier – Lynn Van Gorp OR Antoine Lavoisier – Lisa Yount
Henry Cavendish – Josepha Sherman
Dmitrii Mendeleev – Susan Zannos
Joseph Priestley – Kate Conley
J.J. Thomson – Josepha Sherman
John Dalton – Jim Whiting
Henry Bessemer – Kathleen Tracy
Marie Curie – Mike Venezia
Early Biographies: Marie Curie – Meachen Rau
Manya's Dream: A Story of Marie Curie – Frieda Wishinsky
Marie Curie: Courageous Pioneer in the Study of Radioactivity – Beverly Birch
Marie Curie: Pioneer Physicist – Carol Greene
Marie Curie’s Search for Radium – Beverly Birch
Pasteur’s Fight Against Microbes – Beverly Birch
Louise Pasteur: Founder of Modern Medicine – John Tiner
Germ Hunter: A Story about Louis Pasteur - Elaine Marie Alphin
Robert Boyle: Trailblazer of Science – John Tiner
Giants of Science: Robert Boyle – John Allen

Physics booklist

Here is a list of books and movies I have put together for our study of physics. We'll hit it later this year. I have not read each book, but have read the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads to get a feel for whether they are appropriate or not. We rent most of our videos from A Plus Video Rentals because our library has nothing.

I'll be using this with 2 fifth graders and a first grader. We'll do the experiments listed in Real Science for Kids and add any others from the experiment books that the boys really want to do.

Physics Course Ideas
(to be used for 1st through 6th grade)

Real Science 4 Kids Pre-level 1 and Level 1

Additional resources (mostly to be looked through for fun):
Exploring the World of Physics – John Tiner
Picture History of Great Inventors – Gillian Clements
Usborne Internet-Linked Science Encyclopedia
Usborne Internet-Linked Mysteries and Marvels of Nature

Videos listed below from A Plus Video Rentals http://www.aplusvideorentals.com/ or from
BrainPop and BrainPopJr – www.brainpop.com or www.brainpopjr.com

Chapter 1 What is physics?
Foolish Physics (Weird History of Science) – John Townsend
Gravity is a Mystery – Franklyn Branley
Weight and Weightlessness - Franklyn Mansfield Branley

BrainPopJr – Sink or float
BrainPop – Gravity
Galileo
Newton

Movies:
All About Forces & Gravity (Physical Science for Children)
Gravity – Bill Nye
Gravity (Physical Science in Action)
Gravity (Science Court Series)

Chapter 2 Force, energy and work
Forces and Movement (Straightforward Science) – Peter Riley
Forces Make Things Move - Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Hands on Science – Forces and Motion – Sarah Angliss
Horrible Science: Fatal Forces – Nick Arnold

BrainPopJr – Pushes and pulls
BrainPop – Force
Work

Movies:
Forces (Physical Science in Action)
Forces (Discovery School series)
Energy – Bill Nye
What is Energy?

Chapter 3 Potential and kinetic energy
How Do You Lift a Lion? – Robert Wells
Streamlined – John Kaufmann

BrainPop – Kinetic energy

Movies:
All About Transfer of Energy
Energy: Potential and Kinetic

Chapter 4 Motion
BrainPop – Acceleration
Newton’s Law of Motion

Movies:
All About Motion & Balance

Chapter 5 Energy of atoms and molecules
BrainPop – Nuclear energy
Fuel cells
Batteries

Movies:
Nuclear Energy
Nuclear Energy – Bill Nye

Chapter 6 Electrical energy and charge
All About Electricity - Melvin Berger
Charged Up – The Story of Electricity – Jacqui Bailey
Electricity (Straightforward Science) – Peter Riley
Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip – Joanna Cole
Shocking Story of Electricity – Anna Claybourne
Switch On, Switch Off - Melvin Berger

BrainPop – Electricity
Electric circuits

Movies:
All About the Uses of Energy

Chapter 7 Moving electric charges and heat
BrainPopJr - Heat
BrainPop – Static electricity
Current electricity
Heat

Movies:
All About Heat
Heat and Chemical Energy
Transfer of Energy

Chapter 8 Magnets and electromagnets
Hands On Science: Electricity and Magnetism – Sarah Angliss
Magnetism (Straightforward Science) – Peter Riley
What Makes a Magnet? - Franklyn M. Branley

BrainPopJr - Magnets
BrainPop – Magnetism
Electromagnets
Electromagnetic induction

Movies:
All About Magnets (Physical Science for Children)
Electromagnetic Energy
Magnetism – Bill Nye

Chapter 9 Light and Sound
All About Light - Melvin Berger
All About Sound - Melvin Berger
Color - Ruth Heller
Hands On Science: Sound and Light – Sarah Angliss (maybe use as a spine)
High Sounds, Low Sounds - Franklyn Mansfield Branley
Light and Color (Straighforward Science) – Peter Riley
Magic School Bus Gets a Bright Idea – Nancy White
Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow – Joanna Cole
Rubber Band Banjos – Alex Sabbeth
Sounds All Around - Wendy Pfeffer

BrainPopJr – Light
Sound
BrainPop –Light
Sun
Refraction and diffraction
Rainbows
Color
Electromagnetic spectrum
Eyes
Sound
Waves
Hearing
Albert Einstein
Relativity

Chapter 10 Conservation of energy
BrainPopJr – Natural resources
BrainPop – Natural resources
Wind energy
Solar energy

Experiment books to use throughout study:
Ben Franklin Book of Easy and Incredible Experiments - Lisa Jo Rudy
Gizmo’s and Gadgets – Jill Frankel Hauser
Rubber Band Banjos – Alex Sabbeth
Isaac Newton and Physics for Kids – Kerrie Logan Hollihan

Biographies to read throughout study:
Did it Take Creativity to Find Relativity, Albert Einstein? – Melvin Berger
Albert Einstein – Mike Venezia
Albert Einstein – Early Biographies – Dana Meachen Rau
What Makes Light Bright, Thomas Edison? – Gilda and Melvin Berger
Einstein: Visionary Scientist - John Severance
Story of Thomas Alva Edison - Margaret Cousins
Thomas Alva Edison: Inventing the Electric Age – Gene Adair
Who Was Albert Einstein? - Jess Brallier

How Benjamin Franklin Stole the Lightning – Rosalyn Schanzer
(We have studied Franklin already so are only hitting him lightly here. If you haven't already studied him, you might want to read a bit more.)

Isaac Newton and His Apple – Kjartan Poskitt
Isaac Newton and Physics for Kids – Kerrie Logan Hollihan
Isaac Newton and the Laws of Motion – Andrea Gianopoulos
Isaac Newton: Giants of Science – Kathleen Krull

Michael Faraday (Trailblazers) – Derick Bingham
Faraday: Pioneer of Electricity – Brian Williams

Archimedes and the Door of Science – Jeanne Bendick

Simple Machines:
Simple Machines (Starting With Science) – Deborah Hodge
Simply Science: Simple Machines – Discover Science Through Facts and Fun – Steve Way

Manipulatives to use:
Ein-O’s Discovery Tank – Mechanical Science
K’Nex building set

BrainPopJr – Simple machines
BrainPop: Inclined planes
Levers
Wheel and Axle
Pulleys
Gears

Movies:
Mechanical Energy
All About Simple Machines
Simple Machines – Bill Nye
Simple Machines (Physical Science in Action)
Work and Simple Machines

Human Body study

We have already done a unit on the human body. You can see what we did and which books we used here.

This is the original list of books I wanted to use, but since my library didn't have most of them, I used what I could, bought a few and left the rest for later.

Human Body
Main Book - Eyewitness Explorers - Human Body
Blood and Guts - Linda Allison

Skin
Your Skin and Mine - Paul Showers

Muscles
On the Move – Deborah Heiligman
Magic School Bus Flexes Its Muscles (video)
You Can't Make a Move Without Your Muscles - Paul Showers

Bones
The Skeleton Inside You – Philip Balestrino

Cells
I Know How My Cells Make Me Grow – Kate Rowan

Teeth
How Many Teeth - Paul Showers
I Know Why I Brush My Teeth - Kate Rowan

Circulatory system
Drop of Blood -Paul Showers
Hear Your Heart - Paul Showers

Respiratory system
Oxygen Keeps You Alive - Franklyn Mansfield Branley

Brain
Use Your Brain - Paul Showers

Staying healthy/Germs
Germs make me sick - Melvin Berger
H is for Hygiene - Keith Turner
I Know How We Fight Germs - Kate Rowan
The Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie: A Book About Germs - Joanna Cole
No Measles, No Mumps for Me - Paul Showers
Sleep Is For Everyone - Paul Showers
Wash Your Hands! (germs) – Tony Ross
What Makes You Ill? – Usborne
Why I Cough, Sneeze, Shiver, Hiccup, & Yawn - Melvin Berger

The five senses
Find Out by Touching - Paul Showers
Follow your nose - Paul Showers
I Can Tell by Touching – Carolyn Otto
The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses – Joanna Cole
Me and My Senses – Joan Sweeney
My Five Senses - Aliki
My Hands - Aliki
You Can't Smell a Flower with Your Ear! All About Your Five Senses - Joanna Cole

Food/nutrition
Fat and skinny - Philip Balestrino
Health Hygiene and Nutrition - Deirdre Englehart

Ears/Eyes
Ears Are for Hearing - Paul Showers
Look at Your Eyes - Paul Showers

Digestive System
I Know Where My Food Goes (digestion) - Kate Rowan
What Happens to a Hamburger? - Paul Showers
Why Do People Eat? - Usborne

General/Others
All Kinds of Feet - Ron Goor
The Body Book - Donald Silver
Everybody Has a Body: Science from Head to Toe – Robert Rockwell, et al
From Head to Toe: The Amazing Human Body and How It Works – Barbara Seuling
How Our Bodies Work - Joe Kaufman
How We Grow - Joe Kaufman
How We Learn -Joe Kaufman
How You Talk - Paul Showers
The Human Body: A First Discovery Book – Claude Delafosse
I'm Growing! - Aliki
The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body - Joanna Cole
Me and My Amazing Body – Joan Sweeney
Me and My Family Tree - Paul Showers
My Feet, Aliki
My First Body Book – Christopher Rice
Straight Hair, Curly Hair - Augusta R Goldin
Usborne What’s Inside You
Why Don't Haircuts Hurt: Questions and Answers About Your Body - Melvin Berger
Your Insides - Joanna Cole

Babies
Babies (Jump Into Science) - Deborah Heiligman
Baby Starts to Grow - Paul Showers
Before You Were a Baby - Paul Showers
How You Were Born -Joanna Cole
How Was I Born - Lennart Nilsson
How We are Born - Joe Kaufman

MIDDLE SCHOOL (in addition to using some of the above)
Bones: Our Skeletal System – Simon Seymour
The Brain: Our Nervous System - Simon Seymour
Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross – Augusta Stevenson
Clara Barton: Soldier of Mercy – Mary Catherine Rose
Cuts, Breaks, Bruises, and Burns: How Your Body Heals – Joanna Cole
Elizabeth Blackwell: Girl Doctor – Joanne Landers Henry
Eyes and Ears - Simon Seymour
Eyewitness Visual Dictionary of the Human Body – Deni Brown
The Heart: Our Circulatory System - Simon Seymour
The Human Body – Sally Morgan
Human Body, (Usborne Internet-Linked) – Kirsteen Rogers
Muscles: Our Muscular System - Simon Seymour

Basher books

We currently have in our home two books by Simon Basher, Astronomy and the Periodic Table. I have two more at my mom's house waiting for me to make the long, long drive. And I will.

My boys are LOVING the Basher books. My little 6-year-old follows me around the house, begging me to read the book on the Periodic Table. Yes, he wants to read about elements. My husband is amazed at how much the kid asks for the book. My reluctant reader is trying very, very hard to read the books by himself.

The information is solid, but presented in a humorous and thus memorable manner. The illustrations are fantastic. Yes, you need real photographs of some of these things, but golly, have we learned a lot.

As mentioned above, I don't have all the books so I can't guarantee they are all great. But I can say that so far I'm extremely pleased with the series and will gladly buy the rest. Very, very highly recommended.

Woods

I have lists and lists of books we want to study for science, divided more or less by habitat/biome. We have not read through them all, but I wanted to start posting them so others can use them and so that I don't ever lose them if my computer crashes! Of course any suggestions of books or movies or topics are always appreciated. I'll update these as we do them.

Woods

Main book: One Small Square - Woods by Don Silver

Topics to cover:
Leaf structure
Trees
Seed dispersal
Fungi/Decomposers
Producers
Consumers
Surviving the winter
Pollinators
Food chains/webs
Seasons
Camouflage
Woodland Insects
Metamorphosis
Migration/hibernation

Books to use:
All About Owls - Jim Arnosky
All About Deer - Jim Arnosky
Chipmunks on the Doorstep --Edwin Tunis
Grizzly Bears - Gail Gibbons
Prickly Porcupines - Shannon Zemlicka
Rabbits, Rabbits & More Rabbits! - Gail Gibbons
What is a Bear? - Bobbie Kalman
Who Grows Up in the Forest? - Theresa Longenecker
Wolves - Gail Gibbons
Redwoods Are the Tallest Trees in the World - David A. Adler
Why Do Leaves Change Color? - Betsy Maestro

Bald Eagle – Gordon Morrison
Bird Talk - Roma Gans
Birds Are Flying - John Kaufmann
Birds at night - Roma Gans
Birds Eat and Eat and Eat - Roma Gans
Birds That Don't Fly - Bobbie Kalman
Home At Last: A Song of Migration – April Pulley Sayre
How Birds Fly - Bobbie Kalman
How Do Birds Find Their Way - Roma Gans
Nest Full of Eggs – Priscilla Belz Jenkins
Soaring With the Wind: The Bald Eagle - Gail Gibbons
Owls - Gail Gibbons
Strange Birds - Bobbie Kalman
When Birds Change Their Feathers – Roma Gans

Among the Forest People - Clara Dillingham Pierson
Among the Night People - Clara Dillingham Pierson
Animals in Winter – Henrietta Bancroft and Richard Van Gelder
Big Tracks; Little Tracks – Millicent Selsam
Crinkleroot's Guide to Animal Tracking - Jim Arnosky
Forest Explorer: A Life-Sized Field Guide - Nic Bishop
How to Be a Nature Detective: Following Animal Tracks - Millicent Ellis Selsam
I See Animals Hiding - Jim Arnosky
What Do Animals Do in Winter?: How Animals Survive the Cold - Melvin Berger
Where Are the Night Animals? – Mary Ann Fraser

Rocks and Minerals

I have lists and lists of books we want to study for science, divided more or less by habitat/biome. We have not read through them all, but I wanted to start posting them so others can use them and so that I don't ever lose them if my computer crashes! Of course any suggestions of books or movies or topics are always appreciated. I'll update these as we do them.

Rocks & Minerals

Main book: Eyewitness Explorers: Rocks and Minerals

Topics to cover:
The three types of rocks and how they form
Erosion
How weathering occurs
Minerals
Mohs' mineral hardness scale
The structure of the Earth
Volcanoes, lava, and magma
How mountains form

Books to use:
Cracking Up: Story of Erosion – Jacqui Bailey
Dirt (Jump Into Science) - Steve Tomecek
DK Eye Wonder - Rocks and Minerals
Geology Rocks – Cindy Blobaum
How Mountains Are Made - Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World - Faith McNulty
If You Find a Rock - Peggy Christian
Let's Go Rock Collecting - Roma Gans
Magic School Bus Inside the Earth - Cole
Millions and Millions of Crystals - Roma Gans
Planet Earth/Inside Out - Gail Gibbons
Rock Collecting - Roma Gans
Rock Factory: Story of the Rock Cycle – Jacqui Bailey
Rocks: Hard, Soft, Smooth and Rough - Natalie Rosinsky
Rocks & Minerals: A Gem of a Read – Simon Basher
Rocks in His Head--Carol Otis Hurst
Volcanoes - Franklyn M. Branley
Why Do Volanoes Blow Their Tops? - Melvin Berger

Sonoran Desert

I have lists and lists of books we want to study for science, divided more or less by habitat/biome. We have not read through them all, but I wanted to start posting them so others can use them and so that I don't ever lose them if my computer crashes! Of course any suggestions of books or movies or topics are always appreciated. I'll update these as we do them.

Sonoran Desert

Main book: One Small Square: Cactus Desert by Don Silver

Topics to cover:
How native animals and plants survive daily life
Interrelationships between animals and plants
The complex food web
The changes associated with rain
Adaptations of plants and animals
The characteristics, similarities, and differences in various deserts

Books to use:
All About Lizards - Jim Arnosky
All About Rattlesnakes - Jim Arnosky
Cactus Cafe: The Story of the Sonoran Desert - Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Cactus Hotel - Brenda Z. Guiberson
Desert Giant - Barbara Bash
The Desert is Theirs - Bryd Baylor
How Do Animals Adapt? - Bobbie Kalman
Lizards - Nic Bishop
Watching Desert Wildlife - Jim Arnosky
Way Out in the Desert - T.J. Marsh
Welcome to the Sea of Sand - Jane Yolen

Ponds

I have lists and lists of books we want to study for science, divided more or less by habitat/biome. We have not read through them all, but I wanted to start posting them so others can use them and so that I don't ever lose them if my computer crashes! Of course any suggestions of books or movies or topics are always appreciated. I'll update these as we do them.

Ponds

Main book: One Small Square: Pond by Don Silver

Topics to cover:
Metamorphosis
Pollination
Pond insects
Fish
Reptiles
Amphibians
Mammals
Birds
Surface tension
Food chains
Plants
Algae
Microscopic life
Bottom dwellers
Ponds at night
Surviving the seasons

Books to use:
Among the Pond People - Clara Dillingham Pierson

What Is An Amphibian? - Bobbie Kalman
What Is a Reptile? – Bobbie Kalman

Beaver at Long Pond - William George
Pond – Gordon Morrison
Pond Watching With Ann Morgan - Michael Ross

Ducks - Gail Gibbons
Ducks Don't Get Wet – Augusta Goldin

All About Frogs - Jim Arnosky
Fantastic Frogs – Fay Robinson
Frogs - Gail Gibbons
Frogs - Nic Bishop
From Tadpole to Frog - Wendy Pfeffer or Shannon Zemlicka
How Do Frogs Swallow With Their Eyes? - Melvin Berger
Spring Peepers - Graham Booth
What I like about toads - Judy Hawes
Why Frogs are Wet - Judy Hawes

All About Turtles - Jim Arnosky
Box Turtle at Long Pond - William George
Look Out for Turtles! - Melvin Berger
Turtle Talk: A Beginner's Book of Logo - Seymour Simon

Ride the Wind: Airborne Journeys of Animals and Plants – Simon Seymour
Water Plants - Laurence P. Pringle

Snakes Are Hunters – Patricia Lauber
A Water Snake's Year - Doris Gove

African Savanna

I have lists and lists of books we want to study for science, divided more or less by habitat/biome. We have not read through them all, but I wanted to start posting them so others can use them and so that I don't ever lose them if my computer crashes! Of course any suggestions of books or movies or topics are always appreciated. I'll update these as we do them.

African Savanna

Main book: One Small Square: African Savanna by Don Silver

Topics to cover:
Tree dwellers
Termites
Grass dwellers
Camouflage
Plants
Grazers
Predators
Scavengers
Food chain
Night on the savanna
Rainy season
Migration

Books to use:
Camels: Ships of the Desert - John Frederick Waters
Elephant Families - Arthur Dorros
Explore Africa - Bobbie Kalman
Giraffes at Home - Robert M. Quackenbush
How Animal Babies Stay Safe – Mary Ann Fraser.
Life Cycle of a Lion - Bobbie Kalman
Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book About Food Cycles – Patricia Relf
Savanna Habitat - Bobbie Kalman
What Color Is Camouflage? – Carolyn Otto
What is a Primate? - Bobbie Kalman
Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs – Patricia Lauber
Who Grows Up in the Desert? - Theresa Longenecker

Caverns

We went on a field trip recently and I wanted to share some pictures.  The first picture shows (sort of) helictites - they change direction once they come down from the top and go all sorts of wonky directions.  There's a clearer picture here.  The picture below that shows formations that only form under water.  They didn't know there was a 5,000 gallon body of water there when they blasted the wall.

Burning Peanut M&Ms

Did you know that if you focus the light of a magnifying glass on a peanut M&M it will first sweat, then blister and finally catch on fire? Did you know that the flames will be 2 inches high? I didn't know that either. But I wanted to share with you.

We've been studying astronomy in science and are learning about the sun. So to show the strength of the sun's rays, we took our magnifying lenses outside. We burned the M&Ms, dry grass, bark chips and melted some nasty gum that had been squished on the sidewalk for a few months.  One of my sons would like us to cook this way for the next week.  I told him we'd try s'mores, but that's as much as I'm willing to commit!

Mini Unit Study - The Human Body

Our most recent science mini unit study was the human body.

Books we used (in alphabetical order):

Big Book About the Human Body by Joe Kaufman - This book has short, simple but not dumbed down explanations. It has excellent illustrations. It really has a lot of information and detail, but we never felt bogged down. There are even a few suggestions on experiments to do. The first few pages are about babies and how they uh, get here. There are 4 small pictures of the equipment used, and one short paragraph on how it happens. We've sort of skipped over that part because I'm not ready to have that talk, especially not with all of them together. We may use that section later though because it's short, scientific and doesn't really go into detail like other books I've read. This will be my main book when we study the body again, unless of course I find something better! You can only find this book used, but I think it well worth the effort.

Blood and Guts by Linda Allison - We used a few of the ideas/experiments here, but definitely not all. We enjoyed what we did do. I liked how there were explanations as to why things worked the way they did. I found that most of the books that we read had similar ideas at the back so we didn't use this as much as I thought we would.

The Body Book by Donald Silver - Very similar to the Easy Make and Learn book, only for older kids. We used a few projects from this book and they are very well done (a bit time-consuming to photocopy, cut out and put together) but worth it. The kids either played with their creations, hung them on the walls or put them in their science books. Or all three. This would be a good choice if you have all older elementary/middle school kids, otherwise the Easy book is better for youngers. They have different models in each one though, so they do work well together without duplicating.

The Brain and Nervous System (Human Body) by Steve Parker - I didn't use this with the kids. It was more in-depth than I wanted and would have taken a long time to get through it. The pages have a lot of text and it's dense stuff so you could probably only read 2 pages at a time. There are good illustrations, but not as good as I've seen in other books. This would probably work well for middle school to junior high, but it is a bit dry.

The Circulatory System (True Books) by Darlene Stille - This was a good, basic covering of the circulatory system. The illustrations are very well done and were very helpful in visualizing how it all works. The text isn't overly engaging, but it does a good job explaining blood, the heart, etc. We were able to read it in one sitting. Until I find an utterly fascinating book on the circulatory system this one works just fine for K-4th or so.
Oh, I should mention that there is one small picture of a doctor holding a heart ready for transplant. Not gory, but it might gross out a kid or too. There is also a picture (a bit bloody) of an artificial heart. All my boys were okay with it, but wanted to make you aware of it in case your kids might not be.

Easy Make and Learn Projects: Human Body by Donald Silver - We had so much fun with this book. We read about a certain part of the body (in a separate book, although this book does have some explanations in it) and then made the project that goes with it. You do need to photocopy them if you have more than one child or want to use them again. Once you've done that though it's color, cut, paste, etc. My kids loved the fun things they could wear or play with like the Brain Hat. As we colored together we talked about what we're coloring and what it does in the body and examples of how it works, etc. It was a relaxing time to see what they've learned and to add a little more to their store of knowledge. We put a lot of the pieces into their science notebooks. Very highly recommended if you have crafty kids or just want to add a hands-on element to your studies.

Flip Flap Body Book: What Happens to Your Food?, How Are Babies Made?, How Do Your Senses Work? (Usborne) by Alistair Smith - We read the What Happens to Your Food? section and parts of the How Do Your Senses Work? section. I both love and hate this book. It has good illustrations and good information, but seems a bit dumbed-down at times. For example, we read about "hearing" today. From a book we read yesterday we learned that sound goes in the ear canal to the eardrum, hits the hammer, the anvil, the stirrup and then the cochlea, then the information is passed on to the brain. Both 9-yr-olds understood this and the 5-yr-old told his dad at dinner all the parts of the ear and how it worked. In this book, today, we read, "Your eardrum sends the wobbles on down inside your head." No pictures of the other bones involved. No further explanation. Wobbles. Just wobbles. Now, from my experience at dinner with aforementioned 5-yr-old I know kids can understand more. Why treat them like idiots who can only understand "wobbles"? Weebles understand wobbles. But still, the pictures are somewhat helpful, more so in some sections than others. We'll probably continue to use this book because a) we own it and b) the 3-yr-old likes to be in charge of opening the flaps. Good for the little guys, but not much use above pre-K.

Germs Make Me Sick! by Melvin Berger - It explains germs (bacteria and viruses) in a simple and clean manner. They were able to understand why people get sick. That knowledge though scared the stink right out of them - their eyes got big and their mouths dropped open. What do you MEAN our cells are dying? You feel sick because germs are KILLING your cells? They looked terrified. So we had a little chat about cells, how they constantly die and new ones are formed and that when you're sick they die a little faster than normal until your body catches up. Big sigh of relief!!!! I don't think the book did a good enough job explaining that process though. And I think it needed to. We have the old book. There is a newer one where the illustrations have been redone but I can't comment on that. The older ones are just fine. The comments by the animals were a little lame, but my kids liked them. Overall a good book and a good intro. Just lacking in a few things to make it really superb.

How Our Blood Circulates by Merce Parramon - This is a really solid explanation of how the blood circulates (and a bit about the lymph system too). It goes into a bit more detail than the other books we've read like giving red blood cells 2 pages instead of a paragraph. The illustrations are fantastic. The text is a little small so the pages appear less inviting to read. And it's not a "fun" read. It is, however, informative and well-done. This could be used for K-5th or so.

The Human Body (How it Works) by Kate Barnes - I really liked the large format of this book and the excellent illustrations. The text is easy to understand, but not very in-depth. Well, it would work for kindergarten, maybe first grade, but I feel like it's necessary to add other books to gain more information and to get more detailed illustrations. I would recommend this book but there's a section on reproduction with a huge picture of the male and female parts, like a whole page each. And there are a few paragraphs that discuss what happens in detail. It's very matter-of-fact and "scientific" but it's not something I'd want just laying around for the kids to read. I think that's something we discuss together.

Magic School Bus Chapter Book: Search for the Missing Bone by Eva Moore - All the boys loved it. It was "scary" and they were "freaked out" by the howling clock and the disappearing skeletons. All of this said with big grins on their faces and lots of begging to keep reading. Each chapter takes you through a part of the skeletal system - feet, legs, spine, head, etc. While it is fairly detailed I'd pair it with a hands-on project or experiment to help cement the learning. I also found it helpful for them identify the bone we were reading about in their own body. This is typical Magic School Bus so if you don't like the writing style, you won't like this book. I didn't so much appreciate the scary skeleton stuff, but it wasn't bad. And like I said, the boys loved it. We read this in a week. A good reader could read this independently along with some projects and come away with a good understanding of the bones.

Various other Magic School Bus books including Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie: A Book about Germs; Magic School Bus Explores the Senses; and Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole - We all love the Magic School Bus books. We've read these a number of times and they also like to watch the videos. We'll probably be using these for years to come!

Me and My Amazing Body by Joan Sweeney - This was a very easy, very gentle introduction to the body. All the major things are talked about (bones, muscles, heart and blood, lungs, blah, blah, blah) but it doesn't go into detail at all. The pictures show what it being talked about, but aren't super intricate. And the cute little smiling girl is on almost every page. My older boys liked it, but it was definitely below them. My 5-yr-old said it "was funny, not scary". Score! My almost 3-yr-old was extremely concerned because the girl fell down and cut her knee and needed a band-aid, pronto. Fortunately the next page showed a band-aid on her knee but he had to continue to talk about it for the rest of the book. An excellent introduction for pre-k through first grade. Non-threatening with just enough information.

The Nervous System (True Books) by Darlene Stille - I didn't like this one as well as the True Books Circulatory System, but it is very adequate in explaining the nervous system. The illustrations were very helpful and the text solid. Well worth using for your study of the nervous system although it's not "super exciting". I think you could use it for K-4th or so.

The Nervous System and the Brain (Invisible World) by Nuria Bosch Roca - I didn't use this one - it was too advanced and/or would take too long. I think this might work nicely for middle school to junior high. The illustrations are good, but not as good as other books. A bit on the dry side and very dense. Would be a good choice if your library already had it, otherwise I would look for something else.

See Inside Your Body (Usborne) by Katie Daynes - For such a short book, this is packed with information. While it is not in-depth, it would more than work for kindergarten, maybe even first grade. We're using it with the Joe Kaufman book. My kids love to lift the bazillion flaps and the pictures are very well done and very informative. The text, while short, is accurate and clear. I don't feel this speaks down to the kids like the other Usborne book does. There is one small section (1/4 of a page) on the ear and it covers significantly more than the Flip-Flap book although it does say "ear bones" for the middle ear. Between this and the Big Body Book I feel like we're hitting it fairly well though. I think this book would also be great as a review. Each body system has a 2-page spread and the pictures alone would jog the memory. The text would add to that even more. I'm very happy with this purchase and would recommend it alone for the younger elementary years, and with another book for the older ones.

What Happens to a Hamburger? by Paul Showers - This was a fun and easy look at the digestive system. My kids enjoyed it and were able to narrate back with ease. The illustrations of the digestive system itself were clear and colorful. I know the book has been redone, and it may be worth seeking out, but I have this older version so can only comment on it. For K-1 this would really be all you need. You would need to add a few more things for the rest of elementary. A good, solid book.

What Happens to Your Food? by Alistair Smith - This was a good book on the topic, but I prefer the first one we read (What Happens to Your Hamburger?). I was a little bugged that it didn't use the correct terms for things (like esophagus - it just kept saying "food tube") and left out whole parts of the digestive system (like the liver). Even my 5-yr-old was able to understand the body parts involved and describe what happens when you eat. I felt this book sort of dumbed it down. My kids did enjoy the flaps. They've looked through it many times. If I had my choice I'd use the other book, but if your library only had this then use it, it'll work just fine.

Activities:
Well, I'm not much help here. We just used the activities/experiments suggested in the books listed above. We also used The Body Book and Easy Make and Learn Projects for hands-on visuals.

How I do science...

....or the continuing saga of how I'm trying to figure it all out.

So, we're a Charlotte Mason family. We're supposed to spend lots and lots of time outdoors interacting with nature. Only I live in Texas and during the summer it's hot. Ridiculously hot. So hot that after 5 minutes outside everyone is begging to come back inside. We are all very thankful for air conditioning and fans! Our seasons of outdoor time are consequently flipped. We spend a lot of time inside during the summer and more time outside during the fall, winter and spring. Three of the five of us home during the day also have allergies to all growing things outside. I tend to avoid pollen whenever possible.

And therefore we do lots of science in the house. Ms. Mason would probably shake her head at me, but it is what it is. We do, for the most part, use living science books and lots of hands on experiments. I've been known to use (okay, I've tried to use) textbooks. The Christian Kids Exploring whatever books didn't work for us. I wanted to poke my eyes out with the Exploring Creation With ______ books and my kids ASKED me to stop. (more on that in another post)

After several years of trying to make those books and others work we finally settled on something that fits our style. Is it the best way to do science? Probably not. Is it strictly Charlotte Mason? Not really. Do my kids love it and look forward to science every day? Yes. Success!!!!

I made a list of subjects I wanted to cover in the elementary years (basically before 7th grade). We take turns picking a subject and then check out lots of books and movies about the topic and throw in some hands-on experiments/crafts/whatevers and we're set. Sometimes it takes a few weeks, others a few months. We just go until we're ready to move on. Since I have 3 school-age kids they each take a turn picking and the fourth pick is mine.

We do use the Real Science 4 Kids books - we all love those. You can see how we use them here.  For the rest I pick a 'spine' or guide book for a subject, one that is fairly comprehensive for the subject and then we add in whatever we can find at the library.  I have started buying most of the spines I want because we have always lived in book-poor library areas and often can't find many good living books.  Being the book snob that I am I like to own at least one or two good books on any given topic that we're studying (I typically buy them used though).  But you don't have to be a snob like me.  You can use the library and inter-library loan.

These are the topics we're going to try to hit over the next few years, hopefully at least twice, at different levels:

Dinosaurs - because we have a houseful of boys
Physics (using the Real Science 4 Kids books)
Sound and Light
Electricity and Magnetism
Forces and Motion
Simple Machines
Chemistry (again, using the RS4K books)
African Savanna
Ponds (including reptiles and amphibians)
Sonoran Desert
Rocks and Minerals
Woods (forests and mountains and all things in them)
Human Body
Tropical Rain Forest
Weather (including natural disasters)
Astronomy
Oceans and Coral Reefs
Caves
Arctic Tundra
Swamp, Wetlands and Grasslands
Backyard (including birds and insects)
Farms (animals and crops)
Technology and Inventions
Community (like 'where does garbage go' and such)

We usually do animal study as relates to the specific area. If we were studying the ocean, for example, we'd study jellyfish, whales, sharks, etc.

What have I missed????  I'm sure there is something I forgot.  Or somethings.

Some of these we've already done and I'll post about them soon.  Others we have yet to hit.  For now, this is working for our family.  What works for yours?

Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet
This was a lovely little book about Copernicus.  The illustrations were colorful and done in an "old-fashioned" style which made the book feel authentic.  The information was interesting and easy for the kids to understand while still explaining clearly what he thought and discovered.

I thought it sufficient for the elementary grades.  My fourth-grade boys really enjoyed it, but I almost wished it had been a little longer and more detailed for them.  Almost.  Any older and you'd probably need a different book.

There are not many children's books on Nicolaus Copernicus.  Fortunately, this is a great one.  Highly recommended for your study of the middle ages or astronomy.

Real Science 4 Kids

My kids are science junkies.  If they have a choice between some popular current movie and Bill Nye, they'll choose Bill Nye.  And speaking of popular, they love Popular Mechanics for Kids.  And all sorts of other science-y things.  They want to grow up to be scientists or space station builders or work with robotics while being a zookeeper.  They'd also like to figure out how to access the Power Grid and make Power Ranger Morphers.

So we do a lot of science in my house.  Most families do science a few days a week.  We do it five.  If I didn't I'd have mass rebellion on my hands instead of must major chaos.

That being said we've tried a few different curricula and ways of doing science.  Most of the science books we've tried we have not liked.  But we absolutely love Real Science 4 Kids.  Love it.

We started at the Pre-Level and are now working our way through Level 1.  The books take college level science and write it in a way that kids can understand.  They don't dumb it down; they just explain it really well.  Last year my then 4-yr-old was able to explain chemical bonds after sitting in on his brothers lessons.

The illustrations are excellent and really add to the child's ability to understand the material covered.  The text is bigger than most textbooks which makes it easier for kids to read.

And I just said textbook, which is a bad word if you follow Charlotte Mason.  Yes, I use a textbook.  But it doesn't feel like a textbook.  It is engaging and interesting and whole.  It reads like a story.

My only real complaint is that each book is only 10 or so chapters long.  That takes us about 10 weeks to get done.  Technically you're supposed to use all 3 books in a level during one year, but that can get expensive.  My compromise has been to add in various 'living' books to each chapter and then take short breaks to explore other science topics not covered in the books.  Right now the topics covered by RS4Ks are Biology, Chemistry and Physics.  We've taken time out to learn more about birds and the ocean and the human body.  Next is space and then we'll go back into Physics.

Things I love about Real Science 4 Kids:
1.  Written clearly and intelligently.  Treats the kids with respect.
2.  The books are truly beautiful - great illustrations, glossy pages, shiny cover.
3.  No creationism or evolution.  Straight science.  I get to add in my own stuff.
4.  The experiments correlate well with each chapter.  And they're fun.

Things I don't love:
1.  Can get expensive - especially when you need the text, the teacher's manual and lab books for several kids.
2.  The books are short - we want more!

I should mention, you can view all the books online at the link above.  Every page of every book.  How's that for being able to decide if you like the book or not?

We'll be using RS4K throughout the rest of our homeschooling career, but I know we'll use a lot of living books too.  I'll be adding posts with the lists of the books we've used and liked, as well as the ones we didn't so you can avoid those!