Science Resources

Sometimes the best way to teach a subject is to lay some ground rules and then let students actually "do" what they're studying. This is especially true of science, a study predicated on activity, experimentation and the observation of physical properties. It's also one of the best ways to get kids interested in science in the first place.

If he hadn't stood atop the Tower of Pisa dropping things off the edge, Galileo would never have made his observation that objects of any weight fall at the same rate in a vacuum. Archimedes had to get in the tub to discover that it is volume that displaces water. And the only way Newton could discover calculus was by scribbling numbers on pieces of paper.

Your kid probably isn't the next Einstein, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't learn as much about science as possible, or that he should do so with his hands tied behind his back. The problem with a lot of science textbooks is that they emphasize book knowledge without taking into account the hands-on nature of science and science learning. Observation is often touted as an essential part of the science process, but rarely is it enforced in the typical school curriculum.

Science resources can change all that. There are plenty of fact-based books (particularly those from Usborne) that pair facts with vivid illustrations, and those are fun for rainy days—kids are a lot better at acquiring and retaining raw information than we often give them credit for. But those are just a place to start; the options are limitless.

One of the best sorts of science resource are books filled with experiments. Whether it's Explorabook from Klutz Press which focuses on fun activities and includes everything you need to complete them, or Vicki Cobb's Bet You Can! experiments using household items, or the more advanced Science for Every Kid books by Janice VanCleave, you aren't likely to run out of options.

Astronomy is more observation-oriented, and we offer plenty of books on that topic, too. The Stars by H.A. Rey is a now-classic guide to the night sky for beginners, while Starry Messenger explains some of the basic tenets of modern astronomy through the (detailed and beautifully illustrated) life of Galileo Galilei. Isaac Asimov has written a number of books on space science, as has Seymour Simon.

Just letting your kids outside with notebooks and maybe a magnifying glass is as good as any book for helping them develop a love of nature and nature study, though manuals to help them identify plants, animals, rocks, etc. is a good idea. One of our favorite such books is the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock.

Keeping a well-stocked chemistry lab is a good idea for older students. Many experiments require chemicals, ingredients and equipment you aren't likely to just have lying around, so you'll need to be intentional about keeping a lot of those things stocked. Field trips are always a good idea as well, whether to a local laboratory, observatory, zoo, factory, or anywhere else that strikes your kids' fancy and has educational potential.

Whatever else you do, keep an open mind while guiding your kids' science education. The beauty of God's world and the excitement of learning about it should always be kept in view; whatever difficulty there is in physics, biology or chemistry should be met head on but not dwelt on or made cause for discouragement. Have fun, and don't restrict your science time to reading stuff—take time to actually do science, and you might find along with your children that it isn't such a bad thing to study after all.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

Did you find this review helpful?
646 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Used Books & Materials
100 Science Experiments
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Georgina Andrews & Kate Knighton
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (3 in stock)
100 Things You Should Know about Mammals
by Jinny Johnson
from Barnes & Noble
for 2nd-5th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
101 Questions About Volcanoes
by John Calderazzo
from Western National Parks Assoc.
for 3rd-6th grade
$3.00 (1 in stock)
365 Science Activities
by Minna Lacey, Dr. Lisa Gillespie and Lucy Bowman, illustrated by Alex Walker, Giulia Olivares, Francesca Carabelli and Binny Talib
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Usborne Science Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials
by E. Richard Churchill, et al.
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 2nd-8th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
44 Animals of the Bible
by Nancy Johnson
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$9.59 $6.00 (1 in stock)
50 Things You Should Know About Space
by Professor Raman Prinja
from Quarto Knows
for 2nd-4th grade
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
95 Animals of the Bible
by Nancy P. Johnson
from Master Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
A Closer Look at Plant Life
Closer Look books
by Bernard Stonehouse, illustrated by Richard Orr, Philip Weare, Gary Hincks
from Gloucester Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
About Paper
by Anabel Dean, illustrated by Bob O'Malley
from Melmont Publishers
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Munford: Munford Meets Robert Fulton
by Jamie Aramini
Fir from Geography Matters
for 2nd-4th grade
in Geography Matters products (Location: GEO-GEOM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Airplanes of the Second World War - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Carlo Demand
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$5.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
All About Dinosaurs
All About Books #1
by Roy Chapman Andrews
from Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About Light
by Melvin Berger, illustrated by Blanche Sims
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
All About Light and Sound
by Connie Jankowski
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
All About the Stars
All About Books #7
by Anne Terry White
from Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About the Weather - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature / Geography Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAT)
$4.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
All the Year Round
by Alice Gall, illustrated by Fleming Crew
Second Printing from Oxford University
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Amazing Pop-Up Pull-Out Space Shuttle
by David Hawcock
from DK Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Amazing Story of the Combustion Engine
Max Axiom STEM Adventures
by Mari Bolte, illustrated by Pop Art Properties
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Anatomicum Activity Book
Welcome to the Museum
by Katy Wiedemann and Jennifer Z. Paxton
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Architects
by W. Wright Robinson
from Blackbirch Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Atlas
by Barbara Taylor
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 3rd-7th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Animal Behavior
Life Nature Library
by Niko Tinbergen
from Time-Life Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Behavior
Life Nature Library
by Niko Tinbergen
1970 printing from Time-Life Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Lives - 8 Book Set
by Sally Morgan
from QEB Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Lives: Snakes
by Sally Morgan
from Teacher Created Resources
for 2nd-4th grade
in Reptiles & Amphibians (Location: SCI-REPT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Travels
by Bertha Morris Parker, Thomas Park, illustrated by Olive Earle, cover by James Teason
1960 printing from Row, Peterson and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Animals and Their Travels - Deluxe Edition
by Richard A. Martin, series editor Herbert S. Zim
from Golden Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Animals Around the World
My Big Wimmelbook
by Stefan Lohr
from The Experiment
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Animals Born Alive and Well
by Ruth Heller
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Animals in Winter
by Henrietta Bancroft
Revised from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Animals on the Move
by Ann and Myron Sutton, illustrated by Paula Hutchison
1968 First Cadmus Edition from Hale-Cadmus
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Animals Up Close
by Igor Siwanowicz
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Answers Book for Kids Volume 1
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Answers Book for Kids Volume 2
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Answers Book for Kids Volume 3
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Answers Book for Kids Volume 4
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Answers Book for Kids Volume 5
by Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$6.39 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Apes and Monkeys
by Deborah Dennard, illustrated by John F. McGee
from Northword Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Apollo 11 Moon Landing: July 20, 1969
24 Hour History
by Nel Yomtov
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Atlas of Countries
First Discovery Book
by Gallimard Jeunesse
from Scholastic Press
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Geography Reference (Location: GEO-REF)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Atoms (Simply Science series)
by Melissa Stewart
1st edition from Compass Point Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Baby Animals
Extraordinary Animals
by Andrew Brown
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-4th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Bald Eagle
by Gordon Morrison
from Walter Lorraine Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Barn Owls
by Wolfgang Epple, photographs by Manfred Rogl
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Astronomy
Pap/Pstr from Kingfisher
for 2nd-7th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Basher Science: Biology: Life as We Know It!
Basher Science
by Simon Basher, Dan Green
Pap/Pstr from Kingfisher
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Chemistry
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Physics: Why Matter Matters
Basher Science
by Dan Green, Simon Basher
First Edition from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Basher Science: Planet Earth: What Planet Are You On?
by Simon Basher, Dan Gilpin
from Kingfisher
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$9.99 $6.00 (2 in stock)
Basher Science: Technology
Basher Science
by Simon Basher, Dan Green
Pap/Pstr from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$8.99 $6.29 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: The Periodic Table
Basher Science
by Simon Basher, Adrian Dingle
Pap/Pstr from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$8.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Basher: Algebra & Geometry
1st edition from Kingfisher
for 3rd-8th grade
in Math Reference & Teaching Aids (Location: MATR-TA)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Bats
by Lily Wood
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature
by Stan & Jan Berenstain
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$15.99 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Best of WonderScience
by Ann T. Bennett, James H. Kessler
1st edition from Wadsworth Publishing Company
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Bet You Can!
by Vicki Cobb & Kathy Darling
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-5th grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Big and Small, Short and Tall
by Ron Roy, illustrated by Lynne Cherry
from Clarion Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book
by Kathleen Ruckman
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Biology of Bananas
Curious World of Kitchen Science
by Katie Steckles
from Kane Miller
for 3rd-6th grade
in Kitchen & Edible Science (Location: SCI-EXP)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Birdie's Lighthouse
by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Kimberly Root
2000 Paperback from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Birds Do the Strangest Things
by Leonora and Arthur Hornblow, illustrated by Michael K. Frith
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Birds In Your Backyard
by Barbara Herkert
from Dawn Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Birds of the Puget Sound Region
by Dennis Paulson
from R. W. Morse Company
for 3rd-Adult
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Birds, Nests and Eggs
Take-Along Guide
by Mel Boring
from Northword Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$7.95 $5.00 (3 in stock)
Birds: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines
by Caroline Arnold, illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Black Hole Is NOT a Hole
by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano, illustrated by Michael Carroll
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Blast Lab
by Richard Hammond
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Blood and Guts
Brown Paper School Books
by Linda Allison
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Body Book
by Donald M. Silver & Patricia J. Wynne
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$18.99 $12.00 (3 in stock)
Bones
from Scholastic Reference
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Astronomy - Student Guide
by Shawn Wheatley, Paul O'Brien, Brenda Janke
1st edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Memoria Press Science (Location: SCICUR-MP)
$17.30 $10.50 (2 in stock)
Book of Eagles
by Helen Roney Sattler, illustrated by Jean Day Zallinger
from Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Small Mammals
by Ted S. Pettit, illustrated by G. Don Ray
from Garden City Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Boxcar Children #01
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
from Albert Whitman & Company
Orphan Stories for 2nd-4th grade
in Boxcar Children (Location: SER-BOX)
$7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Bridges Are to Cross
by Philemon Sturges
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for 1st-4th grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bringing Back the Wolves
by Jude Isabella; illustrated by Kim Smith
from Kids Can Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ecology (Location: SCI-ECO)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Bug Dictionary
from Tangerine Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Butterfly Is Patient
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99 $10.00 (2 in stock)
By Pond and River
Eyes and No Eyes #2
by Arabella B. Buckley
from Cassell
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Cactus Hotel
by Brenda Z. Guiberson
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Deserts & Grasslands (Location: SCI-ECO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
California Plant & Animal Communities
by Barbara J. Collins
from California State Department of Education
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Readers & Textbooks (Location: VIN-READ)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Can It Rain Cats and Dogs?
by Melvin and Gilda Berger
from Scholastic Reference
for 2nd-6th grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Can You Track It? Mammals
by Maggie Felsch and Shannen Yauger, illustrated by Tanya Glebova and Abram Felsch
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 3rd-6th grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Canals and Dams
Build It Yourself
by Donna Latham, illustrated by Andrew Christensen
from Nomad Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Castles
by Denise and Claude Millet
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-5th grade
in Scholastic First Discovery Books (Location: SCIREF-1ST)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Caterpillars and Butterflies
Usborne Beginners
by Stephanie Turnbull
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Charlie and Trike in the Grand Canyon Adventure
Green Notebook Series
by Ken Ham, Karen Hansel
from Master Books
for 1st-4th grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$14.39 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Child's Introduction to the Night Sky
by Michael Driscoll, illustrated by Meredith Hamilton
Revised and Updated from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 1st-5th grade
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Konos Character Curriculum - Obedience
by Jessica Hulcy and Carole Thaxton
from KONOS
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in KONOS Unit Studies (Location: CUR-KON)
$45.00 (1 in stock)
Clouds
by Trudi Strain Trueit
from Franklin Watts
for 3rd-6th grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Cobblestone "The Panama Canal"
from Cobblestone Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gilded Age & Progressive Era (1877-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Collins Children's Encyclopedia of Nature
for 2nd-6th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Complex Circulatory System
God's Wondrous Machine
by Lainna Callentine, M.Ed., M.D.
from Master Books
for 3rd-7th grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$12.79 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Continents: Antarctica
by Leila Merrell Foster
from Heinemann Library
for 1st-3rd grade
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Coral Reefs
by Jason Chin
from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Oceanography & Marine Biology (Location: SCI-OCEAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Coyote
by Stephen R. Swinburne
from Boyds Mill Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Creation Astronomy
by Felice Gerwitz & Jill Whitlock
from Media Angels Science
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in Stars & Constellations (Location: SCI-AST)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method
by Sally Kneidel
from Fulcrum Resources
Science Curriculum for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
1234567