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.

 

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978 Items found Print
Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12), In-Stock 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)
1000 Facts About Space
by Dean Regas
from National Geographic
for 2nd-6th grade
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$6.50 (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 More Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials
by Anthony D. Fredericks, Judy Breckenridge, Louis V. Loeschnig, Muriel Mandell
from Black Dog & Leventhal
for 4th-6th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$3.00 (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)
365 Starry Nights
by Chet Raymo
from Fireside Books
for 6th-Adult
in Astronomy (Space) (Location: SCI-AST)
$12.00 (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)
Accidents May Happen
by Charlotte Foltz Jones, illustrated by John O'Brien
from Delacorte Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Across America on an Emigrant Train
by Jim Murphy and Robert Louis Stevenson
from Sandpiper Books
for 5th-8th grade
1994 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$10.95
Adventures with Atoms and Molecules Book I
by Robert C. Mebane, Thomas R. Rybolt
from Enslow
for 4th-8th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Aerospace Engineering and the Principles of Flight
Engineering in Action
by Anne Rooney
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Flight & Aerodynamics (Location: SCI-PHYFA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Africa's Vanishing Wildlife
by Chris & Tilde Stuart
1st edition from Smithsonian Books
for 5th-10th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
$8.00 (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)
$5.09
Airplanes of World War I - Coloring Book
by Carlo Demand
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$5.09
Alaskan Wildlife - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Jan Sovak
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$3.39
All About Bible Animals
by Simona Piscioneri
from Good Book Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$9.00 (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 Engines and Power
All About Books #45
by Sam & Beryl Epstein
from Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
All About Famous Inventors and Their Inventions
All About Books #18
by Fletcher Pratt
from Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About Fire
All About Books #53
by Raymond Holden
from Random House
for 6th-10th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
All About Monkeys
All About Books #26
by Robert S. Lemmon
from Random House
for 4th-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About Prehistoric Cave Men
All About Books #30
by Sam & Beryl Epstein
from Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About Radio and Television
All About Books #2
by Jack Gould
2nd edition from Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About Rockets and Space Flight
All About Books #50
by Harold Goodwin
from Random House
for 3rd-8th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
All About Sailing the Seven Seas
All About Books #40
by Ruth Brindze
from Random House
for 4th-7th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About Satellites and Space Ships
All About Books #28
by David Dietz
Revised edition from Random House
for 4th-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About Strange Beasts of the Past
All About Books #17
by Robert S. Lemmon
from Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About the Universe
All About Books #55
by David Dietz, illustrated by John Polgreen
from Random House
for 3rd-8th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$12.00 (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)
$4.24
All About Whales
All About Books #8
by Roy Chapman Andrews
from Random House
for 4th-6th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All in a Drop
by Lori Alexander; illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger
from Clarion Books
for 2nd-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.19
Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$7.99
Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself
by Maxine Anderson
from Nomad Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
America's Deserts
by Marianne D. Wallace
1st edition
for 4th-6th grade
in Deserts & Grasslands (Location: SCI-ECO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
American Eagle: A Photographic Portrait
by John Pezzenti
from Viking Studio Books
for 6th-12th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
American Muscle Cars - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$5.09
American Prairie Chicken
by Mary Adrian, illustrated by Genevieve Vaughan-Jackson
from Hastings House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
American Sailing Ships - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$5.09
American Wild Flowers - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Paul Kennedy
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Flowers & Plants Coloring Books (Location: COL-BOT)
$5.09
Anatomicum
Welcome to the Museum
by Jennifer Z. Paxton; illustrated by Katy Wiedemann
from Big Picture Press
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
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 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 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)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, Illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Animalium
by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott
UK Edition from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$19.00 (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 Nobody Knows
by Ivan Sanderson
from Viking Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$35.00 (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)
$8.00 (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)
Animals Without Backbones: Invertebrates
Come Learn with Me
by Bridget Anderson
from Charlesbridge
for 4th-6th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Another Field Guide to Little Known and Seldom-Seen Birds of North America
by Ben, Cathryn, and John Sill
from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Antique Airplanes - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$5.09
Antique Automobiles - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Clarence P. Hornung
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$5.09
Antique Locomotives - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tre Tryckare Company
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Transportation Coloring Books (Location: COL-TRANS)
$4.24
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 on the Moon
by Henry S. F. Cooper, Jr.
from Dial Press
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Apologia Anatomy & Physiology Lab Kit
from Nature's Workshop Plus
for 4th-6th grade
in Apologia Young Explorer (Location: SCICUR-AEM)
$60.00 (1 in stock)
Aquarium Guide
from Answers in Genesis
for 4th-6th grade
in Old Edition Science (Location: OSCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Arboretum
Welcome to the Museum
by Tony Kirkham, illustrated by Katie Scott
from Big Picture Press
for 4th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$37.99
Arctic and Antarctic Life - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Ruth Soffer
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$5.09
Armstrong
by Torben Kuhlmann, Translated by David Henry Wilson
from NorthSouth
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.66
Arts of the Sailor
by Hervey Garrett Smith
Reprint from Dover Publications
for 5th-Adult
in Ships, Boats & Submarines (Location: HISV-SHIP)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Atmosphere & Weather
Hands-On Science Series
by Karen Kwitter and Steven Souza
from Walch Publishing
for 6th-8th grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Audubon's Birds of America - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Paul Kennedy
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$5.09
Avenging the Owl
by Melissa Hart
from Sky Pony Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Backyard Nature - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Dot Barlowe
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Habitat Coloring Books (Location: COL-HAB)
$5.09
Basher Five-Two
by Scott O'Grady & Michael French
from Yearling
Autobiography for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Astronomy
from Kingfisher
for 2nd-7th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Chemistry
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Engineering
by Simon Basher, Tom Jackson
Reprint from Kingfisher
for 2nd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Extreme Physics
Basher Science
by Simon Basher, Dan Green
8.4.2013 from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$9.99
Basher Science: Human Body
Basher Science
by Simon Basher, Dan Green
Pap/Pstr from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$8.99
Basher Science: Microbiology
Basher Science
by Simon Basher, Dan Green
Pap/Pstr from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$9.99
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 (1 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)
$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)
Basics of Cell Life with Max Axiom, Super Scientist
Max Axiom, Super Scientist
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beetle Is Shy
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study & Journaling (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Bell and the Science of the Telephone
by Brian Williams
from Barron's
for 4th-6th grade
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
$3.50 (2 in stock)
Ben Franklin Book of Easy Incredible Experiments
by Lisa Jo Rudy (editor), illustrated by Cheryl Kirk Noll
from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Berries, Nuts and Seeds
Take-Along Guide
by Diane Burns
from Northword Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Biology Experiments for Children
by Ethel Hanauer
from Dover Publications
for 4th-6th grade
in Biology (Location: SCI-BIO)
$5.95
Biology Level I - Student Text (old)
Real Science-4-Kids
by Rebecca W. Keller
from Gravitas Publications, Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Real Science-4-Kids (old editions) (Location: OSCI-RS4K)
$4.00 (2 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)
Biology, Middle/High School (old)
by Joan Distasio
from Instructional Fair
for 6th-9th grade
in Biology (Location: SCI-BIO)
$4.00 (3 in stock)
Bird Watchers and Bird Feeders
by Glenn O. Blough, illustrated by Jeanne Bendick
2022nd edition from Purple House Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$12.99
Birds and their Nests
by Olive L. Earle
from Purple House Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$9.99
Birds of Prey - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bird Coloring Books (Location: COL-BIRD)
$5.09
Birds of the Pacific Northwest
by John Shewey & Tim Blount, edited by Hendrik Herlyn
from Timber Press, Inc.
for 5th-Adult
in Field Guides: Birds (Location: NAT-FG01)
$29.99 $18.00 (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: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines
by Caroline Arnold
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$7.95
Birdwatching Notebook - Grades 3-8
by Jenny Phillips
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 3rd-8th grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
$7.00 (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)
$10.00 (1 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 (4 in stock)
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