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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91 Items found Print
Active Filters: Preschool (Ages 4-5), Hardcover
3D Sapshots: Puppies (with 3D glasses)
from Fog City Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Dog Books (Location: SCI-MAMDOG)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
50 States in Every Vehicle
by Amber Stewart, illustrated by Carles Ballesteros
from Kane Miller
for Preschool-2nd grade
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Adventure with Olivia Owl
from Silver Dolphin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
Ancient Ones
by Barbara Bash
from Sierra Club Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Babies in Grasslands
from Kingfisher
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Animal-Go-Round
by Johnny Morris
from DK Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (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 (2 in stock)
Audubon's Birds of America
by John James Audubon
from Macmillan
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
Baby's Book of Animals
by Roger Priddy
from DK Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beach Before Breakfast
by Maxine W. Kumin, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Beak Book
by Robin Page
from Beach Lane Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$18.99
Beetle Book
by Steve Jenkins
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
$19.99
Big Book of Big Bugs
from Usborne
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
Big Tree
by Mary Buff, Conrad Buff
1st Edition from Viking Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
1947 Newbery Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Birds Do the Strangest Things
by Leonora and Arthur Hornblow
from Random House
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
Bufo
by Robert M. McClung
from William Morrow & Company
for Preschool-1st grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Caterpillars and Butterflies
Usborne Beginners
by Stephanie Turnbull
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Danny and the Dinosaur Go To Camp
An I Can Read Book
by Syd Hoff
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Day at the Seashore
by Kathryn Jackson, Byron Jackson
from Golden Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
Dinosaurs for Little Kids
by Ken Ham, Illustrated by Bill Looney
from Master Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$11.19
Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
by Barbara Kerley
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
2002 Caldecott Honor Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.99
DK First Animal Encyclopedia
Revised from DK Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$17.99
Drop of Water
by Gordon Morrison
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Water Cycle (Location: SCI-EARTH)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Du Iz Tak?
by Carson Ellis
from Candlewick Press
2017 Caldecott Honor Medal
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Earthworm
by Andrienne Soutter-Perrot, illustrated by Etienne Delessert
from Creative Education
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Everyone Poops
by Taro Gomi
from Kane Miller
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Fall Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Forest
Our Changing World
by David Bellamy, illustrated by Jill Dow
from Clarkson Potter Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
Giraffe: A Living Tower
by Christine and Michel Denis-Huot
from Reader's Digest Young Families
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
God Made All of Me
by Justin S. Holcomb, Lindsey A. Holcomb
Fir from New Growth Press
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Sex Education (Location: HEAL-SEXED)
$15.99
Golden Book of Space Exploration
by Dinah L. Moche
from Golden Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Gravity
by Jason Chin
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$18.99
Gravity at Work and Play
by Sune Engelbrektson, illustrated by Eric Carle
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
How Flowers Grow
Usborne Beginners
by Emma Helbrough
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$4.49 $2.70 (2 in stock)
How Grace Got Her Name
by Alice Elshoff, illustrated by Jennifer Curtis
from Moonglade Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
If You Decide to Go to the Moon
by Faith McNulty
from Scholastic Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
Kate Greenaway's Marigold Garden
by Kate Greenaway
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Leaf Can Be . . .
by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Violeta Dabija
from Millbrook Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Lifesize
from Kane Miller
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Chick's Big Day
by Mary DeBall Kwitz
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Little Cloud
by Eric Carle
from Puffin Books
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little Engine That Could - Original Edition
by Watty Piper
from Platt and Munk Publishers
Personification Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Little Fire Engine
by Lois Lenski
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Little Toot on the Thames
by Hardie Gramatky
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Little Train
by Lois Lenski
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Little Turtle and the Song of the Sea
by Sheridan Cain, illustrated by Norma Burgin
from Crocodile Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Living Fossils
by Caroline Arnold, illustrated by Andrew Plant
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Look to the North
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Lucia Washburn
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Lucky Ducklings
by Eva Moore& Nancy Carpenter
from Orchard Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Lucky Porcupine
by Miriam Schlein, illustrated by Martha Weston
from Four Winds Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Little's Noisy Car
by Richard Fowler
from EDC Publishing
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Nest Full of Eggs
by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Noah's Ark and the Ararat Adventure
by John D. Morris
from Master Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
Noah's Ark, Noah's Flood
by John D. Morris
from Master Books
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Now I Know All About Seeds
by Susan Kuchalla, illustrated by Jane McBee
from Troll Associates
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
On the Moon
Usborne First Reading Level 1
by Anna Milbourne, illustrated by Benji Davies
from Usborne
for Preschool-1st grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon for Birds of America
by John James Audubon
1985 edition from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$35.00 (1 in stock)
Our Friend, the Sun
by John and Cathleen Polgreen
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Polar Opposites
by Erik Brooks
from Two Lions
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Pond
by Jim Lamarche
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Rare Treasure
by Don Brown
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
River Ran Wild
by Lynne Cherry
from Harcourt
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in River, Pond & Swamp (Location: SCI-ECO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Science Verse w/audio CD
by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
from Viking Press
Silly Science Rhymes for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Ships
Usborne Beginners: Level 2
by Emily Bone
from Usborne
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
Sign of the Seahorse
by Graeme Base
First Edition from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Skeleton Inside You
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Philip Balestrino
Book Club Edition from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Skeleton Inside You
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Philip Balestrino, Illustrated by True Kelley
Revise Edition from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sometimes Rain
by Meg Fleming, illustrated by Diana Sudyka
from Beach Lane Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Meteorology (Weather & Climate) (Location: SCI-WEA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Spring Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Summer Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
T is for Tugboat
by Shoshanna Kirk & Sara Gillingham
from Chronicle Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Teddy Roosevelt's Elk
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
They All Saw a Cat
by Brendan Wenzel
from Chronicle Books
2017 Caldecott Honor book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Toad Overload
by Patricia Seibert, illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Ecology (Location: SCI-ECO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Two Bad Ants
by Chris Van Allsburg
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Big Book of Rockets and Spacecraft
from Usborne
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$6.30 (1 in stock)
Usborne Flip-Flap Body Book
by Alastair Smith, Judy Tatchell
from Usborne
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Human Anatomy & Physiology (Location: SCI-ANA)
Usborne Pocket Nature
by Barbara Cork
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$4.05 (1 in stock)
Usborne Starting Point Science - Volume 1
by Susan Mayes
from Usborne
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Science Reference (Location: SCIREF)
$5.40 (1 in stock)
Very Clumsy Click Beetle
by Eric Carle
from Philomel Books
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Water Can Be . . .
by Laura Purdie Salas, Illustrated by Violeta Dabija
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
Water is Water
by Miranda Paul, Illustrated by Jason Chin
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-4th grade
in Water Cycle (Location: SCI-EARTH)
$18.99
We Are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
2021 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$17.99
We Dig Worms!
Toon Level 1: Giggle and Learn
by Kevin McCloskey
from Toon Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?
by John Morris & Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
What's Inside? Boats
What's Inside?
from DK Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Ships, Boats & Submarines (Location: HISV-SHIP)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Whose Little Bird Am I?
by Leonard Weisgard
from Frederick Warne & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Why Do Sunflowers Face the Sun?
by Terry Martin
from DK Publishing
for Preschool-1st grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Wild Folk in the Mountains
by Carroll Lane Fenton
from The John Day Company
for Preschool-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Winter Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)