Science Elementary
Sunshine Makes the Seasons
Copyrights 1974/1985
Switch On! Switch Off!
A very simple children's book designed to explain how electricity works and how it is harnessed to be used in everyday life. The thing my husband (the electrical engineer) liked about this book was that it, quite simply, doesn't have any flaws. It is simple, but substantive.
The Heart
This is a fascinating and colorful look at the heart and the amazing job it performs. Computer-enhanced photos are used to illustrate the heart and the blood vessels while magnified images give us a close-up look at the blood. Also included are simpler illustrations showing the chambers of the heart, it's valves and arteries and the general make-up of arteries and veins and their valves. The text is simple enough to be understood by fairly young children (particularly as a read-aloud) but is written in such a way as to capture the awe and mystery of how our body works. It covers quite a bit of material in a fairly in-depth fashion - the basic workings and function of the heart, the various components of the blood, the various types and functions of the blood vessels, the basic path of the blood through the body, how the lungs work within the cardiovascular system, the role of white blood cells and some of the problems that people develop in their blood's circulatory system. An impressive, engaging and informative book.
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
We enjoyed this book very much - the content is great and the illustrations are very nice. It would make a fine supplement for Greek History and encompasses a bit of Math and Science as well. The reading level is more challenging than your average picture book (perhaps 4th grade level) but it could be read aloud to younger children.
The Salamander Room
The Universe: Think Big!
Jeanne Bendick, author of Archimedes and the Door of Science, explains some basic concepts regarding the universe in a surprisingly simple way (approximately 2nd grade reading level - short pages with large type). First she invites children to try to imagine how big the universe is (in terms of it being much, much bigger than other, more familiar things). The bulk of the book focuses on large distances and how they're measured and how people used to believe that the earth was at the center of the universe and remained motionless. The final page explains the big bang theory. For a controversial topic it is explained rather nice in terms of "How did the Universe begin? Nobody knows for sure, but here is what most scientists of today think." Although the big bang theory was first thought of by a Catholic priest (LeMaitre) who was trying to point toward something which God created, we all know that the big bang theory is often used to try to explain God away. Young children don't have much trouble with this when presented as it is in this book. After the book says "Suddenly, this object exploded with a big bang," you can ask your children, "If this is the way the Universe really did begin, then who made the explosion happen?" Chances are, they'll know the answer. :)
The Way Things Work Kit
This kit provides dozens of special cardboard pieces, wooden dowels string, wheels, etc. for making simple machines (inclined planes, scales, etc.) that can be used for understanding basic concepts of mechanics - how things work. Based upon the bestselling "The Way Things Work" by David Macaulay, the kit continues the theme of Wooly Mammoths as props and characters for use in these experiments. (Included in the kit are two cardboard Wooly Mammoths to which you affix a certain number of identical coins to provide a common weight for some of the experiments.) A thin, but colorful book (32 pages - glossy cover) takes you through the scientific explanations of the various principles involved in the experiments. 5 1/2 " x 8 1/2" glossy full color cards provide detailed step-by-step instructions (with the typical DK photos) for each experiment.
Although some of the experiments took a little more finesse than might have been expected (but understandable due to the limitations of the materials) and some of the instruction cards were a little hard to follow, overall we found this to be an exceptional value - a lot of bang for your buck at the $30 retail price. We found that a dozen or so ziploc bags were very helpful in keeping the various pieces straight and, with a little patience, all the pieces can be stored in the box.
The biggest hit in our family so far was the Pinball Science CD ROM which also came with the kit. The game includes three pinball arenas each having a specific theme (village, island and moon). The science part involves answering questions in order to earn the right to place certain fixtures on each pinball game. Without the fixtures, scores are lower and players are unable to advance to the next level. With each question, the player has the option to "Research Answer". This feature takes the player to the appropriate page in an interesting, humorous and interactive log book which explains the functioning of various devices such as windmills, faucets, hot-air balloons, gears, and rockets. Some of the graphics are a little silly (Wooly Mammoths in bikinis on the island and such), but I didn't find anything really objectionable.
Trains
I really like it when authors of children's books remember that details of how things work are fascinating to children. Gail Gibbons is definitely one of those authors. Her book is filled with very simple illustrations and text about trains, but the various parts of the trains are labeled and the text explains things like how the trains link together and the differences between gondola cars, hopper cars, boxcars and tank cars.The back page contains a chart of signs and signals relating to trains. Appropriate for preschool or kindergarten age children.
What Makes Day and Night?
The clearly written text is combined with simple, colorful pictures to make the concepts of day and night and the rotation of the earth in relation to the sun very understandable for both young children and their parents. : ) Included is a very simple hands-on "experiment" requiring only your child and a desk lamp. Some information about the moon is also covered. Like other books in this series, this book is a great solution for satisfying some of those "why" questions that young children constantly ask.
Copyrights 1962/1986