Books About Science
One Red Apple
by Harriet Ziefert Darling illustrations and a simple text makes this book perfect for young learners. This book is nice because it takes a scientific look at apples. Would be great to read in the fall. |
Eight Days Gone
by Linda McReynolds A child friendly account of Apollo 11 in a rhyming text. Click here to find some wonderful websites about space for kids: http://www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/space.htm |
Little Owl's Night
by Divya Srinivasan This book is sure to go along with any lesson about nocturnal animals. Simple text and bright visually appealing illustrations make this a wonderful story. Author's Vimeo book trailers: http://vimeo.com/divya |
The Honeybee Man by Lela Nargi
This is a touching book that would be a good springboard for insects and how they help our world. Great information and bee activites can be found here: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/activity-plan-mixed-ages-be-bee |
The Biggest Thing in the World
by Kenneth Steven After sleeping for ninety-seven and a half days, Little Snow Bear wakes up and is ready to make some discoveries. discussion could center around animal habitats and/or how animals survive the long cold winter. Students will enjoy that Little Snow Bear's discoveries get bigger and bigger as we turn the pages of the book. Have children predict what the biggest discovery of all will be. A lesson in sizes and ordering sizes from big to bigger to biggest will go along nicely with this story. |
Planes Fly by George Ella Lyon
What a fantastic book that children will love! The science possibilities are endless! Have children create your traditional foldable paper airplanes or give them plenty of materials to build the plane of their dreams. Then test their models. Do you really want to make them scream and shout? Try this: http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/electrostaticLevitation/ |
How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?
by Wendell Minor Comparing pumpkins, measuring pumpkins, carving pumpkins...this book will go along well with all of your traditional pumpkin activities. It has great vocabulary to expand on the word BIG. Would you like to grow a HUGE pumpkin next year? Go here: http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/pumpkins/how-to-grow-huge-pumpkins-article10276.html |
Water, Weed, and Wait
by Edith Hope Fine Just a lovely book about gardening. Perfecting for launching your school garden or a garden to table project with your students! Author website: http://www.edithfine.com/waterweedwait.html |
My Garden
by Kevin Henkes This is a delightful book that will thrill children of all ages. The whimsical nature of this imaginative story is a great start to creative writing. What would you have in YOUR garden? The possibilities are endless. For young learners, this story lends itself to a discussion of details in a story. Author website http://www.kevinhenkes.com/ |
This Tree Counts
by Alison Formento A beautiful counting book that explains why trees count! Author Blog: http://alisonashleyformento.blogspot.com/ Author website: http://alisonashleyformento.com/ |
Spiky, Slimy, Smooth: What is Texture? by Jane Brocket
This book has great photos and vocabulary to use with classification of solid matter or the sense of touch. After reading have children play the Secret Sock Game. Using a variety of small objects and navy blue or black knee socks place the objects into the knee socks. Allow the children to reach into the knee socks and describe what they feel by naming three descriptive textures. Predict what is inside the secret sock. Pull out the object. More sensory activies: http://www.preschoolexpress.com/theme-station10/textures-november.shtml |
Once Upon A Northern Night
by Jean E. Pendziwol Just a beautiful winter story. Nice to read during that first snowfall. If the flakes are big, bundle up and catch snowflakes on a piece of black felt. Have children make observations and comparisons with captured snowflakes. Then have children sit for one minute and listen while the snow falls. Can you hear the quiet? |
The Beetle Book
by Steve Jenkins Do you think bugs are beautiful? You will after you look at the illustrations in this book! You'll also get an idea of how many varieties of beetles there are. For an interesting lesson that will span several weeks, begin mealworm observations. Keep them in a bowl of bran and feed them recycled apple cores. Watch what happens to them over a short time! |
Otis And The Tornado
by Loren Long A good story to use in spring or during your study of weather. It could tie into a farm unit too! Character education is woven into this book. Otis must use his courage to help a less than friendly bull. This book is part of a series. Other books include: Otis and Otis and the Puppy Look here for a cute barnyard tornado in a jar activity: http://www.readingconfetti.com/2012/06/barnyard-tornado-in-jar.html |
Hot Rod Hamser
by Cynthia Lord A cute story with a loveable main character. This story would fit when beginning a unit on simple machines. After reading have students use recycled materials to create milk carton derby cars. You will need milk cartons, shoe boxes, straws, kabob skewers, milk jug lids, butter tub lids, coffee can lids, and tape. This link will get you started on the idea of a milk carton car. I put balloons out in the materials area, but students quickly determine how best to make their car work. (By experimenting, of course!) http://www.kidspot.com.au/kids-activities-and-games/science-experiments+10/make-a-milk-carton-car+11999.htm |
Machines Go To Work in the City by William Low
This book opens every which way. Students will love learning about machines as they unfold pages. It would be a great read-aloud when learning about transportation. Cute preschool construction activities: http://notjustcute.com/2011/03/11/lets-build-activities-for-a-preschool-tools-and-construction-theme/ |
The Loud Book
by Deborah Underwood These two books will obviously work well with lessons on sound. Young children will enjoy the books and they will enjoy making LOUD and quiet sounds. Take your students on a listening walk. They can collect data for loud and quiet as they draw on paper or take photos or short movie clips with their iPads. Author website http://www.deborahunderwoodbooks.com/ |
The Quiet Book
by Deborah Underwood This is a great companion book for The Loud Book! It deals with all the things that are quiet. |
Step Gently Out
by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder This book has amazing photographs and poetry. It would be wonderful when teaching an insect unit. The photographer is also from Michigan! A simple text with big curriculum tie ins. |
The Cow Loves Cookies
by Karma Wilson The farm, patterning, and animal needs are the themes that can be found in this book. Would be a nice read-aloud for any farm unit. More cow crafts than you care to imagine! http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/cowscraftsideasactivitieskids.html Animal needs song and music video: |
Baby Bear Sees Blue
by Ashley Wolff This is a fabulous book about teaching the colors! After reading this book have children mix colors to see how they change and what new colors they can make. Click the link to see a color mixing tray that I have used with preschoolers: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/color-mixing-tray Do you have a low budget? Try yard sales and thrift stores for white, plastic ice cube trays instead. Many easy color mixing recipes can be found here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,goop_cornstarch,FF.html |
Green
by Laura Vaccaro Seeger More wonderful literature to add to your scientific color lessons. How many shades of green can you name? For an easy and inexpensive lesson to compliment this book, go to the paint section of your favorite hardware store. Gather as many shades of green as you like. Allow children to choose their favorite. Discuss the names. See if the children can come up with a better name for their "shade" of green. Then go on a color hunt. See of they can find their shade of green in nature or on the walls of their school. |