Science was always my worry area. I didn't enjoy it in school and feared having[Image]to take the responsibility of ensuring that my VERY science minded daughter was going to get all that she wanted out of our science education at home. I bought all sorts of kits and checked out every project book I could find at the library until I came across Janice VanCleave. If you have never heard of her, then you have never read some of the most concisely written science experiment books I have ever encountered and you and your kids are truly missing out!
[Image]Although I have enjoyed each of her books that I have read The Science For Every Kid series is a favorite in our household. In this series she covers everything fromChemistry[Image] to Food and Nutrition[Image] to Geometry[Image], cohesively covering topics so that the kids can clearly grasp the material. This series could easily be used as a spine to jump off from, as a full science curriculum or a supplement for labs and projects. For example in Food and Nutrition for Every Kid[Image] VanCleave has each chapter set up as follows:
What You Need to Know - here terms are explained and background information is given Exercises - the learner is presented with questions to be answered or situations that need to be resolved utilizing the information they read in the previous section.
Activity - a project to allow the application of the skills in a real world situation.
Solutions to Exercises - she not only gives the answers but lays out step-by-step instructions for solving each exercise.
[Image]With over 50 best-selling science experiment books that span an audience from toddler to mature adolescents, this is one author you will want to remember. Not only have I never had a single failed experiment from her books, she gives explanations that make sense. Though we have come across a few materials that we had to do a bit of digging around for the majority of materials you will need can be found in your home or in a quick trip to the local grocery or hardware store, making it convenient on a rainy day or spur of the moment. I can't say enough about these fabulous resources.
To see some more of our successful science experiments from Biology for Every Kid check out my blogposts - HERE and HERE.
You can learn more about Janice VanCleave as well as take a look through the plethora of tips, ideas and projects at her site - JVC's Science Fair Projects.
No comments yet.
Close this window