Recommended Science Books & Resources

Laurie Block Spigel Classes & Lectures Photo Gallery            Testimonials Consultations Poems by Laurie Contact Laurie FAQ (testing etc.) Articles & Reviews        Books & Resources Favorite Kids' Books Language Arts Math & Economics Statistics Critical Thinking Science            Social Studies Foreign Languages Music            Art & Architecture Standards, etc.      Activities & Crafts Physical Activities Magazines Early Childhood Special Ed Gifted & Talented About College/Teens NYC High Schools Projects Art by Kids Poems by Kids Reviews by Kids Other Sites            Volunteer / Interns Contests            Glossary            Acknowledgements Sitemap              © Laurie Block Spigel 2005 – 2017

Go to Page Index Science is the study of why. When kids ask why is the sky blue, why do bees buzz, why is grass green, why do I hiccup, it’s all science. Children are natural scientists, born investigators, experimenting with everything they can get their hands on. Science should be a life-long adventure, hands-on and experiential. It is full of questions, hypotheses, observations, recording of data, examination with analysis of observations and data, and conclusions that lead to new questions. In short, that is the “scientific method." One parent's tip: "When buying books of experiments, go through the book before the kids get to it, make up a shopping list, and buy everything they'll need in advance. Keep a plastic 'science bin' with all the unusual stuff plus an ample supply of everyday materials (balloons, small glass jars, litmus paper, magnets, etc.), so that the right materials are always on hand." See the section on Science Kits and Supplies. You can submit your question for next year's Flame Challenge. Homeschooled kids are encouraged to participate. Check out Exploravision, a competition for all students in grades K-12 attending a public, private or home school in the U.S., Canada, or U.S. Territories. It is designed to encourage students to combine their imagination with their knowledge of science and technology to explore visions of the future. Entry deadline is around the end of January each year. Page Index Aerodynamics Anatomy Animals, Birds, etc. Anthropology - see Social Studies: Anthropology Resources Archaeology Astronomy - see Space Sciences Big History Biology - see Living Environment Botany - see Plant Biology / Botany Chemistry Computers & Technology Earth Sciences (dinosaurs, evolution, fossils, geology, paleontology, rocks, volcanoes, etc.) Ecology - see Earth Sciences Economics Evolution - see Earth Sciences Geology - see Earth Sciences Health Living Environment (biology, evolution, ecology, genetics, human impact, etc.) Marine Biology (oceans, whales, other marine mammals, fish) Palaeontology - see Earth Sciences Physics Plant Biology / Botany Space Sciences (astronomy, SETI, etc.) The Weather Field Trips General Websites General Science Resources: For Parents and Educators Elementary and Pre-K Middle school and high school Online Courses Science Kits and Supplies Science Fairs See also: NYPL's HomeworkNYC.org Grade Levels, Standards and Benchmarks What's Free or Cheap in NYC - Science and Math (including Economics) Recommended Magazines Learning science through games, from a homeschooler's blog. The NYC Science Research Mentoring Program offers a chance to work closely with a scientist in the field and in labs, collect and analyze data, present at conferences, and more! Science of Smart Cities (SoSC) introduces STEM concepts through hands-on activities, demonstrations and experiments to middle school students. The program connects students through teamwork and mentorship and the students learn how to build and design more livable, efficient, sustainable and resilient cities. Back to top

Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the resulting motion of objects through the air. Studying the motion of air around an object allows us to measure the forces of lift, which allows an aircraft to overcome gravity, and drag, which is the resistance an aircraft “feels” as it moves through the air.

• Aerodynamics for Kids
• The science of flight: Paper airplanes
• What is Aerodynamics? from NASA

Earth Sciences

(Includes dinosaurs, ecology, evolution, fossils, geology, paleontology, rocks, volcanoes, etc.)

• Rocks and Rock Collections – a great site for rocks and minerals, with activities.
• Backyard Science , by Christopher Maynard
• Cape Cod Rocks, fossils, rocks, and more
• A Field Guide to the Planet Earth: Projects for Reading Rocks, Rivers, Mountains, and the Forces That Shape Them , by Paul Hilston and Christine Rohn Hilston, A Ziggurat book for Talented Beginners. This is a real hands-on approach to earth science, recommended for ages 11 and up.
• Earth Science for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series) (Science for Every Kid Series) by Janice Van Cleave


• Information on Dinosaurs
  • Dinosaurs for Every Kid , by Janice Van Cleave
  • National Geographic Kids Ultimate Dinopedia: The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever
  • Teaching Kids about Dinosaurs
  • Dinosaurs Explained, fromThe American Museum of Natural History
• The Dating Game: One Man's Search for the Age of the Earth , by Cherry Lewis
• The Dynamic Earth, from the Smithsonian. Explore the forces that shape our planet.
• Evolution, with lots of links. [Ed. note: the page refers to Charles Darwin's The Origin of Life. The correct title is The Origin of Species.]
• Geology
• Geology Rocks! , by Cindy Blobaum. (Other books in the Kaleidoscope Kids series are good, too.)
• The U.S. Geological Survey and Science Education - online resources to support education (K-12) and college inquiry and research.
• Discovering Geology from the British Geological Society
• LearnEarthScience, a great destination for Earth Science students in NY State preparing for the Regents.
• New York Earth Science Teacher, a website with good earth science links from teacher Chris Visco.
• Rocks for Kids
• Volcano World
• Regents Examination: Earth Science (past examinations and the answers)
  • Preparation for NYS Regents Examination: Earth Science

Space Sciences

(Includes astronomy, SETI, etc.)

• Watch live astronomy cams and resources
• Weather Underground — enter your siip code for a view of the night sky.
• Astronomy resources with images and meteorological information.
• The Inwood Astronomy Project works to encourage local interest in astronomy and star-gazing.
• Amazing Space
• Astronomy for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series) , by Janice Van Cleave
• Rose Center for Earth and Space, at the American Museum of Natural History, West 81st Street, just west of Central Park West. Exhibits and programs.
• Discovery Education Lesson plans, videos, etc.
• NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab - Kids. Games, activities, and fun stuff.>
• NASA for Kids
• Tour of the Solar System
• Astronomy Center. A great resource including activity guides and tutorials.
• Astronomy for Kids
• Earthsky.com, nightly sky chart with weather info and more
• Sky & Telescope, a website for stargazers
• The Smithsonian Institution has a vast amount of information, including:
  • Information on Astronomy
  • The Einstein Planetarium
• Astronomy magazine
• The SETI League, Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence

Big History

Consider the big questions about our Universe, our planet, life, and humanity. From the Big Bang to modern day to where we are going in the future, Big History covers it all

• Big History Project - quizzes, free online info for students and teachers, etc.
• International Big History Association
• Big History video series with study guides
• The history of our world in 18 minutes — video of TED talk by David Christian
• Big History: Between Nothing and Everything, by David Christian
• Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, by David Christian
• Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present, by Cynthia Stokes Brown

Anatomy

Books

• The Bones Book And Skeleton , by Stephen Cumbaa. Includes a 12-inch, 25-piece skeleton kit that’s anatomically correct and easy to assemble.
• The Body Book , by Donald Silver and Patricia Wynne - make your own paper skeleton with lessons for health included
• Janice VanCleave's The Human Body for Every Kid: Easy Activities that Make Learning Science Fun (Science for Every Kid Series) by Janice Van Cleave
• The Anatomy Coloring Book ,” by Wynn Kapit and Lawrence M. Elson

Websites

• eSkeletons. One parent's review: The eSkeletons Project website is devoted to the study of human and primate comparative anatomy. It offers a unique set of digitized versions of skeletons in 2-D and 3-D in full color, animations, and much supplemental information. The user can navigate through the various regions of the skeleton and view all orientations of each element along with muscle and joint information. eSkeletons enables you to view the bones of both human and non-human primates ranging from the gorilla to the tiny mouse lemur. All of the large apes are represented as well as other species from different parts of the world. Many of these primates are rare or endangered species.
• Human Anatomy Online, a great human anatomy site
• netFrog, virtual frog dissection
• Fetal pig dissection from the Emma Willard School.

Health

• Food and Nutrition for Every Kid: Easy Activities That Make Learning Science Fun , by Janice Van Cleave
• Microbe Hunters , by Paul de Kruif
• Choose My Plate from the USDA
• Health resources from the government
• Health resources from FirstGov for Kids
• The Human Microbiome — learn about the microbes that live in our bodies
• Let's Move, a website to promote an active and healthy lifestyle.
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Kids Page
• Nutrition, easy online access to government information on food and human nutrition
• Scrub Club teaches children the proper way to wash their hands.

Animals, Birds, etc.

See also Local Zoos, Activities: Birdwatching, and Books about Animals.

• African Animals. Lots of pictures and information.
• All About Birds from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Lab is an excellent source for info on birds. They now offer a Science Investigator's Kit for Homeschoolers, which offers seven fun, hands-on activities that bring science to life through birds! Your children will get outside, connect with real Cornell University researchers, learn about and build feeders that will attract a variety of local birds, gain an understanding of local habitat and the creatures that live there, participate in citizen science, and potentially develop a new hobby. The kit includes lesson plans, a journal, and resource guidebook as well as a CD-ROM, two books, and a feeder bird poster. Importantly, the kit also includes membership in Project FeederWatch (PFW), a citizen science project, and the PFW research kit. The Cornell Lab has recently reduced the price of the kit and is are now offering it for $69.95. Plus, you can use the code HOMESCHOOL1O for an additional $10 off and if you order in November you will receive a free finch feeder sock. The BirdSleuth program lets kids do real science investigations.
• Animal Diversity Web, an online database from the University of Michigan.
• The Audubon Society - everything about birds
• Beastly Behaviors , by Janine M. Benyus - with checklists of behaviors to spot at the zoo
• The Breeds of Livestock page can help you identify a domestic animal seen from a car or train.
• All About Farm Animals
• Information on Dinosaurs
• The Discovery School offers a variety of lesson plans on animals.
• Journey North offers a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change
• The Owl Pages - photos, calls, books, art, mythology and more.
• Peterson Field guides include first guides for younger kids and coloring books too
• Plants & Animals Resources from the US Government
• The Raptor Trust in New Jersey cares for injured birds of prey
• San Diego Zoo
• Zoobooks, website, magazine, free email newsletter
• Zooweb a website listing zoos and aquaria all over the world

Marine Biology

(Incldues oceans, whales, other marine mammals, fish)

• City Parks Foundation offers Coastal Classroom — Teens can “get their feet wet” in some of New York’s coastal hot spots while studying New York City’s dynamic aquatic ecosystem.
• Oceans for Every Kid , by Janice Van Cleave
• The Marine Biology Coloring Book , by Thomas M. Niesen
• The Handy Ocean Answer Book , by Thomas Svarney & Patricia Barnes-Svarney
• Heartbeats in the Muck , by John Waldman, on the Hudson River, pond life and Atlantic Ocean field guides
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• About Marine Mammals. Whales, seals, dolphins, etc.
• National Center for Coastal Ocean Science
• National Marine Sanctuaries
• National Ocean Service. Free discovery kits, lesson plans, and more.
• Ocean Explorer. Includes 175 lesson plans.
• Deep Earth Academy. Activities and lesson plans based upon authentic scientific ocean drilling data are available for a wide range of learning audiences including grades K-4, 5-8, 9-12, and post-secondary geosciences.
• Cousteau Society for Kids, with a magazine you can subscribe to
• Oceans, an amazing list of website resources
• Secrets of the Ocean Realm from PBS, includes quizzes
• Lesson plans for ocean life, from National Geographic
• Whale Migrations
• Whales for kids
• Marine biology in Canada
• Great links for whales
• All about Whales
• Live web cams at the Monterey Aquarium
• Turtles (with a funny turtle song) at the Oregon Coast Aquarium
• Animal Facts from Sea World
• Amphibians of Canada
• Hear the voices of courting frogs
• All about Whales
• Coloring books on Sea Turtles and Shrimp

Plant Biology

• Aquatic plants
• Aquatic plants and flowers
• Arbor Day Foundation offers lots of information about trees.
• Botany for Kids
• Educational Resources from the Botanical Society of America
• Plants Database from the U.S. Dept of Agriculture. Information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.
• Plants & Animals Resources from the US Government
• Wildflowers in the Rocky Mountains
• The world of trees (in French and English) for elementary ages

Physics

Books

• Physics for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments in Motion, Heat, Light, Machines, and Sound (Science for Every Kid Series) , by Janice Van Cleave
• The Ben Franklin Book of Easy and Incredible Experiments from the Franklin Institute Science Museum, illustrated by Cheryl Kirk Noll
• The Thomas Edison Book of Easy and Incredible Experiments , by James G. Cook, from Wiley
• The New Way Things Work , by David MacCaulay
• Einstein for Beginners , by Joseph Schwartrz & Michael McGuinness
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Einstein , by Gary F. Moring
• The Cartoon Guide to Physics , by Larry Gonick and Art Huffman
• The Chemical History of a Candle, by Michael Faraday (a classic, available free on the web)

Websites

• Physics for Kids
• The American Museum of Natural History's Education Department offers free lessons including many on Albert Einstein
• Introduction to the Language of Kinematics (Describing Motion with Words)
• MathMol Hypermedia Textbook for grades 3-5, from MathMol (Mathematics and Molecules) at New York University
• Open Learning Initiative, freely available online courses and course materials that enact instruction for an entire course in an online format from Carnegie Mellon University.
• The Particle Adventure, an interactive tour of quarks, neutrinos, etc.
• Physics 2000 has a cool X-ray tool
• The Physics Classroom offers a physics tutorial (high school level)
• Physics for Kids
• The Physics Front, resources for pre-college physics teachers.
• Physics Online, resources for high school physics
• Regents Examination: Physics (past examinations and the answers)
  • Preparation for NYS Regents Examination: Physics
• The Sciences Explorer: Physics
• Zona Land, education in math and physics.

Chemistry

Books

• FREE chemistry guides with different chemistry experiments, lessons and activity sheets, for grades K-8.
• Kitchen Science , by Christopher Maynard
• Chemistry for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work by Janice Van Cleave
• Kids for Chemistry, the book, game, and poster by Dr. Gerald Bauldock
• Easy Science Demos & Labs For Chemistry , by Thomas Kardos
• Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood , by Oliver Sacks

Websites

• FREE chemistry guides with different chemistry experiments, lessons and activity sheets, for grades K-8.
• Adrian Dingle's Chemistry Pages
• American Chemical Society page for Educators and Students - with lots of good resources, and a magazine for high school kids.
• Chem 101, college text
• Chem4Kids.com
• Chemistry for Kids
• chemicalelements.com, an interactive periodic table of elements
• Links to great chemistry sites
• Molecular modeling for K-12. Note the interactive tutorials for middle school, high school, and K-3 are at the bottom
• Open Learning Initiative, freely available online courses and course materials that enact instruction for an entire course in an online format from Carnegie Mellon University.
• Regents Examination: Chemistry (past examinations and the answers)
  • Preparation for NYS Regents Examination: Chemistry
• The Sciences Explorer: Chemistry

Computers & Technology

• Technology for Kids
• Computer Literacy, a great resource with lots of links.
• Cyberethics for Kids from the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
• Free downloads for PC or Mac from KidsDomain.
• Kids and Computers, a page of links from HCIBIB - Human-Computer Interaction.
• Kids Search - a website from the Minneapolis Publisc Library to help kids search the web.
• NYC Parks Department Computer Resource Centers' Programs for Children
• Safe Surfing from 4Kids.org

Living Environment

(Includes biology, evolution, ecology, genetics, human impact, etc.)

• Environmental Education from the NYC Dept. of the Environment, including book lists, educator information, and the Digester Egg Tour.
• Evolutionary Curricula. Self-guided, science-based lesson plans, stories, dramatic scripts and songs for teachers and parents
• Biology for Kids
• Environmental education links for grades 1 - 12 and teachers, from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
• Biology for Kids
• Biology Resources for Kids. Quizzes, coloring pages, projects, and more.
• Chemistry for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series) by Janice Van Cleave
• Classroom Earthis an online resource designed to help high school teachers include environmental content in their daily lesson plans.
• Concepts in Modern Biology , by David Kraus (high school textbook commonly used in public schools)
• Open Learning Initiative, freely available online courses and course materials that enact instruction for an entire course in an online format from Carnegie Mellon University.
• The Sciences Explorer: Biology
• Cells Alive!, film and computer-enhanced images of living cells and organisms
• Regents Examination: Biology (past examinations and the answers)
• Regents Examination: Living Environment (past examinations and the answers)
  • Preparation for NYS Regents Examination: Living Environment
  • EcoKids - ecology for kids.
  • Kids Do Ecology (also available in Spanish).

The Weather

• A Guide to the Weather with information and links to games
• KidStorm. Links on tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes and storm chasing.
• Web Weather for Kids. Games, stories, activities, and more.
• Weather Wiz Kids
• National Weather Service - Weather Education

Archaeology

See also History Resources under Social Studies.

Search the census on the Place Matters website for the hidden historical treasures in your own neighborhood, or create your own walking tour in any of the five boroughs.

• Archaeology for Kids from SUNY Binghamton, with links to other resources and games.
• Archaeology for Kids
• Dig the archaeology magazine for kids.
• Discover Archaeology, from the National Park Service.
• Education page from the Archaeological Institute of America. Includes lesson plans and a list of movies that relate to archaeology.
• New York Times article "Raiders of the Lost City – archaeological finds in New York.

General Websites

• World Science U. Everything from quick answers to short courses to university-level studies in every field of science, for free.
• Nature in a New York Minute is an educational web series of short videos for kids about nature in the city, designed by homeschool science teacher Kelly Rypkema. Underneath the honking horns and towering skyscrapers of our metropolitan area lives a vibrant community of earth, plants, and the animals & people that depend on them. Discover nature in the city!
• Saylor University offers free on-line courses in all subjects K-12, as well as university-level and for professional development.
• Science for kids
• BOAST Academy offers hands-on science lessons and Internet lessons for ages 5 – 14.
• Bill Nye, the Science Guy
• Brainpop – Science, math, social studies and health games and videos.
• The Discovery School
• Discovery Science Center Kids. The center is in Santa Ana, CA.
• Earth and Sky. Science and nature on the Internet plus radio.
• Educational Resources from NOAA
• Educational Resources from National Biological Information Infrastructure (NOII).
• The Exploratorium in San Francisco. Their website includes The Accidental Scientist: The Science of Cooking
• Homeschool 2.0. A homeschooling Dad (called the Geek Dad) in Montreal created this website aimed at science and technology-oriented homeschoolers. Lots of fun here for all ages.
• How Stuff Works
• How Everyday Things are Made
• Kidspace - math and science resources.
• Mad Sci network - Ask-a-scientist
• Math and Science Core Curriculum from the NYS Education Department.
• Mocomi.com — science for kids, with activities, experiments, and projects.
• Quiz Tree - free online science quizzes.
• Science EduNet Web Resources. A huge list from the NY Academy of Science.
• Science Explorations from Scholastic.
• Science Fair Projects from Columbus Metropolitan Library
• Science for Kids from the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Science Games
• Science NetLinks, from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
• Science Resources, from Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE).
• Science Resources from the US Government.
• Science News for Kids. News, puzzles, games, lab zone, newsletter.
• Science Resources from PBS TeacherSource.
• Science Videos for Kids
• Smithsonian Education
• Supercharged Science
– teach homeschool science the easy way
• Teaching Resources: Math and Science
• The Young Scientists Club

General Science Resources - For Parents and Educators

• How to Teach Science
• Latest Lesson — educators hand-pick their favorite lessons, books, on-line lectures, courses and videos for teachers, parents and students. Lessons in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects, from preK to adult, are now available. Humanities subjects are forthcoming.

General Science Resources - Elementary and Pre-K

• Full Circle Science - Science curriculum for pre-K, ages 4-6, by Jen Seron, popular NYC science teacher and homeschooling mom.
• Highly recommended science text for elementary ages: Who's Afraid of Spiders? Teaching Elementary Science , by Selma Wassermann and J. W. George Ivany. This books contains all the experiments, along with the scientific method and recommended approach, from materials to notes for the teacher. Wasserman is a noted educator who wrote on child-led learning as well as elementary school science.
• Click magazine for grades K-2
• Kids Discover magazine (mixed topics, not just science) for ages 7-12
• Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum and More Mudpies to Magnets, by Robert Rockwell, Elizabeth Sherwood, and Robert Williams, illustrations by Laurel Sweetman. A book of simple experiments (preschool)
• Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science. There must be 60 of these books, ranging from What Happens to a Hamburger? to Why Leaves Change Color?
• 201 Awesome, Magical, Bizarre, & Incredible Experiments (Science for Every Kid) , and other titles by Janice Van Cleave
• Science Experiments You Can Eat , and other titles by Vicki Cobb, David Cain (Illus.)
• Science Lab in a Supermarket , by Robert Friedhoffer (and others in the series)
• Red Herrings Science Mysteries , by M. Hockett
• Real Science 4 Kids. One parent’s review: "This takes upper-level concepts, strips out the complex math, and presents them at a 4-5th grade level. There are texts and labs for Chemistry, Biology, and Physics. The Chemistry and Physics are particularly good. Bio is your generic bean-growing and butterfly hatching stuff. You DO need the time and money to go with these! In my opinion you can get away with not buying the lab sheets."
• The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way , by Joy Hakim. There are more volumes in this series
• NOVA videos, available from the NYPL and WGBH
• Lyrical Life Science CDs: three life science CDs, and one on Earth Science, from Lyrical Learning, promoting scientific literacy through song
• The Handy Science Answer Book , compiled by the Science and Technology Dept. of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
• Yes magazine
• MUSE magazine
• Peterson's Field Guides include field guides for the very young

General Science Resources - Middle school and high school

• Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop — created by a former science teacher of homeschoolers ages 8-14, includes Free science downloads, easy to understand, for all kinds of learners.
• AlleyOop – personalized math and science help for teens
• Championship Science Fair Projects: 100 Sure to Win Experiments, by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen (2004), Sterling Publishing: New York.
• The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science: 64 Daring Experiments for Young Scientists and The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science: 50 Experiments for Daring Young Scientistsby Sean Connelly. Comment: The experiments in Connelly's book are NOT irresponsible. They are fun and safe.
• How Stuff Works – videos on many topics
• The Happy Scientist – hands-on videos
• Sites for Students from the Smithsonian Institution
• High School Courses Developed by MIT
• Cool Science for Curious Kids and free materials (including virtual lab CD) from Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• free materials and free video lectures (loaned) from Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Teaching Company lectures on DVD, including chemistry (high school level) and math lectures. Many are available through the NYPL.
• Conceptual Physics , by Paul G. Hewitt
• Discover magazine
• Columbia University's Science Honors Program, Saturday mornings, taught by real profs. for free. Great topics in a selective progra
• Courses at www.thinkquest.com
• Field Guides to Birds, Rocks and Minerals, Trees, Wildflowers, The Night Sky, and more, from Audubon, DK.com (Eyewitness Guides),Peterson, and TimeLife.
• Each Tuesday, the New York Times publishes Science Times
• National Geographic
• Discovery TV, science videos & website
• The Sciences: An Integrated Approach , by J. Trefil and R. Hazen, with The Joy of Science lecture video series (Great Courses), by R. Hazen (an introductory-level college course for the non-science major that includes an introduction to all areas of science)
• Science encyclopedias (available at your local library), such as McGraw-Hill's AccessScience (online), or Science and Technology Encyclopedia from the University of Chicago.
• zeroBio offers games, quizzes and labs for high school students

Science Kits and Supplies

• Science clubs that send monthly mail-order kits: The Young Scientists Club and Young Woodworkers.
• AIMS - kits for K-8
• American Surplus and Supply for handheld microscopes with 30x magnification for under $5
• Carolina Biological is the largest supplier to schools, make sure you don’t order a class set!
• Discover This
- Wild Goose science kits
• Edmunds Scientific has a great selection, including telescopes, magnets, and more
• Einstein's Emporium - Science in a Nutshell kits
• Electrowiz Science Center. Kits for ages 5 and up. "the best science kits we've seen for young kids." (Practical Homeschooling)
• GEMS - kits for K-8
• Home Science Tools sells in small quantites
• Homeschool Science - science adventure kits
• Indigo Instruments. Science lab supplies.
• Insect Lore has frog-growing kits, silkworm kits, ant farms, butterfly kit
Back to index
• If you want to purchase a microscope, a homeschooling parent and science teacher suggests two options: The first, My First Lab Duoscope, sounds like a toy, but it's actually a great little monocular scope that I've used in my classes. Very good quality for the money — all glass optics and sturdy construction. It goes up to 400x magnification, which really is fine for anything you'd be doing in middle or high school level biology. It's battery powered, so you can take it outside for field studies if needed. It sells on Amazon for $65.
  
  If you want something more advanced, and you have the money to spare, this AmScope looks great — *note* I have not used this microscope myself, but from the description and having used many a scope in my day, it looks like a very good value. What you get here that you do not get with the other scope is a binocular scope which is easier on the eyes and can make learning to use the microscope easier and less frustrating for beginners, a mechanical stage, which makes it much easier to move a slide around and "track" a live, moving organism (I also recommend ProtoSlo for that purpose), and higher magnification so you can see more detail, which is nice, but again, 400x is sufficient for middle/high school. This sells for $195 on Amazon.
• NASCO - kits, materials, and free activities and lesson plans
• The NY Hall of Science in Queens has science kits for only $5 for museum members (their membership gets you into other museums around the country). The Hall of Science lab area is a great place where you can plunk down for an hour and do experiments.
• Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories
• Science Labs-in-a-Box designed for homeschoolers
• WARD's Natural Science. For middle school, high school, homeschool, and college: lab experiments, supplies and resources in Biology, Biotechnology, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Forensics, Physics, and Chemistry. They have a special homeschool section.

Science Fairs

At science fairs, people come together to show and explain their science projects. Many are open to homeschoolers. Read the article "School science fairs are about more than science." Check out our page on Contests: Science.

• Hands-on science experiments can be found on the science fair page of Education.com.
• The WWW Virtual Library: Science Fairs includes a link to the New York State Science and Engineering Fair.
• All Science Fair Projects has ideas and instructions.
• Science Fair Central The site has project ideas, research sources, materials lists and videos, which may give you ideas for conducting experiments in biology, earth science, and physics, adaptable to various ages.
• Science Fair Project Resource Guide

Online Courses

• Supercharged Science. An on-line science program for K-12, designed for homeschoolers by Aurora Lipper, rocket scientist and educator with a degree in mechanical engineering.
• Merlin Science. Self-paced, self-learning science courses specially created for distance (flexible) learners (only $40 each!) One parent's comment: Merlin Science is good, and you can do the first 25% of the course free, and only pay $30 to get the rest of it if you want to continue."
• iclasses.org a non-profit organization offering courses for grades 6-12
• MIT's Open Course Ware
• EPGY - gifted classes for all ages from Stamford University
• Pennsylvania Homeschoolers - high school AP courses for college credit to homeschoolers only (SAT prep courses too)

Recommended Local Field Trips

(see also What's Free or Cheap in New York: Science and Math (including Economics) )

• Children’s Museum of Manhattan (call and inquire about science classes)
• NY Hall of Science in Queens has a lab area where you can plunk down for an hour, use their microscopes etc., and do all the optics experiments
• Liberty Science Center (in New Jersey just across the Holland Tunnel) has regularly scheduled homeschool days and will arrange group classes
• American Museum of Natural History includes the Rose Center for Air and Space, an awesome rock and mineral collection, and a good education department with classes & lectures for all ages, free afternoon classes for high school students
• Around the corner from the AMNH, on Columbus Ave. & 81st St. is a store that replicates museum fossils called Maxilla and Mandible
• Steve “Wildman” Brill leads park walks searching for wild edibles