Recommended Science Books & Resources

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."

Page Index

Earth Sciences

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

• Cape Cod Rocks, fossils, rocks, and more
• A Field Guide to 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) by Janice Van Cleave
• Dinosaurs for Every Kid, by Janice Van Cleave
• 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.
• Backyard Science, by Christopher Maynard
• 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.
• 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.)

• Amazing Space
• Astronomy for Every Kid : 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work, 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 School Lesson plans, videos, etc.
• 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

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
• 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
• Human Body Systems, a website of resources
• netFrog, virtual frog dissection
• Science Classes at the Emma Willard School, including a fetal pig dissection.

Health

• Food and Nutrition for Every Kid: Easy Activities That Make Learning Science Fun, by Janice Van Cleave
• The Microbe Hunters, by Paul de Kruif
• Health resources from the government
• Health resources from FirstGov for Kids
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Kids Page
• SmallStep.gov, a website for teens and kids to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Animals, Birds, etc.

See also Local Zoos and Hobbies: Birdwatching.

• African Animals. Lots of pictures and information.
• All About Birds from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
• ASPCA Education. Lesson plans and more.
• 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
• Dinosaurs, fromThe American Museum of Natural History
• The Discovery School offers a variety of lesson plans on animals, and a video on Birds of Prey
• 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)

• Oceans for Every Kid, by Janice Van Cleave
• 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.
• 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
• Arbor Day Foundation offers lots of information about trees.
• Botany for Kids
• Educational Resources from the Botanical Society of America
• 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, 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 Ways 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

• 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
• 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)
• 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 physics and math.

Chemistry

Books

• 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
• 75 Easy Chemistry Demonstrations,” by Thomas Kardos
• Uncle Tungsten, Memoirs of a Chemical Boyhood, by Oliver Sacks

Websites

• 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
• 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
• Regents Examination: Chemistry (past examinations and the answers)
  • Preparation for NYS Regents Examination: Chemistry
• The Sciences Explorer: Chemistry

Computers

• 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.)

• Biology Resources for Kids. Quizzes, coloring pages, projects, and more.
• Biology For Every Kid : 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series) by Janice Van Cleave
• Concepts in Modern Biology, by David Kraus (high school textbook commonly used in public schools)
• 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

• 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.

General Websites

• Bill Nye, the Science Guy
• 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
• 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.
• 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 >img src="../images/new.gif">
• 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.
• Smithsonian Education
• The Young Scientists Club

General Science Resources - Elementary age

• Click magazine for grades K-2
• Kids Discover magazine (mixed topics, not just science) for grades K-2
• 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, and other titles by Janice Van Cleave
• Science Experiments You Can Eat, and other titles by Vicki Cobb, David Cain (Illus.)
• Physics 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."
• History of Science, by Joy Hakim (vols 1 and 2)
• 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

• 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

• 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
• 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.

Online Courses

• 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