Living a Life of Science

But what about science? I remember when I was in school, we almost never did science. Science was something older kids got to do that we didn't get to until junior and senior high. Not in my home! Science is all around us from cooking, to soap making, to cleaning a bathroom, to a box of wires, batteries, and buzzers. In our home, we live science with the help of a few resources.

For "formal" science, I really like what I have seen from Apologia. We are currently using the elementary Botany book. I love the activities and depth of information conveyed even to the elementary age students.This year we have built a light hut and grown plants and dissected tulips as part of our experiments. We have also grown beans in various places to see how light effects the germination and growth of the plants.

The library is full of fabulous books. We often check out books from the library but I also have a few core books. I  love the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of Science and the new Time Book of Science Experiments.  We also have various books by Janice VanCleave. The cub scout manuals also have ideas for science experiments.

In addition to books, I keep acquiring science kit! Thames and Kosmos is one of my favorite brands but the rather inexpensive Science Wiz kits from Norman and Globus are a hit here too. For $15-$20, all the materials and hours of exploration on a topic are included. Tiger loved the electricity and inventions boxes. Later he constructed a door alarm with the materials so any time someone opened his bedroom door he would know.

The internet is full of science resources Instructables.com and Pinterest have become two of my favorites. I am amazed at the experiments people explain on pinterest!. Just yesterday I found an pin about ants eating colored sugar water and how their abdomens were changing colors. While I don't think I will set this experiment up, it is a cool thing to look at!

What resources do you use? Please share with me as I am always on the hunt for more science resources. While you are at it, check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about science resources. (This link goes live March 13).