Science for 4 year old-good books. I mean, REALLY good books

[fillyjonk]

REALLY inspirational stuff.

I used to have a couple of usbourne books-light fantastic and liquid magic, which i might just get off ABE but am wondering if there is anything else

Have looked at the obvious sites for experiments but...I need a book that I can sit down with my kids and read, not a website thing (don't want to print it off and read it either, want something permenant IYKWIM).

It also needs to be accurate and non patronising. I suppose I am marginally more interested in physics/chemistry-I feel pretty confident about biology.

ideas please!

Have found this American web site that has activities/lesson plans for children, fillyjonk. There are parts of it that look brilliant for my dd. Maybe you'll find it to be of some use?

brainpopjr.com

Oh fillyjonk if you lived near me you could come to the Science workshops I'm organising atm. We have the Centre for Life up here and they're doing our first monthly workshop this Friday on 'Pushes & Pulls'. Is there any facillities near you you could approach for group stuff?

Argh! Fillyjonk - I know you emailed me, but I can't find it now!

Can you send me your address again, and I'll get this book sent off.

Cheers,
R

oh god SORRY rosin

will try to find your email addy again

if not do you mind emailing me?

sorky-the thing is...I don't even know how to phrase my problem with science as its taught in schools, esp (sorry) by a lot of primary school teachers (rosalind driver has written a good book here)

I tend to avoid these demonstrations of fabulous science because they always seema bit deus ex machina for me, a bit "oooh look at the FABULOUS things we can do". certainly they are at our local sciency place, alomg the lines of "oooh itsn't science clever"

I do think at this age that a real love of sciece necessitates LOTS of talking.

rosin, i still really want that book and am hoping that its not too late but for anyone else who is interested i have also found this:

earth air water fire

it looks worryingly esoteric but its NOT, its a load of fun activities like building a waterwheel, that you CAN accompany by (supplied) songs about gnomes, if you wish, or you can use to talk about fundementals of physics.

(note that they don't really talk about the fundementals of physics but what i was really after was a book to spark off the questions)

I know this is not what you're looking for right now, as it is more of a reference book, but we really love this www.amazon.co.uk/Super-Science-Book-Kate-Petty/dp/037 0325842/ref=sr12/202-0427605-3566224?ie=UTF8&s=books&a mp;qid=1182342819&sr=1-2 . We have the grammar and punctuation books as well, and it is a nice adjunct to experiments.

DS2 (5), in particular, is quite taken with these books and spends some time investigating.

sg that actually looks rather good. is it jenny mazels? i am fond of her books!

i think actually ds might really like it. will see if i can find a copy in waterstones or similar to look at first (i can't quite explain the type of science books i hate. its the sort that don't really EXPLAIN, just give new words for what you know anyway, I think there is a suprising number of these books in science.

I also, and mb will probably flame me for this but i DO have a problem with teaching scientific method alongside scientific principles, somehow. This whole "repeat it 200 times so you are sure of your results". No problem with it in principle and i think that if there was MORE understanding of scientific method, stats, and the need for rigour we'd be better off as a society. BUT a lot of those "dip a rock in vinegar 50 times and record your results each time" stuff just doesn't, for me, get to the nub of it. i think its boring, thats part of the problem. Principles first, then scientific method, I suppose