Everyday Einstein’s Favorite Science Education Books (Part 1)
In part 1 of this series, Everyday Einstein shares a book he uses to help his kids love science.
Even though I’m a bioinformatician, and spend most of my working day using a computer, I love books. I’ve mentioned before that when it comes to teaching science to kids, one of my favorite methods is to use “old media”. There’s a lot to be gained by using videos, animations, and even computer games to teach science. However, plain old books with pictures that don’t move have several advantages as well. With that in mind, this week I wanted to start sharing a few of my favorite science education books with you.
The first book I want to highlight is one we only discovered recently: The Berenstain Bears Big Book of Science and Nature.
We’re a big fan of the Berenstain Bears, but I’d never heard of this book until my wife picked up a copy at the local library. It’s divided into three parts: The Berenstain Bears’ Almanac, The Berenstain Bears’ Nature Guide, and The Berenstain Bears’ Science Fair.
The almanac section follows a typical year in bear country, highlighting what’s going on with weather and nature during different seasons. The nature guide takes you on a tour of bear country to explore the lives of plants and animals. This tour starts in the forest and even delves underwater. Finally, the science fair section discusses how various machines work, and has some fun projects you can work on yourself.
It’s a fantastic book for younger kids, and even my older ones enjoyed the beautiful illustrations and rhyming prose.
