Science in important in this house, my daughter wants to be a bio-chemist Below are my favorites. Go all the way down you don't want to miss any of my favorite books!
For the PreK-3 I recommend unit studies, for 3-6 I like Real Science!
Complete Curriculums
1: RealScience-4-Kids (preK-6)
http://www.arn.org/arnproducts/rs4k/rs60.htm
I LOVE THIS SERIES!
"Designed for children in grades K-3, the Pre-Level I series is intended to introduce the student to the basic concepts of chemistry. Level 1 is designed for children in grades 4-6 and is intended to introduce the student to the concepts of chemistry, physics and biology at an early age. Although the text covers serious science topics, theuse of color and illustrations make science fun and interesting for all students. Level II Chemistry is due out in October and is designed for children in 7-8th grade!
If you do not want the teacher's manual or workbook you can get this book at Amazon. I have the teacher's guide and workbook but don't know if I will get them for Chemistry II when it comes out in October.
3: Home Science Adventures 
http://www.homeschoolscience.com/
We are not affiliated with this product and receive no revenue for this product.
We have not used this but SO MANY people love it we have included it here.
You get all the advantages of a hands-on science program with the convenience of a textbook.
It is flexible, and you can have younger and older students work together. You get everything you need in one big box. They test with homeschool children. Their curriculum has books, teacher’s guides, schedules, and supplies. You can get extra ‘consumables’ for all their curriculums. I reviewed their web site and it looks like it has great stuff. This was one of the leaders when I chose what curriculum to use for my daughter. If I had discovered them earlier I would have used them!
UNIT STUDIES
Books for unit study
(click on the links below to go to Amazons site to purchase these books)
Let's Read and Find Out
The Let's Read and Find Out series is my favorite, they are 'mini' text books and often have suggested labs right in the back. These are the true definition of unit studies. While they do not have Ms. Frizzle shrinking the kids, they are fun and educational without being 'story-ish'. These are great for the 'young scientist' They come in various levels to be sure to get the level that matches your child's age/grade (prek-6th grade)
Magic School Bus
The Magic School Bus books are always a great. We read them constantly. They are sound and fun to read and make learning fun! The Magic School Bus Software is also wonderful. These are story-ish and good for the reluctant scientist.
Scholastic Science Readers
Scholastic Science Readers are excellent books, they are the quality you would expect from scholastic. They are solid sciences 'text' books for young children, they are leveled readers, allowing your child to read independently and learn at the same time. These are not in-depth books, but science readers.
Scienceworks for Kids
Scienceworks for Kids is formatted for a teacher (you) to teach your children. It teaches you everything you need to teach your child science. This is not an independent book, but requires hands on by you and your child.
NON-Series books for science, great to add to any series.
PreK-Grade 2
Grades 3-6
Biographies of Scientists
An American Women in Science Biography
An American Women in Science Biography a series of biographies of women in science. Inspiring stories for your daughter to read and understand that women also play an important part in science.
2. TOPS
http://www.topscience.org
We are not affiliated with this product and receive no revenue for this product.
I LOVE TOPS! This is the ultimate science program! I taught preschool 3-5 year olds, 'older pre-kindergarten' (kids who need 'another year' before going to kindergarten), and pre-school/kindergarten science enrichment for years and this was my favorite curriculum! I could work with any mix of kids and they all enjoyed it. We still, and always will, use this in our home! Do not use this in place of a science curriculum but in addition to.
I can not recommend strongly enough that you get the 'stuff' kits! The only time I hear anyone complain about this program is when they did not get the kits.
TOPS is that it is multi-aged so various ages can work together, or you can repeat experiments over and over and still learn something new. What they teach is solid science, so I recommend it for all ages (yes, even high school!).
There is NO book in TOPS just activities, this is 100% hands on. Do not consider this if you are not looking to learn in a hands on approach. **remember preK-3th graders need hands on to learn, and most 3-6 graders need hands on to learn also.
| Grades: |
Title: |
Format: |
Subject area : |
| K-3 |
Primary Lentil Science #71 & kits |
Job Box |
integrated science/math/art/language... |
| K-6 |
Get A Grip #73 |
Job Box |
developmental, self-paced math and science skills... |
| K-12 |
Perfect Balance #31 |
Activity Sheets |
physics/math/technology: equal-arm balances, statistics intro, mass, much more... |
| 1-3 |
Primary Alphabet Soup #64 |
Master Teacher |
general curriculum for your first week of school... |
| 1-8 |
A Summer Start #61 |
Master Teacher |
long-range lesson planning and organization... |
| 1-8 |
Peaceful Procedures #63 |
Master Teacher |
classroom management and control... |
| 3-6 |
Intermed. Lentil Science #72 & kits |
Job Box |
integrated science/math/art/language... |
| 3-8 |
Electricity #32 & kits |
Activity Sheets |
physics: build and test circuits, invent... |
| 3-8 |
Magnetism #33 & kits |
Activity Sheets |
physics: force fields, inventions, orientation... |
| 3-8 |
Animal Survival #37 |
Activity Sheets |
life science/zoology/art: camouflage, mimicry... |
| 3-8 |
Green Thumbs: Radishes #38 |
Activity Sheets |
life science/botany/art: growth cycles, tropisms... |
| 3-10 |
Global TOPS Resource Manual #91 |
Compilation |
general science/math: 100 lessons run on 15 items! |
| 3-12 |
Try This On for Science #95 |
Compilation |
sampler: lessons from 41 TOPS titles... |
| 3-12 |
TOPScope #100 |
Simple Stuff |
indoor/outdoor magnifiers: 25X and 36X! |
| 4-8 |
Intermediate Alphabet Soup #62 |
Master Teacher |
general curriculum for your first week of school... |
| 4-9 |
Pendulums #34 |
Activity Sheets |
physics/math: observe, record, graph, predict... |
| 4-12 |
Green Thumbs: Corn & Beans #39 |
Activity Sheets |
life science/botany/art: journal keeping, graphing... |
| 5-9 |
Metric Measuring #35 |
Activity Sheets |
measurement: length, area, volume, mass... |
| 5-10 |
Focus Pocus #42 |
Activity Sheets |
physics/math: all about light: water drops, pinholes... |
| 5-10 |
Weighing #05 |
Task Cards |
physics/math/technology: balances accurate to .01g... |
| 5-10 |
Analysis #10 & kits |
Task Cards |
chemistry: qualitative, quantitative analysis; pH... |
| 6-10 |
More Metrics #36 |
Activity Sheets |
measurement: meters, grams, liters, significant figs... |
| 6-10 |
Measuring Length #02 |
Task Cards |
measurement: uncertainty, estimation, invention... |
| 6-10 |
Graphing #03 |
Task Cards |
math/physics: collect, record, and plot data... |
| 6-10 |
Probability #08 |
Task Cards |
math: permutations, combinations, distributions... |
| 6-10 |
Oxidation #11 |
Task Cards |
chemistry: respiration, combustion, rusting... |
| 6-10 |
Solutions #12 |
Task Cards |
chemistry: suspensions, solutions, distillations... |
| 6-10 |
Cohesion/Adhesion #13 |
Task Cards |
chemistry/physics: surface tension, capillary action... |
| 6-11 |
Balancing #04 |
Task Cards |
physics/math: center of gravity, mobiles, cantilevers... |
| 6-11 |
Light #17 |
Task Cards |
physics: shadows, reflections, refraction, color... |
| 5-12 |
Scale the Universe #44 |
Activity Sheets |
space science/math: scale
drawing, metrics, log scales |
| 5-12 |
Pi in the Sky #45 |
Student Labs |
space sci/math: pi, radians, parallax... |
| 6-12 |
Rocks and Minerals #23 & kits |
Task Cards |
earth science: rock identification and classification... |
They often say “& kits” or “kits available” GET THE KIT! Finding the stuff is a pain!