Miss Fizzle is a teacher with a secret "weapon" to keep her students actively busy with their science themes. Her school bus can take them through the waterworks or deep into the interior of the earth or even into a beehive. There are so many in the series and some will argue that they are twaddle, but my kids love them! I do have a problem with Miss Fizzle's weird outfits - but the books are full of interesting facts and appeal to the visual learners.

Simple Science Experiments for the Very Young, Dorling Kindersley
These experiments are exactly that. Covering the basic pre science thoughts around water, air, light and sound you can do a host of fun activities with your children or in a weekly or monthly "little Einstein" group.

Usborne Science Activities

These three books are fantastic for a busy mom. Each chapter focuses on an area e.g. science with your body or science with water. Then a double page spread is dedicated to teaching the principal and a few easy experiments to drive the principal home. There are 30 experiments in each book. Sonlight Curriculum sells go-along DVD's so that your children can watch the experiment before trying it themselves. Our son loves the DVD's so much that he sometimes watches them in his leisure time!

Volume 1covers water, magnets, light & mirrors
Volume 2 covers gases, plants and cooking
Volume 3 covers weather, body and batteries

101 Great Science Experiments, Dorling Kindersley

If you are looking for more experiments for your young scientist then this book is a win. In typical DK style with full colour photographs your young reading child can do a host of experiments. For those times when you children do not know what they want to do, this book offers them a great many ideas.

101 Great Nature Experiments, Dorling Kindersley

Following on with the 101 great science experiment tradition, this DK book takes your young naturalist out to study their environment a bit closer. A lovely way to include nature study in your science curriculum.

Do you have a son who is crazy about computers? Never fear - it can be a productive interest. Look at these next books in my science book reviews!

Starting Computers, Susan Meredith, Usborne

Our children have had great fun learning how to use Paint with this book to create drawings, plans and cards. The font of the text is large and easy to read, although very new readers will need your help with the context of some words. This book is a great springboard for further computer studies.

Computers for Beginners, Usborne

The next step up from the "Starting Computers" book reviewed above. Here you and your child will travel into a computer to learn about memory, discs, applications, hardware and software, mainframes and viruses. There is also a computer term section. Our son who?s interest in computer games needed to be directed to this book for me to validate the activity and interest. It did the trick.

An Introduction to Word Processing, Rebecca Gilpin

This book was scheduled for our Grade 5 daughter in her science program from Sonlight. A year before she was due to use it, she wanted to write a horse lovers newsletter. This book took her through how to set it up, add effects and insert pictures. Along the way mom (me) learnt a whole lot too. This was just one of the tasks you can learn from the book. Others include: writing formal and informal letters, creating a poster, creating a logo letterhead, phone lists, accounting and other handy tips.

If you have a horse loving child, you can see our daughter's horse story book reviews as well as subscribe to her newsletter on the Horse Story book review page.

The New Way Things Work, David Macaulay.

David Macaulay and his trusty helper, the Mammoth, take you and your children through the world of machines. Starting with the simplicity of the lever (and the everyday things we use the lever in) all the way to how websites work. In fact anything that needs effort to work is included in his book, from musical instruments to printing presses. He also has a vast scientific dictionary to help explain any definitions. We also have his CD Rom, which is a great tool to further the books principals.

Stephen Betsy Absolutely Best Cross Sections Book Ever, Dorling Kindersley

The title says it all! I am truly amazed at the detail Betsy puts into his drawings. This book covers machines, tanks, ships, planes, cards, engines, space shuttles and trains. You then move into buildings from castles to bridges and then landscapes and human body. It is as though he were peeling a layer off an onion with each drawing of these items. His explanations are technical and his drawing delightful.

The next couple of science book reviews can double as biographies. We were very inspired by them.

Louis Pasteur' Fight Against Microbes, Beverley Birch

A great way to learn about the things we take for granted today in the medical world. Louis Pasteur's persistence in finding how microbes affect all living organisms is a fascinating journey into the microscope. Well worth the read.

The Battle for Radio, Beverley Birch

In the year 1901, telegraph had been invented but no one believed that Marconi could do what he thought to be true - send messages via airwaves. This story shows the stubborn determination of one man whose discovery has enabled TV, Radio and Satellite to become a reality in our day. Inspiring reading.

Horrible Science, The Fearsome Fight for Flight

A zany book for children with a sense of humor. There is a combination of cartoons, facts as well as quizzes all to do with man's dream of flying and the way he went about to achieve it. Horrible Science has many other books in this theme.

Science can intimidate the majority of us. It needn't - let it be fun!I hope these science book reviews have inspired you!

Be sure to read my reviews of Jeannie Fulbright's Elementary Apologia Science Programs

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