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MaryM
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Jenn shared that one with me as well- and it is wonderful. It is too bad it isn't on line - but I'm really excited about the McGovern one being online - good stuff.
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Mary M. in Denver
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Grace&Chaos
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At a yard sale over the weekend we found a set of four Random House All About books: The Wonders of Chemistry and The Atom by Ira Freeman, Our Changing Rocks by Anne Terry White, and the Sea by Ferdinand Lane.
They look great. I'm already thinking the first two can be used by my oldest next year. Any thoughts? Anybody else run into these or used them before? What's the recommended age or reading level?
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JennGM
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Grace&Chaos wrote:
At a yard sale over the weekend we found a set of four Random House All About books: The Wonders of Chemistry and The Atom by Ira Freeman, Our Changing Rocks by Anne Terry White, and the Sea by Ferdinand Lane.
They look great. I'm already thinking the first two can be used by my oldest next year. Any thoughts? Anybody else run into these or used them before? What's the recommended age or reading level? |
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I try to collect this series. My son seems to enjoy them -- the latest was the one on Archaeology, and it was written in a "living" style, which was very appealing.
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Grace&Chaos
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I came across a list on children's science/naturalist books published in the 1950's, the title of the issue is Children's Books for Nature Study. The list was placed in the Kansas School Naturalist Newsletter, some pretty interesting Kansas nature study information on them.
It really is a great list, some authors we've mentioned are on there. Margaret Waring Buck is on the list. I really like her books so far. They look alot like the Holling and Blough books with sketch drawings on the sides and an index at the end of each book.
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JennGM
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Grace&Chaos wrote:
I came across a list on children's science/naturalist books published in the 1950's, the title of the issue is Children's Books for Nature Study. The list was placed in the Kansas School Naturalist Newsletter, some pretty interesting Kansas nature study information on them.
It really is a great list, some authors we've mentioned are on there. Margaret Waring Buck is on the list. I really like her books so far. They look alot like the Holling and Blough books with sketch drawings on the sides and an index at the end of each book. |
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Oh, this is fabulous! 
ALTHOUGH, the last thing I need is another list of great OOP books for me to find. My budget isn't going to allow it!
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JennGM
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Okay, so I started looking at all the old newsletters, which are terrific, BTW!!!! Did you notice there are two lists of Children's books? Scroll down. And you can look at the .pdf files of the newsletters.
Wish I could find similar newsletters for other areas, like the Northeast or South! What a goldmine!
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Grace&Chaos
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JennGM wrote:
Okay, so I started looking at all the old newsletters, which are terrific, BTW!!!! Did you notice there are two lists of Children's books? Scroll down. And you can look at the .pdf files of the newsletters.
Wish I could find similar newsletters for other areas, like the Northeast or South! What a goldmine! |
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I love how they break down the list too. I've been trying to find something similar for our state. I've been thinking about printing at least the book lists, just in case something happens to the site  . Yes, it is a great resource, I knew I had to share  .
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MaryM
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Jenny, !
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What a GEM, Jenny!!!!
Thanks for sharing! I recognize many of our favorite authors, and have found a couple of others! This is definitely a site I'd like to spend some time printing for resources!
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I have a couple of books to add to this thread, which I don't *think* I've seen mentioned...
Insects in Our World, part of the Whitman World Library (1963). Awesome book for insect loving kids -- lots of text and good illustrations. Picked it up at a wonderful children's bookstore in Oxford, MS; I didn't know they also sold used books until I wandered into the back!
It looks like there are more books in this series:
Birds Everywhere
The World of Animals
We also pulled a favorite book of my dd's off the shelf today to share with my younger boys (especially my 8 yo):
Nature Detective: How to Solve Outdoor Mysteries by Eileen M. Docekal. Very detailed information for kids on how to pay attention to the clues left by animals, birds, plants, etc. It includes "mysteries" for kids to solve and activities to do outside.
It turns out that this author wrote a second book: Sky Detective: Exploring the Mysteries of Space. I just ordered it, since my 8 yo is on a bit of a "detective" kick.
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Adding Richard Headstrom to our list.
Quoting from this thread:
Grace&Chaos wrote:
So ladies, I was delighting in Jen's new Morning Basket post yesterday and one particular author grabbed my attention: Richad Headstrom. I thought it would be nice to add him here, I didn't find him in the search engine
I've been putting together our science for next year with an emphasis on microscopes. I decided to use his Adventures with a Microscope and picked up his Nature in Miniature too.
Any thoughts on his work? This will be the first time we read him. Any other suggestions for microscope heavy life science for the middle schooler?
Also, Jen or others, I'd love to know how Nature in Miniature compares to The Living Year. |
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Mackfam wrote:
Mr. Headstrom was a very prolific writer on natural history topics. We should definitely add him to our oop science book (author) thread! I can find between 22 and 25 books to his credit. |
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Mackfam wrote:
I wish I had Nature In Miniature to compare the two for you, but I don't. It sounds great though, and I can't wait for you to come back and review it!
The Living Year is well written and engaging, covering a variety of seasonal topics. What I particularly like is that Headstrom focuses on the flora and fauna that would be common to home gardens. I love the end of each monthly chapter - there is a simple list detailing natural events for each month (ie. Natural Events In March, Natural Events In April). We like to read through the list before we start reading the chapter so we have a sense of what is happening in the natural world. There are some wonderful seasonal books that take a wonderful, detailed look at the English countryside, but I have long searched for a book that did the same for the US, and this is one. |
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Also adding C.J. (Clarence John) Hylander
Mackfam wrote:
There is another book like The Living Year that I have found. C. J. (Clarence John) Hylander's The Year Round, copyright 1932. It's recommended in a 1932 issue of Boys' Life Magazine. It is another interesting book, arranged by seasons, and further subdivided into topical chapters from there. For instance, it is arranged and grouped into four headings: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Under each season, there are different headings, with sub-headings under that.
SpringThe Story of the TadpoleFrom eggs to frogs,-and toads.
The Tree Frog
The Wood Frog
The Spring Peeper
The Leopard Frog
The Pickerel Frog
The Green Frog
The Bullfrog When Trees Have FlowersWhy do plants have flowers?
Etc........ It covers a variety of topics, and is quite informative, but I don't find it quite as engaging as Headstrom's book. Still, it's quite good and another wonderful seasonally arranged book. |
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Mackfam wrote:
There is another book like The Living Year that I have found. C. J. (Clarence John) Hylander's The Year Round, copyright 1932. It's recommended in a 1932 issue of Boys' Life Magazine. It is another interesting book, arranged by seasons, and further subdivided into topical chapters from there. For instance, it is arranged and grouped into four headings: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Under each season, there are different headings, with sub-headings under that.
SpringThe Story of the TadpoleFrom eggs to frogs,-and toads.
The Tree Frog
The Wood Frog
The Spring Peeper
The Leopard Frog
The Pickerel Frog
The Green Frog
The Bullfrog When Trees Have FlowersWhy do plants have flowers?
Etc........ It covers a variety of topics, and is quite informative, but I don't find it quite as engaging as Headstrom's book. Still, it's quite good and another wonderful seasonally arranged book. |
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I couldn't get a copy of Headstrom's The Living Year so I can't compare, but I am very pleased with Hylanders' The Year Round. Thanks for the recommendation, Jen.
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Mackfam wrote:
Adding Richard Headstrom to our list.
[quote=Mackfam]I wish I had Nature In Miniature to compare the two for you, but I don't. It sounds great though, and I can't wait for you to come back and review it!
The Living Year is well written and engaging, covering a variety of seasonal topics. What I particularly like is that Headstrom focuses on the flora and fauna that would be common to home gardens. I love the end of each monthly chapter - there is a simple list detailing natural events for each month (ie. Natural Events In March, Natural Events In April). We like to read through the list before we start reading the chapter so we have a sense of what is happening in the natural world. There are some wonderful seasonal books that take a wonderful, detailed look at the English countryside, but I have long searched for a book that did the same for the US, and this is one. |
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For those, like me, that couldn't snatch up a copy of The Living Year in time, I did find it online here. The negative is that you can't download the .pdf unless you are affiliated with certain universities or institutions, but you can download a page at a time, and you can read it all online.
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Oh, I'm glad you found a pdf at least, Jenn. Perhaps it will serve for a short time until you can locate a copy of the book, which really is a treasure.
A little bit about Mr. Richard Headstrom
He was born in Cambridge, Mass in 1902. Graduated from MIT in 1924 then went on to study at Harvard for a bit. He became a teacher in the Massachusetts school system and a columnist for several Boston papers. He was associate curator of botany at the New England Museum of Natural History, and curator of entomology at the Worcester Museum of Science and Industry. He has authored MANY, MANY books on a variety of Natural History topics.
Intrigued with its possibilities, I did end up finding a copy of Nature in Miniature to preview for using next year. I thought I'd review it for this thread.
Nature In Miniature by Richard Headstrom, copyright 1968, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. In general, this book is written in the same style as Mr. Headstrom's other books; the author conveys a clear passion for his subject. It is written in a slightly more scientific way than his other book, The Living Year, and I think it would work best for middle school+ students, but would leave room for a very science passionate student in upper elementary to enjoy it as well. It's not that it's too technical, it just goes beyond the basics that a younger student will enjoy and the level of detail conveyed will require a student with a longer power of attention. I do think if you could couple the reading with out-of-doors explorations on the topics that it would work very well for a natural history course for an entire family span of ages. This is how I'm considering using it for next year, and I think Jenny has said she hopes to use it in this way as well. Do review it for us and let us know how you use it, Jenny!
This is another extraordinary treasure by Mr. Headstrom. He describes his goal in writing this book quite well in his Introduction:
Section 1 - Introduction
Quote:
I do not claim that this book offers something unique, different, or new, though I would like to think so. But I do think it fills a need - the need to become better acquainted with the world in which we live. Not the world most people write about, but a world that is hidden from view; though this is not, perhaps, the way to put it. It is not exactly hiddend from view, because it is revealed with the help of a piece of glass - not an ordinary piece of glass, but a piece of glass that has the property of magnifying whatever you may want to look at.
And so this book is designed to be the open sesame to a world of beauty and splendor, of mystery and the mysterious; an unbelievable, yet believable, world, one so fascinating as to stimulate one's imagination as never before. |
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Section 2 - A Word About Equipment
Before the meat of the book, there is a helpful chapter entitled, A Word About Equipment, which details the equipment needed to really enjoy the explorations given in the book. Really, only two things are primarily needed: a magnifying glass (or hand lens), and a microscope. If you don't have a microscope, I highly recommend the Carson Microbrite Lighted Microscope as an extremely affordable, and very impressive tool for use in place of a microscope. The author goes on to discuss a few other tools that might be needed, and even gives some good ways to make the tools if possible (like an insect net).
Section 3 - Seasonal Monthly Chapters
The book is divided primarily into chapters, one for each month of the year, and is profusely illustrated (in b/w). Each chapter begins with a very succinct little bit of poetry that is reflective of the season or month. There are specific selections or explorations that unfold within each month. I'll use March as an example:March
"The stormy March is come at last,
With wind, and cloud, and changing skies."
WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT
"March"
General introduction to March
Some Early Wildflowers (with illustration)
Water Strider, Whirligig Beetle, and Wood Louse (with illustration)
Butterfly Anatomy (with wing illustration)
Scale Characters of Snakes (with illustration)
Millipede and Centipede (with illustration)
Adult Male and Larva of Fairy Shrimp (with illustration) Each month contains a differing number of seasonally appropriate sub-sections, with December having as few as 3, and most months ranging from 6 - 14. Each sub-section has a detailed number of illustrations which are very helpful.
Section 4 - A List of Supply Houses
This only lists two supply houses, and is dated anyway. We have far more resources today for this section to be pertinent or helpful.
Section 5 - the glossary
Though it is *just* a glossary, is helpful and QUITE extensive! It's nice to find in the back of a book this size.
Section 6 - Selected Bibliography
The thrilling find for me was the bibliography. Arranged in alphabetical order, you will find suggestions of books to read in order to further explore certain topics. The listing is extensive and you could use this to further any general natural history selection. I haven't really investigated the bibliography too much yet, some of them look like they could be textbooks, while others may be living books. But if a child had a particular passion for a topic, this could be wonderful to help flesh it out with further reading. I did find another book recommended by Mr. Headstrom about microcsopes - Exploring With Your Microscope by J.D.Corrington. I see some familiar authors listed here, and some I'm not familiar with. Perhaps I'll find another author to add to this thread?
Section 7 - Index
Following the Selected Bibliography is a very lengthy Index. I REALLY like a good Index!
============================================
It's clear that Richard Headstrom and his works definitely belong on this thread!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Grace&Chaos
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Jen, what a great review. I'm excited to use this next year with much focus for the older girls and the boys as much as they're willing to enjoy. I'm hoping that when we do on our nature walks/hikes they'll be ready to explore further than we have this last year.
I agree Headstrom's book is for the ready middle schooler; I thought it would complement his Adventures with a Microscope for my oldest and the rest of the family could just enjoy all year.
So for the younger upper elementary dd student I'll add a new author: Julius Schwartzand his book Through the Magnifying Glass (this is illustrated by Jeanne Bendick  )
Total side note: If you look up some of his books he also collaborated with Glenn Blough on Elementary Science and How To Teach It. I haven't seen it but thought it was neat connection .
Since I'm adding authors here. Have you all seen the nice combo of Tillie S. Pine and Joseph Levine. We used three of there books this year with my third grader: Magnets, Simple Machines, and Electricity. They were a nice jump from the Let's Read and Find Out Science. She enjoyed them very much and it was simple to gather items to make experiments/demonstrations.
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AtHomeScience
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I remember visiting the Worcester Museum of Science often as a kid! It is now the Ecotarium. Being a student at UNL I was able to download the full book as a pdf. I have placed it in my public Google Docs folder here if you would like to download it.
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AtHomeScience wrote:
| I remember visiting the Worcester Museum of Science often as a kid! It is now the Ecotarium. Being a student at UNL I was able to download the full book as a pdf. I have placed it in my public dropbox folder here if you would like to download it. |
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Oh, that's so nice, Kris! Thank you!!!
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Jen Mackintosh
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JennGM
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Kris, Thank you so much. I can't seem to get it to pull up, though. It's saying no such name.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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AtHomeScience
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Jenn, I edited my post and link above--it now points to a public Google Docs folder. See if that works. I think you need to have a Dropbox account to download stuff from my Dropbox folder.
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JennGM
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AtHomeScience wrote:
| Jenn, I edited my post and link above--it now points to a public Google Docs folder. See if that works. I think you need to have a Dropbox account to download stuff from my Dropbox folder. |
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I do have an account, but still can't seem to access.
But this Google Docs works, and thank you!!!
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4Real Forums : Exploring God's Creation in Nature and Science
Topic: OOP Science books - recommended authors?
