Books, kitS, GAMEs + gifts
Books I Like
Top of my list of activities is a trip to the AMNH, Liberty Science Center or the NY Hall of Science. While you're there, check out the books and activities in the museum's store. Below are some of the books I've read recently and learned lots from.
Accessible to Middle School students:
If your child likes to make things and enjoys electronics, consider Little Bits, though there are now many different "maker" kits. A good source for info on various maker engineering projects is Make magazine.
Other ideas are on these websites:
Top of my list of activities is a trip to the AMNH, Liberty Science Center or the NY Hall of Science. While you're there, check out the books and activities in the museum's store. Below are some of the books I've read recently and learned lots from.
Accessible to Middle School students:
- Electric Universe: The Shocking True Story of Electricity by David
- The Instant Physicist: An Illustrated Guide by Richard A. Muller with illustrations by Joey Manfre
- Big Questions from Little People: And Simple Answers from Great Minds by Gemma Harris is another fascinating one.
- The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery
- David Macaulay has done some of my favorite engineering books like City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction and Underground.
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
- Why Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture by Mario Salvadori
- Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines by Richard Muller
- The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (very advanced, technical and for mature readers but stunningly beautiful and insightful)
- The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil
- Ideas And Opinions by Albert Einstein
- Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin
- BBC has some great recommendations for science books, for example here.
- Business Insider: The Best Books about Science from the Last 15 Years
- Smithsonian: The Ten Best Science Books of 2018.
- Science News offers Our Favorite Science Books of 2018
- NPR's Science Friday (list and a show) The Best Science Books of 2018.
- For a curated list of science books well-suited for middle schoolers, click here.
- Also, check out Geek Girls' Science Guide.
- Royal Society book-finder flow chart: Follow your way through the chart here to find just-for-you recommendations for the next science book to read. (For more, see #scibooks).
If your child likes to make things and enjoys electronics, consider Little Bits, though there are now many different "maker" kits. A good source for info on various maker engineering projects is Make magazine.
Other ideas are on these websites:
- Science Gifts for 11+ Year Old Kids
- Top Toys for Learning STEM Skills
- Home Science Tools for Kids 11-13
- Popular Science: 7 Gifts for the Geeky Kid in Your Life
- Steve Spangler Science
- Unfortunately, I don't have a good chemistry set recommendation for middle schoolers. If you find something your child likes, please let me know! Meantime, Google the phrase "Kitchen Chemistry".