Teachers.netExplore Solar
Explore the Solar System! introduces kids ages 6-9 to the planets, moons, and other celestial bodies that surround our star, the sun, as well as the universe beyond. Combining a hands-on element with history and science, kids investigate solar eclipses, phases of the moon, Jupiter's rings, and what astronauts wear. Who named the stars? What is the Milky Way? Why is there night? By combining a hands-on element with riddles, jokes, fun facts, and comic cartoons, kids Explore the Solar System!, and have a blast along the way
National Science Teacers Association (NSTA.org) —The inviting cover of this science book will attract the attention of young readers right from the start. Part of a series of Explorer books for readers in grades 1 through 4, the book focuses on all the interesting bodies that make up our solar system. It includes eight chapters, each packed with information, great illustrations, projects kids can do with available household products, stories about people with a connection to space, and a section on words to know. A lengthy glossary supports the text's vocabulary.
As the back cover notes: “By combining a hands-on element with riddles, jokes, fun facts, and cartoons, kids explore the solar system and have blast along the way.” Among many sidebars, each chapter has one called “Out of This World” presenting a “wow” fact. For example, one says that “Venus is the only planet where the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. This is because Venus, unlike other planets, rotates in the opposite direction of the Earth.”
This is a great book to entice young readers to read more and learn a little science along the way. It would make an attractive addition to a school library
—In the Hills Magzine, A Year in Books Building your own space shuttle (complete with Canadarm) and making a delicious, Stonehenge-style solar observatory from Rice Krispie squares are just a few of the activities in this fact-packed, fun-filled children's book. Projects, games and experiments as well as terminology, mini-biographies of early astronomers, descriptions of major constellations and important space "firsts" are sure to delight budding sky-watchers aged six to ten
— Children's Literature Review Basic information about our solar system is easily absorbed through the text, inset boxes that highlight words to know, and a variety of activities. There are even a few jokes scattered here and there. Readers learn that although the Greeks believed in an Earth centric system, today we know that the Sun not the Earth is the center of our solar system. The book presents a clever way to remember the planets. A game called The Galaxy Scavenger Hunt provides a chance to learn more about our solar system. The game can be expanded to include astronomers, astronauts and anything space related. Another interesting project is the creation of an origami solar system mobile. After reading this book kids will have obtained lots of facts, trivia to amuse family and friends, and projects for rainy or lazy summer days. An added bonus is an opportunity to increase vocabularies because in addition to the words called out in the text there is a glossary at the end of the book. For those who love computer resources there are web sites and for others there is a list of science museums and planetariums. The index identifies all the activities as well as other topics addressed in the book. It is a title that could be used by teachers in the elementary grades, scout leaders and homeschoolers.
-Kahani Literary Magazine Summer 2009 Kahani regular Anita Yasuda's non-fiction book - and her first book for children - Explore the Solar System (Nomad Press, 2009) combines hands-on science, fun facts, and easy-to-follow projects that use common household products and recycled supplies. This book covers a lot of ground: readers will learn about our solar system, space travel and exploration, and the universe beyond. The whimsically-illustrated book is full of short biographies of famous scientists, space-related vocabulary words, even jokes! Explore the Solar System answers every question a space-explorer-in-training might have.
BOOKS
Branley, Franklyn M. The Planets in Our Solar System. New York: HarperTrophy, 1998.
Carson, Mary Kay. Exploring The Solar System: A History with 22 Activities. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2006.
Cole, Joanna. The Magic School Bus in The Solar System. New York: Scholastic Press, 1992.
Dyson, Marianne J. Home on the Moon. National Geographic Children’s Book, 2003.
Gibbons, Gail. The Planets. New York: Holiday House, 2005.
Milord, Susan. Tales of the Shimmering Sky: Ten Global Folktales with Activities, Williamson Publishing Company, 1996.
Mullin,Chris. The Young Astronomer, DK Children, 1998.
Murphy, Patricia. Exploring Space with an Astronaut. New Jersey. Enslow, 2004.
Ray, H.A. Find the Constellations. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
Simon, Seymour. Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1994.
Sohn, Emily. Space and Astronomy- Science News for Kids. New York: Chelsea House Publications, 2006.
Stott, Carole. Astronomy: Discoveries. Solar System, Stars, Universe. Boston: Kingfisher, 2003.
The New York Public Library Amazing Space: A Book of Answers for Kids. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997.
Tomecek, Steve. Stars. National Geographic, 2003.
Wilson, Lynn. What’s Out There?: A book about space. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1993.
WANT TO READ MORE? TRY THESE BOOKS!
Amazing Solar System Projects You Can Build Yourself, Delano Lopez (Nomad Press, 2008)
Don’t Know Much About the Solar System, Kenneth C. Davis (HarperTrophy, 2004)
Janice VanCleave’s the Solar System: Mind-Boggling Experiments You Can Turn into Science Fair Projects, Janice VanCleave (Jossey-Bass, 2000)
First on the Moon. Barbara Hehner. (Hyperion, 2000)
My Book of Space, Ian Graham. (Kingfisher, 2001)
Finding Out About Sun, Moon, and Planets, Lynn Myring & Sheila Sowden (Usborne Explainers Series, 1982)
Opening the Space Frontier, R. Spangenburg, David Moser, and Diane Moser. (Facts on File, 1989)
Solar System, Mike Goldsmith. (Kingfisher, 2004)
The Kingfisher Young People’s Book of Space, Martin Redfern (Kingfisher, 1998)
The Solar System, Carmen Bredeson (Childrens Press, 2003)
The Solar System, Gregory L. Vogt (Twenty-First Century Books, 1995)
The Solar System, Margaret J. Goldstein (Lerner Publications, 2002)
The Solar System, Robin Kerrod (Lerner Publications, 2000)
3-D Thrillers! Solar System, Marc Tyler Nobleman (Discovery Kids Dutton Children’s Books, 2001)
DOCUMENTARIES
In The Shadow of The Moon. NASA, 2007.
WEBSITES
A Virtual Journey Into The Universe
http://Library.thinkquest.org/28327
Amazing Space
http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/tonights_sky/index.php
AstroFor Kids
www.astronomy.com/content/static/
Astronomy for Kids
www.dustbunny.com/afk
Artyastro
www.artyastro.com/main.htm
Cosmic Quest
www.childrensmuseum.org/cosmicquest
Discovery Education
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/spacestation/
Earth and Moon Viewer
http://formilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html
Enchanted Learning: Zoom Astronomy
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy
HubbleSite
http://hubblesite.org
Mars Exploration Rover Mission
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/
Mysteries of Deep Space
www.pbs.org/deepspace
NASA: Human Space Flight
http://Spaceflight.nasa.gov/index.html
NASA Kids’ Club
www.nasagov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html
NASA Science Fun
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids
NASA Space Place
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids
National Geographic
www.nationalgeographic.com/solarsystem/splash.html
Science News for Kids
www.sciencenewsforkids.org/pages/search.asp?catid=31
Solar System Exploration
http://solarsystem.nasa.gov
Space
www.space.com
Starchild
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov
The Cosmos: A Search for Life
www.discovery.com/guides/space/space.html
The Exploratorium: Observatory
www.exploratorium.edu/observatory/index.html
The Space Place
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov
Views of the Solar System
www.solarviews.com
Windows to the Universe
www.windows.ucar.edu
STELLAR SCIENCE MUSEUMS & PLANETARIUMS TO VISIT
If your city is not listed, have an adult check out this fantastic link:
www.museumca.org/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/museumca/usa_search.cgi Enter science into the query. Then wait for your results. Maybe you’ll be able to plan a trip to one of these places soon.
*Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, Chicago, Illinois
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/
*American Museum of Natural History
New York, NY
http://www.amnh.org/
*California Science Center
Los Angeles, CA
http://www.nyhallsci.org/
*Carnegie Science Center Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/
*Center of Science and Industry
Columbus, OH
http://www.cosi.org/
*Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Cleveland, OH
http://www.cmnh.org/
*Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Denver, CO
http://www.dmns.org/
*Fernbank Science Center
Atlanta, GA
http://fsc.fernbank.edu/
*Franklin Institute Science Museum
Philadelphia, PA
http://www2.fi.edu/
*Kopernik Observatory and Science Education Center
Vestal, NY
http://www.kopernik.org/
*Griffith Observatory
Los Angeles, CA
http://www.griffithobs.org/
*Hayden Planetarium Rose Center for Earth and Space
New York, NY
http://haydenplanetarium.org/
*New York Hall of Science
Queens, NY
http://www.nyhallsci.org/
*Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Washington, DC
http://www.nasm.si.edu/
Bryan Stone has worked on a variety of professional comics and illustration projects, including drawings for Dartmouth College’s Hopkins Center and a monthly, three page, comic called Onion Head for Bash Magazine. Bryan also self-publishes his comic book, Frogherder. Bryan moved from Alabama to New England so that he could attend The Center for Cartoon Studies. Bryan and his wife, Amanda Ann, live in White River Junction, Vermont. For more information visit his website, www.bryan-stone.com
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