Product Description
Why do planets spin? How hot is the Sun? What keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth? What are Saturn’s rings made of? What’s a black hole in space? Now you can discover the answers to these and other fascinating questions about basic astronomy. In Astronomy for Every Kid you’ll learn about the constellations using a shoe box planetarium. You’ll chart the movement of the stars with nothing but a string, a marker, and a nail. And you’ll use a toy magnet to simulate the Earth’s protective force field. Each of the 101 experiments is broken down into its purpose, a list of materials, step-by-step instructions, expected results, and an easy to understand explanation. Every activity has been pretested and can be performed safely and inexpensively in the classroom or at home. Also available in this series from Janice VanCleave: Biology for Every Kid Chemistry for Every Kid Dinosaurs for Every Kid Earth Science for Every Kid Geography for Every Kid Geometry for Every Kid The Human Body for Every Kid Math for Every Kid Physics for Every Kid ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Kids love it
Whether you're homeschooling or just need some extra help for after school, this is the book for you!

First step for the sky observer
Before buying a telescope to you kid, keep in mind "letting him time to play with this book first". It would be a great reference to analyze what it is been view in the sky and how the forces of the universe (pure science) work. You might night to support, guide and encourage your kid with some of the experiments, but he would learn more that you think. My daughter is enchanted with the book.

I wish I hadn't bought this...
This book is a big disappointment. I don't know very much about astronomy, but I have done a lot of experiments with my kids. The better experiments in this collection are basic scientific experiments we have done before with a page of explanation on how it relates to astronomy...or how it is a simulation of something in astronomy, which I feel is misleading to the kids.

Other experiments are not even experiments, but demonstrations of things so obvious that most kids can visualize them without a demonstration. For example, stirring tea leaves in a jar with a pencil to simulate a hurricane on Jupiter.

Only one experiment sounded interesting--a sun dial that can act as a compass. But wait! The compass is only accurate two days out of the year, and there is no explanation of the science behind the experiment.

I want my money back!!!!

Absolutely Wonderful!
As a mom who home-schools her kids, this book has been invaluable for keeping the fun and interest in teaching Astronomy. Janice VanCleave's book have been a great assest to our library.

Packed with errors.
This book looks like it tried too hard to be about astronomy. It takes reasonable experiments about basic scientific principles and tacks on explanations related to astronomy that ignore other factors (i.e. both reflectivity and distance from the sun are seperately listed as the reason a planet is hotter when Venus is neither the darkest nor the closest), are overly obscure, or just plain wrong (appearance of 'the man in the moon' caused by shadows).

I have worked in an astronomy museum for six years, and this book has me pausing to try and comprehend what the book is trying to do. I am not familiar with the other Janice VanCleave books, but I specifically recommend AGAINST this one. ... Read more

Product Description
Together we can take a fun and colorfully kid guided journey through our solar system and visit our neighboring planets and their moons. Learn as Max the dog accidentally shows us just how gravity works through causation. Also, guessing your weight on Jupiter can be a tricky business. And what do you think all those space probes do anyway? Certainly, the privilege of childhood is a glorious freedom to explore the mysteries in life anyway seen fit. This is good, because the universe is crazier than we could ever imagine.So go on, explore your universe and have fun being a kid.Coming 2009 "The Crazy Universe"Notice!!! Version print problem for book version in August 2009 are currently being corrected. Please email demarcos@awaterlineproductions . com with proof of purchase to receive updated copy available in 2-3 weeks. We sincerely apologize for our error. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Basic grammar errors in a kid's book?!
Is it too much to expect a kid's book to use correct basic grammar?This book is riddled with errors: "your" for "you're," "it's" for "its," run-on sentences, misspellings, misuse of commas, typos, and so on.Beyond that, the writing is awkward and often doesn't sound like that of a native speaker of English.

Here's some text from the back of the book: "Certainly, the privilege of childhood is a glorious freedom to explore the mysteries in life anyway seen fit."This barely makes sense and sounds like it was run through an online translator.I have no objection to people writing kids' books if English is not their first language, but please hire an editor!I can't hand my child a book like this. Certainly no teacher should have it in a classroom.

The content is only OK.It's wrong on some counts ("This makes the 3rd world Venus the hottest planet in the solar system" -- last time I looked, Venus was the second "world" in our solar system).It's stupidly coy in other places ("Wow, taking pictures in space sure is much more complicated that [sic] pushing a button!").
And it has a bizarre plug for "Baader Astrosolarsafety film" on the last page.

Really, there is no excuse for this.For younger preschoolers,I recommend *What's Out There?A Book About Space.* I'm not sure what there is for kids aged 5 and up, but there's got to be something better.

Excellent book for all ages - kids & adults
My son is five.He loved the pictures in the book in addition to the information about the different planets.In his mind, it really stated the dilema of Pluto very clearly, since Mommy thought it was a planet.The description of gravitational pull is one of the best I've seen.While a little more technical than my son is ready for, it has been a great reminder for me.Grandma (age 71) has also said how educational it is for her.

Very Cute little book!!!
My 4 year old loves the cute characters. My 8 year old tried cutting the planet pictures out. Good Grief...

This book is very cute and was fun to narrate for my kids. It was a little goofy, though not so much that it drives the 'reader' crazy like the cat in the hat type style does after the ten thousandth time of reading.

I have purchased dozens of books for my young children on this subject and most are so dull and shallow I wonder if the authors even have a clue about their chosen topic.

This book however, some of the pages looked like the author tried to squeeze in a little too much information.If I had to choose between cute and shallow, or cute and interesting... Well, the CSS is one of the better ones...

The Solar System is whacky and crazy indeed...
Always in search of suitable books for my young students. The Crazy Solar System book is informative, cute, and colorful.

What I enjoyed is that the information is detailed in plain and simple terms without presuming to patronize the reader (or listener) with terms that are too simple.The artwork is very cute, and the full color images of planets and moons, and other objects are a very nice mix.

The content is rather diverse for 38 actual pages ranging from; planets and moons, how fast light travels, telescopes and satellites, to gravity, which is always a tough topic.

In all, this was a very good kids (and perhaps some adults) introduction about some of the fundamental aspects of our Solar System.

Five stars for sure.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Disappointed!
I am very disappointed in MILKY WAY & MARS BARS: ASTRONOMY FOR KIDS!I am keeping the book because the glossary is useful, but the quality and format of the book is not appealing or effective in teaching children about astronomy. I was intrigued by the clever title of the book, but disapointed with its contents. ... Read more

Product Description
These experiments have been designed to teach readers how to measure the angle and attitude of the sun and stars, measure the diameter of the sun and moon, determine time and location from the sky, make maps of the stars and constellations, classify stars by temperature, use refracting and reflecting telescopes, and photograph star tracks. The book also provides instructions for building an astrolabe, a sundial, a cross-staff, a spectroscope, a sky clock, and other simple instruments. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Science News for Kids, published by Thomson Gale on April 18, 2007. The length of the article is 1362 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Unearthing ancient astronomy.
Author: Julie J. Rehmeyer
Publication: Science News for Kids (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 18, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: NA

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Four book set:*Janice VanCleave's Constellations for Every Kid: Easy Activities that Make Learning Science Fun*Janice VanCleave's Earth Science, for Every Kid: Easy Activities that Make Learning Science Fun *Janice VanCleave's Astronomy, for Every Kid: Easy Activities that Make Learning Science Fun*Janice VanCleave's Chemistry for Every Kid: Easy Activities that Make Learning Science Fun"Exciting ideas, projects, and activities for schools, science fairs, and just plain fun!" ... Read more

Product Description
The New York Public Library amazing space

Travel to distant galaxies and explore awesome constellations. Discover mysterious planets and catch a comet by the tail. Find the answers to your questions about the wonders of space . . .

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY's best-selling reference books include The New York Public Library Desk Reference, The New York Public Library Book of Answers, and The New York Public Library Student's Desk Reference. ANN-JEANETTE CAMPBELL is the coauthor of The New York Public Library Incredible Earth.

Also in this series . . . The New York Public Library Incredible Earth ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Grandpa to an 11 year old
My grandson loved this book that I gave him for Xmas.He claims to have read it, cover to cover, in one sitting.I'm doubtful of that, but I am confident it was throughly enjoyed.

Last of Sam's Xmas 09
this did not come until way after Christmas so that was a disapointment, the condition was good, just the mailing was so very late.

I Love The NY Public Library Series Books
Another great book by NY Public Library. Even as an adult I find new and interesting things to read in these books. I highly recommend them to all ages. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Galileo for Kids (book)
This book contains a great amount of useful information about Galileo and his times, with interesting practical applications that kids can relate to, and info that is brought into perspective with nicely presented timelines. This book can be enjoyed by any age, and is certainly useful for studying science, astronomy, inventors, or any other general educational use, including biographies.

Excellent Resource
I bought this for my 10 year old who is doing a report on Galileo for school. His report needs to include a written report and 5 other elements such as experiments, maps, timelines etc. This book was a great resource with many ideas for projects to do related to Galileo and his life. My only complaint would be the written text on his life was a bit complex for his reading and writing for his report, a great resource for teachers to teach about Galileo. And many awesome fun experiments and project ideas.

Most of the activities in this book on Galileo are really scientific experiments
The only real complaint about "Galileo for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 25 Activities," is that I doubt there is a teacher in the country who would spend long enough on the famous scientist to do all of these activities.If they got to double figures that would be pretty impressive, but also somewhat doubtful.However, there are certainly some choice activities in this book by Richard Panchyk (Buzz Aldrin does the foreword) that will not only get young students interested in the life of Galileo but also fan their interest in the sciences.

This book makes it clear that while he is best known as an astronomer, Galileo was a genius who enjoyed science, mathematics, music, and art, and someone who sough the truth and believed there was no substitute for observation and experimentation.Despite being forced by the Church to recant his discovery that the sun was the center of the universe, Panchyk makes it clear that Galileo believed both science and religion help us to know ourselves.After a Timeline that begins with a new star being observed by the Chinese in 1054 to Galileo being reburied with proper honors in 1737, and a map of Italy, this book turns to Science and Astronomy Before Galileo, to set up how important he was in changing things.Astronomers including Peter Apian, Nicolaus Copernicus and Tycho Brahe are covered, as well as the Comet of 1577.The activities here include making initial lunar observations and how to use raw data, so you can see there is an initial focus on scientific metrology.

The second chapter details the Beginnings of Galileo's life, where you not only get to cook a renaissance meal (meatballs and pea soup), but also get to make a pendulum and pulsilogia.In chapter 3, Position at Pisa, Galileo began his career as a scientist.There are also sidebars on Dante, Johannes Kepler, and the Medicis so the religious, scientific and political contexts of the time are covered as well.Activities include not only the famous gravity experiment, put also the properties of the ellipse and the second part of lunar observation.The Telescope is the focus of the next chapter, which includes an aperture experiment and the floating needle experiment.

The Storm Builds is the subject of chapter five, signifying the coming collision between Galileo's science and the religion of the day.Here the activities are the perception of illumination and the mathematical problem represented by the roll of the dice (plus making a care package for Galileo because of the plague).Chapter six covers The Two Systems, with experiments on relative motion and projective motion.However, most of these chapters tell the story of what happened when Galileo was called before the Inquisition.Galileo's Last Days are covered in the last chapter, along with experiments on accelerated motion and charting the cycloid curve. The look at the life and times of Galileo is pretty strong to begin with, so when you add the activities and see that the vast majority of them are practical scientific experiments, then you have to be even more impressed.In fact, I could be wrong: I can now see a teacher breaking up the class into lots of groups and having them do different activities and sharing the results with their classmates, so getting to double figures could be pretty easy (although making meatballs can be seen as being practical too, since kids have to eat).

Throughout the book there are illustrations of the people, places and things in Galileo's life, many of which are contemporary to his time.The back of the book includes several pages of Resources.There are lists of the Popes and Grand Dukes of Tuscany during Galileo's time, a Glossary of Key Terms from "abjuration" to "volume," Key People from Peter and Philip Apian to Vincenzo Viviani, and Key Places from Arcetri to Venice.A list of Galileo's key writings is provided, along with some web sites specific to his life and works, and there is also a list of Planetariums an Astronomy/Space Museums to be found in fourteen states and the District of Columbia.If you are not tired you can also check out the Selected Bibliography before we finally get to the Index.

The final thing that needs to be said is that this is but one volume in the For Kids series.There are over a dozen volumes that I know about for sure.The one's under "A" consist of "Africa for Kids," "American Folk Art for Kids," "The American Revolution for Kids," and "Archaeology for Kids."Those four titles along should give you a good idea of the scope of the series.So teachers might only use a couple of activities from this book, but they can do the same for units on Leonardo da Vinci, Lewis and Clark, the Civil Rights Movement, and know that Chicago Review Press will be adding volumes to this wonderful series for some time to come. ... Read more

Product Description
In this stellar activity book, kids delve into the rich history of space exploration, where telescopes, satellites, probes, landers, and human missions lead to amazing discoveries. Updated to include the recent discovery of Eris which, along with Pluto, has been newly classified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union, this cosmic adventure challenges kids to explore the planets and other celestial bodies for themselves through activities such as building a model of a comet using soil, molasses, dry ice, and window cleaner; or creating their own reentry vehicle to safely return an egg to Earth s surface. With biographies of more than 20 space pioneers, specific mission details, a 20-page field guide to the solar system, and plenty of suggestions for further research, this is the ultimate guidebook to exploring the solar system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

ehh.
Being a nerd, I was sure my 6-y/o would love this, since he wanted "space stuff."He never got into it.I forgot he had it until I saw it on the "review your amazon purchase" page.

Exploring the Solar System:A History with 22 Activities
I must say that this is a very well-written and illustrated reading material for all ages, not just for kids.

Solar System Book-Space Info
I bought this for my 6 yr. daughter.She's very interested in Space.It's a good quality book (no cheap paper). It has a lot of information from the past.First attempt into space they sent a dog.My daughter is very smart and understands what she is reading (or what I help her read).I would say it's more for 8 yrs and up (but perfect for a younger mature child). It has original pictures (not cartoon drawings) and is very educational for the whole family (if you are interested in learning about space).I recommend it for your collection.

An awesome choice for our star-crazy young ones!
In true Mary Kay Carson fashion, Exploring the Solar System : A History with 22 Activities isn't dumbed down even the slightest.Carson respects children and seems to grasp well what they can be expected to understand - which is often more than what they are credited with.As a result, her text is thorough and frank and can easily be read to would-be astronauts as young as 4 or 5 years.And the illustrative photos are stunning, the perfect foil for the text in capturing the imagination.From interviews with well-regarded scientists (including explanations of how they themselves became interested in studying space) to easy-to-execute activities to a very thorough timeline of space exploration, Carson has once again thought of everything for engaging our own little scientists.I simply cannot recommend this book enough. ... Read more

Product Description

Take a trip around our solar system, Find out how Pluto was named, See amazing snapshots from space & Learn more than forty fun facts about our universe

Level 2 includes longer sentences with richer vocabulary, type set line to line to aid readability, varied photographic treatments, and brief chapters with simple illustrated diagrams and a glossary.

Special features include How Big?, Take a Close Look, Did You Know?, Words to Know, Fun Facts and full color photographs, as well as a full page, simply labeled diagram showing body parts.

Ages 6+

Customer Reviews (2)

Great classroom resource or science resource for homeschooling
The Time for Kids magazine is a great educational supplement for science, as this magazine on Planets. I've used themmany times in the classroom. The articles are short and to the point, and the graphics capture their attention. It is also very good for special education, up to the 8th grade. Have used it in special education in the 6th grade and it works out very well. Would recommend subscriptions for teachers in the 2nd to 4th grade, but for average students in 5th grade and any classrooms with students with attentional difficulties. Great learning tool and resource. A help for teachers and home-schooling.
Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent and Educator's Guidebook

Good intro to the planets for my four-year-old
My son is 4 1/2 years old and he loves learning about the planets and the solar system.He likes for me to read this book to him at least three to four times a week.He can recognize a lot of the words (it's a level 2 book) and enjoys the pictures. ... Read more

Product Description

From dramatic lunar eclipses to brilliant comets, the night sky fascinates people. Brimming with beautiful color

photos, this book walks you through everything you need to know to maximize your enjoyment of astronomy, from choosing a telescope to identifying constellations and planets. Whether you're a student, hobbyist, or lifelong stargazer, you can turn to this book for practical guidance on observing stars, planets, moons, and galaxies; tracking meteors, comets, and eclipses; choosing tools for viewing; and photographing the skies. Helpful star maps, charts, and timetables bring the sky to life! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

New to astonomy
I have been interested in astonomy for a long time and what's overhead. This book has given me a new insight. I hope to get good use of this book.

Excellent
Absolutely one of the best astronomy books i have come across. Beautiful color pages very high quality print. A superb resource for beginners and other levels of astronomy. ... Read more

Product Description
If you go outside on a clear night, you can't help yourself. Your head tilts back, your eyes rise up, and you find yourself gazing at the stars . . . WOW! From the beginning of time, people have admired the night sky's beauty.

The night sky is our oldest picture book, and Wishing on a Star retells some of these stories from around the world in simple language that kids can understand.

Wishing on a Star also includes lots of fun activities that celebrate the stars. Learn how to make a twinkling thaumatrope, fly a starry kite, and act in your own constellation play. Star maps and stargazing tips show how to find the constellations, and cool science facts teach more about the stars.

Paperback, Full-Color Illustrations Throughout, Ages 7 and up ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Star Studded
I am an Education major, and have been having to design a unit on Stars and Constellations. This book has been a God send! It has the legends behind some of the constellations, and activities/crafts that kids could do to go along with them!This is a must if you have kids or are a teacher. I really can't wait to get more in the series!

Nice book
My daughters who are aspiring astronomists are in love with this book!Highly recommended...easy read for kids but full of information that they can understand! ... Read more