Reddit reviews Here Comes Science

Protection as she grows up.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No (LINK)

by Dan Barker

In today's media-flooded world, there is no way to control all of the information, claims, and enticements that reach young people. The best thing to do is arm them with the sword of critical thinking.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No is a charming introduction to self-confidence and self-reliance. The book's ten-year-old heroine, Andrea, is always asking questions because she knows "you should prove the truth of a strange story before you believe it."

"Check it out. Repeat the experiment. Try to prove it wrong. It has to make sense." writes Barker, as he assures young readers that they are fully capable of figuring out what to believe, and of knowing when there just isn't enough information to decide. "You can do it your own way. If you are a good skeptic you will know how to think for yourself."

Another book is "Me & Dog" by Gene Weingarten.

And Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story : Books 1, 2, 3

Here Comes Science CD + DVD

The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins

Bang! How We Came to Be by Michael Rubino.

Grandmother Fish: A Child's First Book of Evolution

Also:

Greek Myths – by Marcia Williams

Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs – by Marcia Williams

God and His Creations – by Marcia Williams

"I Wonder" by Annaka Harris

"From Stardust to You: An Illustrated Guide to The Big Bang" by Luciano Reni

"Meet Bacteria!" by Rebecca Bielawski

See also Highlights for Children - this has materials for younger children.

Atheism books for children by Courtney Lynn

"It Is Ok To Be A Godless Me", "I'm An Atheist and That's Ok", "I'm a Freethinker", "Please Don't Bully Me" and "I'm a Little Thinker" etc.

Courtney Lynn has a couple more for grown ups as well.

Grandmother Fish, free in PDF form online

A child's first book of evolution.

15 Holiday Gift Ideas for Secular Families

Bedtime Bible Stories by Joey Lee Kirkman - for mature teens only

Coming up: TINY THINKERS is a series of books introducing popular scientists to children, by telling their stories as if the scientists themselves were kids!

I am not sure that I entirely agree with this article. While a lot of art has been inspired by religious experience in the past, I would counter that a lot of art in the last century has been inspired by empirical experience. Art itself has become a kind of empirical experiment to find the connection between stimulus and experience. Sometimes god is still the subject of a work of art, but that isn't true anymore for the vast majority of work.

EDIT: Also, this is pretty good.

[They Might be Giants - Here Comes Science] (http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Science-Might-Giants/dp/B002FKZ4UO)

http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Science-CD-DVD/dp/B002FKZ4UO

> singing religious songs to the kids when she visits

Then fire a return volley

I recommend "They Might Be Giants - Here Comes the Science" it's a great way for little ones to get interested in the realities of the world.

http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Science-Might-Giants/dp/B002FKZ4UO

Bonus - the songs won't make you want to blow your own head off

My kids (4 and 5 yrs old) love these videos! You can watch them on YouTube if you want to check them out before you buy. It's a fun way to help them understand complicated things like how our cardiovascular system works or what elements are. There are fun songs about planets and dinosaurs... We love them all. We have them on our iPod too, for long car rides.

I highly recommend Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants. My kids love it, and my son always says he's going to be a paleontologist, after the song. There are also videos for all of the songs, if you can find them. It's a great album.

I don't have spotify to see what you already have, so I must assume it's filled with They Might Be Giants

They Might Be Giants Kid Songs or you could buy them

Science lover here. It seems to me that teaching the method of science is probably more important than teaching the facts. Understanding the method of science would allow one to rediscover all the facts. To that end, at our house we spend most of our science time focused on the method, and that doesn't require much of a curriculum. We came up with a simple little phrase that defines the method at its simplest and most basic

• observation
  
  
• hypothesis
  
  
• experiment
  
  
• analysis
  
  Observation is at the front because you have to notice things before you can figure out why the things are that way. Observation naturally leads to the next step. As an example, the other day I noticed that our faucet didn't seem to deliver water as vigorously as it used to. So we got together, observed the stream, and talked about various hypotheses. We decided to test one - that there was a blockage in the trap at the very tip of the faucet. So we did an experiment on our hypothesis. We took the little plastic filter/trap thingy out and dropped it in vinegar, and let it sit. After several minutes, we replaced it and did our analysis by turning on the water. It turned out our experiment confirmed that our hypothesis was correct and explained our observations. The water ran much better.
  
  Focusing on the method allows the learners to really come to understand the strengths and limits of science. And once you start making an effort to notice that, you will see that you are doing small science experiments daily just as part of your life.
  
  As for a scientific curriculum, I can't really help too much, other than to recommend the album Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants, and Kerbal Space Program for teaching realistic rocket science and orbital mechanics in an unbelievably fun way.

Oh! One more thing.... They Might Be Giants has put out three awesome kids albums! When my daughter was little, we listened to "Here Come the ABC's" so many freaking times, and we never got sick of it! They have super cute DVD's to accompany them too.

Anyway, the reason why I bring this up, is because they have an album for kids and toddlers called "Here Comes The Science!". It's all about elements, planets, experiments, gases, photosynthesis, and more. It's one of my favorite things ever.

Here's a link to it on Amazon, but honestly, you should just look it up on Youtube. Then you can decide if you want to get to the DVD or not, or if you just want to keep listening to it on Youtube. It's SO cool. :)

Get this. Not only is it kid's songs about photosynthesis, Computer Aided Design, evolution, and other stuff, but it's catchy as hell. My kid LOVES their DVDs.

Here Comes Science by TMBG is chock full of science songs:
http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Science-Might-Giants/dp/B002FKZ4UO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322672607&sr=8-1

No one has mentioned Dawkin's The Magic of Reality, yet?

And if you're looking for some music, try They Might Be Giants' album, Science Is Real (edit: Here Comes Science). They also have a kid's book called Bed, Bed, Bed.

I absolutely love They Might Be Giants. This is actually the only physical album on my lists. Everything else is MP3's but I love this CD too much to not want the physical copy.

It's absolutely perfect. <3 Music is life!

The Walk of Shame


Lila awoke with a snort, suddenly aware of her strange surroundings. The boy on the bed next to her was turned away, his brown tousled hair and the comforter worked in tandem to obscure his face. His breath was deep and even; she knew he wouldn’t be awake anytime soon.


“What did he say his name was? Adam? Alan? Something like that,” Lila wondered. She turned and started to survey the room.


“Boys,” she thought. There was no clock in sight, but the bluish light filtering through the cheap blinds told her it was before six. The room was disorganized, messy even, but not dirty. Random stacks of DVDs lay here and there. A poster of “The Beers of the World” was tacked to the wall.


She spotted her bra amongst the school books and clothes strewn on the floor and worked to silently extricate herself from under the covers. As she moved, the throbbing in her temples was amplified, as if she could actually hear the blood pulsing through her veins.


She tip toed across the floor, gathering her clothes in the crook of her arm. Her shoes were near the desk, next to a small stack of Disney movies. Cars and The Emperor’s New Groove caught her eye. They were two of her little brother’s favorite movies. “Boys,” she thought again, before quietly creeping toward the door.


Crunch


Lila startled and instinctively drew her foot high. Partially obscured by a rumpled t-shirt, the broken c.d. case lay in the carpet at her feet. She picked it up and turned it over. “They Might Be Giants,” she glanced at the boy, thinking, “What an enigma you are.” As if in response, the boy stirred briefly and Lila froze in her spot, holding her breath before carefully letting it go. When she heard his breathing regulate again, she shoved the c.d. in her purse and slid silently out the door.


Lila quickly dressed in the kitchen, and combed her fingers through her hair, using the microwave door as a mirror. She opened the refrigerator and grabbed a carton of orange juice. She opened it, smelled it, and took several long gulps, before putting it back. Running her hands down her body to smooth her wrinkled clothes, she glanced one more time at her reflection, before stepping outside into the crisp fall morning.

I had never heard of Dinosaur Train, but it looks adorable. Way to go, PBS!

Does your toddler like Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants? This is clearly the best song on the album.