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Critical Thinking Books & Software Review by Diane Wheeler
http://www.criticalthinking.com/homeschoolDeveloping Critical Thinking through Science - Hands-On Physical Science
One of the great things about Critical Thinking Books & Software is that they offer excellent products in several different content areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, as well as general thinking skills. I have been taking a look at two of their science products, and I am impressed.
Developing Critical Thinking through Science - Hands-On Physical Science, Book One is a book of forty-one experiments designed for 1st through 4th grades. The first unit begins with basic observation skills, such as What Makes a Group? What is That Sound? and Looking Closer - With Magnifiers. There are six additional units covering Water, Buoyancy and Surface Tension, Air, Moving Air - Air Pressure, Force and Space, Light and Shadows. Each unit has between five and seven simple experiments (and I am NOT a science-oriented person - you can trust the word "simple"!) One thing to remember, though, is that this is not a complete science kit. There will be a list of things that you will need to collect in order to do the experiments. None of the supplies are unusual or expensive, but if you are like me and never have a balloon or a bottle of soda water sitting around, you may need to make a trip to the store.
The critical thinking questions in each activity are excellent. I need help guiding my students through science projects, and they have scripted out thought-provoking questions that will help my students learn. I am delighted.
Sciencewise
Sciencewise is a series of experiment books designed for students in 4th grade through high school. Each book has two sections: Dynamo Demos and Creative Challenges.
Dynamo Demos are experiments where the results may come as a surprise to your students. They discover what happens when an air-tight can, filled with hot water, cools; what happens when two balls of different sizes are dropped together, with the small ball on top; how different experiments work with water bottles that have leaks; how the water does or does not escape. With all the surprises, it is a great opportunity for parents and students to find out together the reasons for the results. The scientific process skills of observing, predicting, experimenting, eliminating, and drawing conclusions are all learned through the experiments.
Creative Challenges give students a problem to solve, involving certain supplies and guidelines to follow. The first experiment is "Wacky Wire," inventing a new use for a wire coat hanger. It must have a use besides hanging clothes; it may be bent, cut or changed, but no more than four other items may be used in combination with the coat hanger. I can only imagine the creations that my children will create. Now is the opportunity for me to see surprising results.
The instructions in Sciencewise are clear enough for non-science parents, such as myself, to understand, including answers to many of the "Why?" questions our students will ask. This program, too, will require collecting experiment supplies, but with some planning ahead that should not be a problem.
For more information on these excellent science books, contact Critical Thinking Books & Software at 1-800-458-4849, or on the web at www.CriticalThinking.com/homeschool.
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