Science is for Me! Book List
Each book and kit set creatively teaches deep science concepts through relatable stories and step-by-step illustrations that guide children’s hands-on experiments.
Table Legend ↓
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DCIs are the key ideas in science that have broad importance within or across multiple science or engineering disciplines. These core ideas build on each other as students progress through grade levels and are grouped into the following four domains: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering.
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Help students explore connections across the four domains of science, including Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design.
When these concepts, such as “cause and effect”, are made explicit for students, they can help students develop a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world around them.
Kindergarten
5-6 Year Olds. No Language.
Jasmine and José built a playhouse...but it's leaning. How can they fix it? Use different shapes to engineer a stable playhouse.
Jasmine and Jose's LEGO structure fell and broke. Can they design a way to get a structure to the ground safely? How does gravity work and how can we work against it?
Jasmine and José enter a paper airplane competition. Which airplane will win? Construct two paper airplanes and learn why the winning plane wins.
José and Jasmine try to balance a see-saw at the playground. Why does the see-saw not move when there's an adult on one side? Explore balancing even and uneven weights.
José loses his key in the street...it fell into a storm drain. How can Jasmine and José get the key out? Learn about magnets and design a solution to retrieve the key.
Jasmine and José find an old pinball machine and wonder how it works. Build different kinds of obstacles and design your own pinball machine.
Jasmine and José learn to play hockey. How do you shoot the puck in different directions? What happens when it collides with the wall? Use forces and collisions to make your own hockey game.
Jasmine and José want to make a bridge for their toy car but all they have is some blocks and a piece of paper. Can they make a bridge strong enough to hold up the car? Learn about how changing shape can change stability.
Uh-oh! José accidentally pushed his car into Jasmine's block tower. Why did the nearby ball roll away? Explore cause and effect and create your own chain reaction.
Jasmine and José learn that a bigger force can make something move farther (and faster). How can they make their toy car roll farther and faster at the playground? Build a toy car and experiment with its motion on flat and sloped surfaces.
First Grade
6-7 Year Olds. <10 Sentences
José and Jasmine play hide and seek. Jose is quiet but Jasmine still found him! How did she do that? Explore vibrations and how they cause sound.
Jasmine kicks a ball at the park and José goes to look for it. He can't find it and asks her a question but he's too far away to hear her. What can they do?
Jasmine and José discover how we can make shadows. Join them in exploring shadows and changing the path of light.
Jasmine and José build a secret clubhouse... but people can see in. How can they fix the windows to still get light but not allow anyone to see inside?
Jasmine and José go to a "History of Time" exhibit and see some sundials. They wonder how they work. Learn about patterns in the sky and build your own sundial.
Jamine and José's neighbor is a ham radio operator. How can a radio send information? Learn about how sound, light and radio waves transfer energy (and information!). Use light waves to transfer a message using morse code.
Jasmine and José take a trip to the Redwood forest and are amazed by the height of the trees. What makes these tall trees stable? Make a model to investigate how the Redwood tree's root system helps it stand tall.
What causes a rainbow? Jasmine and José discover that all the colors of the rainbow are present in white light. Make a spectroscope to see the colors of light.
Jasmine and José are surprised when six seedlings lead to a full garden of flowers. Learn about how plants reproduce through seeds by observing the germination and growth of a bean seed.
Jasmine and José are frustrated when their block tower keeps falling down. What are some ways that we can design towers to be more stable? Create your own block tower to test it out.
Second Grade
7-8 Year Olds. Language on Every Page.
Jose and Jasmine's dog came home wet but it's not raining! How did the dog get wet? Do an experiment to determine which of three variables causes a fast chemical reaction.
Jasmine and José water a plant that wilted. The plant perks up. How does water get from the soil to the leaves? Let's learn about capillary action.
Jasmine and José make a salad but their salad dressing separated! Why did this happen and what can they do? Join them as they learn about the density of liquids.
Jasmine and José throw a rock and a branch into a lake. Which one floats and which one sinks? Discover what happens and how density determines whether objects sink or float.
Jasmine and José want to build a house for their stuffed animals. They have lots of different materials to choose from. Which ones should they use? Experiment with materials to discover their properties and build your own house for a stuffed animal.
Jasmine and José discover that the creek next to their house has a lot of trash in it. How can they separate the trash from the water?
Jasmine and José spilled some flour and use a vacuum cleaner to clean it up. What is a vacuum? Explore the concept of vacuum and see how we use it in our daily lives.