Kindergarten Science - Energy Books
The Ways That Objects Move
"Duck Duck Moose" by Dave Horowitz is a humorous and delightful children's story that follows the adventures of a moose who desperately wants to play the game "Duck Duck Goose" with his duck friends. However, due to his large size and clumsiness, he faces challenges fitting in and playing the game without causing a ruckus. This charming tale, filled with funny situations and engaging illustrations, highlights themes of friendship, acceptance, and finding one's place in the world.
"Motion: Push and Pull, Fast and Slow" by Darlene R. Stille is an informative picture book that introduces young readers to the fundamental concepts of physics, specifically focusing on how and why things move. Through clear explanations and engaging illustrations, the book explores different forces such as pushing, pulling, speed, and direction, making these scientific concepts accessible and understandable to children. It's an excellent resource for teaching basic principles of motion in a way that is both fun and educational, perfect for budding scientists in an elementary classroom setting.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjIKi6zkzvo
Internet Archive Library: https://archive.org/details/motionpushpullfa0000stil
"Move It!: Motion, Forces, and You" by Adrienne Mason is an engaging and informative book that delves into the science of motion and forces, tailored for young readers. Through interactive experiments, clear explanations, and captivating illustrations, it explains how and why things move, covering topics such as gravity, friction, and energy. This book encourages children to observe and think about the physical forces at play in their everyday lives, making it an excellent resource for introducing fundamental physics concepts in an accessible and fun manner.
"Roller Coaster" by Marla Frazee is a delightful picture book that captures the excitement and nervous anticipation of riding a roller coaster for the first time. Through vibrant illustrations and engaging text, Frazee tells the story of a diverse group of people, from eager children to apprehensive adults, as they experience the thrilling highs and lows of a roller coaster ride, encapsulating the joy and exhilaration that comes with facing and overcoming fears.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIIsXNE6NTc
Internet Archive Library: https://archive.org/details/rollercoaster0000fraz
The Movement of Humans and Animals
"Motion: Push and Pull, Fast and Slow" by Darlene R. Stille is an informative picture book that introduces young readers to the fundamental concepts of physics, specifically focusing on how and why things move. Through clear explanations and engaging illustrations, the book explores different forces such as pushing, pulling, speed, and direction, making these scientific concepts accessible and understandable to children. It's an excellent resource for teaching basic principles of motion in a way that is both fun and educational, perfect for budding scientists in an elementary classroom setting.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRgds5x53ZI
Internet Archive Library (only available for people with print disabilities): https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780756917050
"Flying Frogs and Walking Fish" by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page is a captivating picture book that explores the fascinating world of animal locomotion. Through stunning cut-paper illustrations and informative text, the book showcases how animals move in unique and surprising ways, from flying frogs to walking fish, gliding snakes to hopping kangaroos. It's an educational journey that highlights the diversity of life on Earth and the incredible adaptations animals have developed to navigate their environments, making it an excellent resource for inspiring curiosity and wonder about the natural world in young readers.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OPmtjEXR4I
Internet Archive Library (only available for people with print disabilities): https://archive.org/details/flyingfrogswalki0000jenk
"Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book" by Rufus Butler Seder is an innovative picture book that brings animals to life through the magic of scanimation, a technique that creates the illusion of movement on the page. Even though this animation cannot be recreated online, it is still a great book to read with your students; why feel that you need animation built into the book when your students can bring animation to all the pages?
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHgr_zQGANM
Internet Archive Library: https://archive.org/details/gallop0000sede
"Move!" by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page is an engaging and educational children's book that explores the world of animal motion. Through vibrant illustrations and informative text, the book showcases various animals and the unique ways they move, from swimming and flying to slithering and hopping. Aimed at young readers, it combines science with captivating visuals to teach about the diversity of animal locomotion.
"Oscar and the Cricket: A Book about Moving and Rolling" by Geoff Waring is a charming and educational story that introduces young readers to the basic concepts of physics through the adventures of Oscar, a curious kitten, and his friend, Cricket. As they explore their surroundings, Cricket teaches Oscar about the various ways things can move, including rolling, sliding, and bouncing, making complex ideas like motion and force accessible and engaging for children. This beautifully illustrated book is perfect for sparking an interest in science and encouraging exploration of the physical world.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvPKjF39Yx8
Internet Archive Library: https://archive.org/details/oscarcricket0000wari
"Some Bugs" by Angela DiTerlizzi, with illustrations by Brendan Wenzel, is a vibrant and playful picture book that introduces young readers to the wide variety of bugs living in their world. Through rhyming text and colorful, detailed illustrations, the book encourages children to explore and appreciate the small creatures around them, from buzzing bees to crawling beetles. It's an inviting look at the insect world, sparking curiosity and wonder about the roles these tiny creatures play in our environment.
Though I'm usually one to strongly prefer the reading of a book from the Internet Archive over YouTube, this is a great reading on YouTube. In this video, the author introduces the book by talking a bit about the process of writing a book.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbuRBMmfRw
Internet Archive Library (only available for people with print disabilities): https://archive.org/details/somebugs0000dite