This a review of the Giant Science Resource Book from my affiliate partner, Evan-Moor Educational Publishers.
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through my link, I will make a small commission at no cost to you. I use the funds to support my family and make Homeschool Money Mom better.
Do you have trouble finding a science curriculum online?
I find myself cringing because the content isn’t quite up to par.
Most curriculums are outdated or shallow. I hate their read and recall exercises.
It doesn’t encourage a lot of creative thought or encourage students to synthesize information into thoughtful conclusions.
Evan-Moore Educational Publishers did a great job of ensuring the content is accurate and engaging in the Giant Science Resource Book.
I chose to review the Giant Science Resource Book because it spans a huge age range and the graphic organizers it contains.
The Good: Giant Science Resource Book
I have to admit that when I first looked at the Giant Science Resource Book because it looked just like a lot of busy-work.
But the content blew me away.
First, it is on point with evolution.
On page 86, the activity includes comparing a human skeleton with a whale’s. Comparative thinking is a needed skill for math and science.
The best part is the whale skeleton has some great homologous structure compared to a human’s.
On page 111, the content poses the question of whether dinosaurs evolved into birds. Then encourages the kids to compare the skeletons and find out.
Another comparative thinking exercise!
These resources will set up our kids for strong reasoning skills, promoting math and science skills.
Second, some sections have sorting cards, matching cards, and other cut and paste activities.
You can adapt these cards into many other games..
The body section even includes a large size build a body activity my kids had a lot of fun doing.
Third, I loved the graphic organizers!
I particularly loved the “Research Notetaker” on page 300, because outlines the annotation process, needed for serious science notebook skills.
This organizer also provides places for a summary and practice for synthesizing information.
The Bad
First, this book is a bit unorganized.
It is divided into sections based on topic.
The Life Science section is subdivided into more specific topics, like amphibians or prehistoric animals.
After that, it is just random enrichment pages. Because of that, I would have liked to see them further divided from simple to complex.
Second, many of the activities are just reading activities.
It makes them seem like very passive activities. I would have like to see more sorting, matching, puzzle activities.
Because these activities do have accurate content, they are great ways to gauge comprehension so they are beneficial.
Third, older kids will benefit the most from this material. Those who have strong reading abilities. Only a few sections like simple machines have text geared toward beginning readers.
Conclusion
The Evan-Moor Educational Publisher’s Giant Science Resource Book is a great resource for anyone who wants to keep science reproducibles on hand.
It will benefit kids who like to read or cut the most.
Those with older kids, about 8 or over, will be able to use the most resources from the book.
This book is also great for homeschool moms who want to keep a few activities in their bag for keeping kids quiet and occupied in public places.
Click here to use my affiliate link to get your copy! (Affiliate link)
Or check out a curriculum bundle and save up to 25%!
Or check out my another review: Evan-Moor Smart Start Read and Write Grade K
