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SCIENCE
Unit Enrichment: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Suggested Book List
This book list contains links to bookshop.org, an outside site.
Who Was Galileo? by Patricia Brennan Demuth
Who Was Isaac Newton by Janet B. Pascal
Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by Stacy McAnulty
Star Stuff: Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos by Stephanie Roth Sisson
Starstruck: The Cosmic Journey of Neil Degrasse Tyson by Kathleen Krull
Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World by Elizabeth Rusch
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Startalk Young Readers Edition by Neil Degrasse Tyson
Outside Links
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s popular series StarTalk is available on YouTube.
Symphony of Science has several music videos featuring famous scientists. Here’s a video staring Carl Sagan:
Here’s another Symphony of Science video starring Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox and Carolyn Porco
Younger kids may like SciShow Kids Let’s Explore Space! Astronomy for Kids on YouTube
Kids will love playing and learning at NASA Kids Club:
https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html
Unit Enrichment: Exploring Our Amazing Planet
Suggested Book
This book list contains links to bookshop.org, an outside site.
The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid by Dylan Thuras
Here are some fun links to enrich the Atlas Obscura experience:
To learn more about Thrihnukagigur Volcano (page 6) visit:
To hear recordings of whales visit (Blue Whale Migration page 7):
You can watch video of the Kasanka National Park bat migration and learn more interesting facts about the park at (page 8):
https://kasankanationalpark.com/explore/things-to-do-and-see/witness-the-bat-migration/
To learn more about fruit bats visit:
Learn more about Victoria Falls (page 9):
https://www.zambiatourism.com/destinations/waterfalls/victoria-falls/victoria-falls-devils-pool
Nashima is a dish made of cornmeal that is commonly eaten in Zambia. Learn a bit more about Zambian culture by sampling this dish along with traditional relish. The recipes are available here:
https://www.worldvision.org/charitable-giving-news-stories/kitchen-nshima-recipe
More pictures of Blood Falls in Antarctica (page 10) available at:
Learn more about Mount Erebus (page 11) at:
Watch a video of Erta Ale (page 12), and of course remember don’t go this close to an active volcano, kids!
Learn more about Dallol, Ethiopia, one of the hottest places on Earth (page 13):
Learn more about the Tunguska Event (page 16):
Visit Chicxulub Crater (page 16):
PROJECT: MAKE A DIORAMA - Take an empty cardboard box. It’ doesn’t matter how big the box is. It can range from shoebox size on up. If your student has toy dinosaurs they can incorporate them into the diorama. If not, they can sculpt dinosaurs out of clay or make cardboard cut-out dinosaurs. Have your student research which dinosaurs lived during the Cretaceous period. Create a diorama of what a typical day in the Cretaceous looked like before the space rock created the Chicxulub Crater.
Visit the crystal caves of Naica with National Geographic (page 17):
PROJECT MAKE ROCK CANDY (CRYSTALS YOU CAN EAT) - Now that you have learned about the giant crystals of Naica, it’s time to have fun with crystals by making rock candy. It will take about a week for the sugar crystals to form, but it’s worth the wait because at the end you get to eat candy! https://www.thespruceeats.com/rock-candy-521016
Explore Hang Son Doing cave (page 18) with this amazing drone footage:
PROJECT: COOK VIETNAMESE FOOD - Vietnamese food is delicious! Here are kid-friendly recipes for Vietnamese food:
Learn more about Pitigliano (page 23):
Learn more about the 10,000-Year Clock (page 27):
Read an article about recent research on the Nazca Lines (Page 41):
See photos of Caño Cristales, called the most beautiful river in the world (page 57):
Learn more about the everlasting lightning storm in Venezuela (page 64):
To watch a video explaining the science behind Durweze, Ahal Turkmenistan, known as “The Door to Hell,” (page 98) visit:
View drone footage of Villarrica Volcano (page 105) here: