If you’re looking for the best gifts to give your science-loving family this holiday season, we have the perfect guide for you. Listed below, are all of the authors, artists, and products that have been featured on Parenting Within Reason (and Podcast Beyond Belief), including some book recommendations by Dale McGowan and Jim Randolph from our soon-to-be-released latest episode. Plus, you’ll find some brain boosting games recommended by Nurture Shock author, Ashley Merryman in our interview with her.
If there’s a product that you think our readers would enjoy, please list it in the comments section. And if there are some products on here that you really enjoyed, let us know, and be sure to click the link and review it on amazon too.
Books for Parents
- Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide to Parenting Beyond Belief by Dale McGowan, Jan Devor, Molleen Matsumara, and Amanda Metskas
- Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents by Dr. Christine Carter
- Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science Risky Medicine and the Search for a Cure by Dr. Paul Offit
- Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Dr. Stuart Brown
- Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs by Ellen Galinsky
- Free Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry) by Lenore Skenazy
- Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children by Ashley Merryman and Po Bronson
- The Paranoid Parents Guide: Worry Less, Parent Better, and Raise a Resilient Child by Christie Barnes
- Scientific Paranormal Investigations: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries by Ben Radford
- War for Children’s Minds by Stephen Law*
- Religious Literacy: What every American Needs to Know – But Doesn’t by Stephen Prothero *
- Raising Lifelong Learners: A Parent’s Guide by Lucy Calkins *
- Why Societies Need Dissent by Cass Sunstein *
Books for Kids
- Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be by Daniel Loxton
- The Frog Scientist by Pamela S. Turner
- The Bat Scientists by Mary Kay Carson
- Hoaxed: Fakes and Mistakes in the World of Science by Jude Isabella
- Kids’ Book of Questions by Gregory Stock *
- Alexander Fox and the Amazing Mind Reader by John Clayton *
- Philosophy Rocks! by Stephen Law *
- How Whales Walked Into the Sea by Faith McNulty *
- In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton *
- Charlotte’s Web (audio book) by EB White *
- People by Peter Spier **
- Children Just Like Me by Anabel Kindersley **
- One World, Many Religions: This is the Way We Worship by Mary Pope Osborne **
- Tales of Greek Heroes by Roger Green **
- Zen Shorts by John Muth **
- The Goblin and the Empty Chair by Mem Fox **
- Memoirs of a Bookbat by Kathryn Lasky **
Music
- Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants
- Songs From the Science Frontier by Monty Harper
Toys
- Charlie’s Playhouse Timeline Floor Mat
- Blink Card Game ***
- Qwirkle Board Game ***
- Set Card Game ***
- Rush Hour Board Game ***
- Perfection Board Game ***
- Chocolate Fix Board Game ***
- Nintendo Big Brain Academy ***
Miscellaneous
*Recommended by Dale McGowan
**Recommended by Jim Randolph
***Recommended by Ashley Merryman
blotzphoto
Chris
littlez2008
Ticktock
I don’t have a specific book in mind, but I would like to suggest to find some on easy origami and/or paper airplanes (yes, somewhere in the house is an origami airplane book). There is a fascination with taking a simple piece of paper and making something out of it!
Oh, and don’t forget a Spirograph.
By: Chris on November 2, 2010
at 11:46 pm
Thanks for putting this up. I’ll link to this great list on Teacherninja. That other Mem Fox title I couldn’t quite get out was “Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge.”
I enjoyed it, Colin and it was an honor to be on a podcast with you, Dale and Bed Radford. Wow.
Thanks again,
Jim
PS That book on death I mentioned was “Lifetimes: The beautiful way to explain death to children” by Bryon Mellonie
By: Jim Randolph on November 9, 2010
at 4:41 pm
I was re-arranging one of the many piles of books in the house after buying another book case when I came across a book I bought for my daughter years ago. It is Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman.
The level is upper elementary, about ages 9 to 12. It is a story set in Medieval England about a young woman who is basically apprenticed to a healer, Peg the Bonesetter. There is an interesting contrast between the self-taught group of healers (herbalists, barber surgeons, etc) to the learned physician who is actually more of an astrologer/dream interpreter. With interesting side notes on the usefulness (more like futility) of prayer and religion. The author ends with a note that is a short history of medicine, ending with a bibliography.
By: Chris on November 20, 2010
at 4:40 pm