kid friendly evolution learning resources

[Martha27]

I wasn't sure where to post this question at all! I don't want to cause a ruckus anywhere and didn't think I should post this in the spirtuality forum. If I have posted in the wrong place please tell me or move my post.

I want to teach my kids (3.5 and almost 5) a little about evolution. Mostly the 5 year old b/c she asked about it. I do believe in this theory though and would want to teach my kids about it anyway. So I am wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of some kid friendly resources, maybe youtube cartoons or even coloring pages taht might help them understand it a bit. Like I said mostly the 5 year old- she is very bright and inquisitive about everything and eager to learn just needs something simple that she can begin to understand this concept.

thanks :)

[LynnS6]

Mammals who Morph: The Universe Tells our Evolution Story. It's part of a 3 books series, starting with the Born with a Bang, then from Lava to Life and then Mammals who Morph. It should work for your kids. I found them a bit odd in that the narrator was the 'universe' and so sometimes it sounds a bit odd.

[Martha27]

thank you, looks good! Better then the only youtube video I could find that made sense to my daughter...an open credit clip from The Simpsons! It was actually pretty simple yet accurate :)

[spruce]

DK (Doring-Kindersley) has a book on evolution.  You can google it under "DK Eyewitness Evolution."  We finally found it locally this year and LOVE it. 

Here's an Amazon link:  http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Eyewitness-Books-Linda-Gamlin/dp/0756650283/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

:)

[Callimom]

No need to feel shy!

There are great resources here

We like Our Family Tree by Lisa Peters for young kids and Life on Earth by Steve Jenkins (for slightly older kids)

The Born with a Bang series mentioned above is excellent.

I haven't seen Ellen Jackson book The Wonder's of Evolution, but her stuff is generally pretty good.

There are some videos, computer based games and teaching resources linked here   Check Youtube for Just So Darwin which is a BBC production I think - lots of resources there.

Dover does a colouring book about Charles Darwin but they tend to be more complicated to colour.

And this blog has some resources and lesson plans for evolution/pre-history etc

hth

Karen

[spruce]

I saw the "Our Family Tree" when searching Amazon for one of the other titles listed here.  It made my fingers itch to type in an order!    I am supposed to be done book-buying for the school year, but all of those books sound so amazing, and my 10yo especially is very interested in evolutionary biology.  Hmmmmm..

;) 

love, p

[kvklay]

Originally Posted by LynnS6 

Mammals who Morph: The Universe Tells our Evolution Story. It's part of a 3 books series, starting with the Born with a Bang, then from Lava to Life and then Mammals who Morph. It should work for your kids. I found them a bit odd in that the narrator was the 'universe' and so sometimes it sounds a bit odd.

My favorite part of the book was the one with the big Gastornis birds. The book said that they were so big that they ate horses! That is a really big bird to be able to pick up and eat a whole horse. 

This book says that people came from apes. Apes are a lot like us. It says that they morphed slowly into people. 

I learned a lot of things from `Mammals Who Morph." It even said where hot chocolate came from! 

[moominmamma]

Originally Posted by LynnS6 

Mammals who Morph: The Universe Tells our Evolution Story. It's part of a 3 books series, starting with the Born with a Bang, then from Lava to Life and then Mammals who Morph. It should work for your kids. I found them a bit odd in that the narrator was the 'universe' and so sometimes it sounds a bit odd.

I'd never taken seriously recommendations for this book because the title sounded so sound-byte-ish and dumbed down. But I just followed your Amazon link and used the Look Inside feature and I have to say it looks excellent, very different from what I'd expected.

Miranda

[elanorh]

Not a book, but we really like "Here Comes Science," a kid's music/video DVD by They Might Be Giants.  The music isn't such annoying jangly kids' music - and there are several good songs about evolution on it.  There's "My Brother the Ape," and there's also one about DNA .... Well done, we like it as much as our kids like it.  You can probably find clips of it on Youtube. 

I'll have to look for the other books mentioned at the library.  My background is anthropology, so the girls have learned quite a bit as a matter of course while we talk about things, about evolution and human evolution and I think have a pretty solid grasp.  But it never hurts to add to their knowledge/information base!