The Curious Kid’s Science Book (review)

Today, I want to tell you all about a NEW BOOK. Regular readers of Red  Ted Art, will know that I ADORE books – whether they are story books for the kids, novels for me or activity books for all the family. Though I adore the Internet and all the amazing content that it provides, a book, is just a whole different way to browse and absorb information. I also find books much better for planning activities with the kids – as we can browse the books together, or they can go off with a pad of post it notes and select things that they are interested in doing.

Though Red Ted Art is all about one of my passions KIDS CRAFTS.. I also have another one, that you may be familiar  with SCIENCE (did you know I studied Mechanical Engineering.. well I did)! As mentioned, there are tons of fantastic online resources for Science – there is Science Sparks, Science Sections on Life at The Zoo, Inspiration Laboratories, Science Activities for preschoolers and of course Fun At Home With Kids – which brings me to today’s book review: The Curious Kid’s Science Book (get it here US/ UK). A book just takes it all to a different level and it is a much “nicer” user experience than on the computer.

My instant thoughts about this book are:

  • it makes Science an “every day” “do able” activity
  • it makes Science “easy”
  • every new parent should have one
  • a great resource for Primary School teachers (in fact, I will be gifting a copy to my kid’s school)

 

science resources for kids (7)

The Curious Kid’s Science Book (get it here US/ UK)

The book focusses on making science hands on, fun and explorative for 4-8year olds (broadly speaking)

science resources for kids (6)

It builds on what children do naturally anyway – explore, test, discover.

 

science resources for kids (4)

It gives us great resources of every day household items that you can use to have some simple science fun.

science resources for kids (3)

And remember.. Science is not ALWAYS about the answer.. it is about the EXPLORATION and the DISCOVER. It is discussing “what do you think may happen?” and comparing it with “What did happen?” and can we “work out why?”.

Even though I love Science, I can’t always explain everything to my children. But that isn’t what Science is always about. It is often about introducing concepts and ideas and turning your children into THINKERS and EXPLORERS.

science resources for kids (1)

The book is ordered into sections – such as Engineering…

science resources for kids (2)

Evironmental Sciences… (eg. soil erosion, what is it? what can we do about it)

science resources for kids (5)and.. living things. There are many more sections – including the super fun section all about Baking Soda and Vinegar (what child doesn’t LOVE those explosions). Water and ice (again, my kids can play with water and ice all day – and they make for great scientific exploration in the summer months). Plants and seeds (someone people seem to forget that biology and growing things actually a very important part of Science and so easy and fun to do with the kids!) and many more.

It is a comprehensive book, touching on many subjects and giving you project after project after project of ideas and activities you can plan with your kids – over 100 in fact. Many are super quick and easy to set up, some take a little longer. I love seeing modern topics like Environmental Science included – making it a great resources for schools.

And one more thing: with Red Ted Art, I strive to create childhood memories for my children. I personally have great memories of creating and making with key “grown ups” in my life. But these childhood memories, don’t have to be “restricted” to crafts…. these activities and experiments are just as big a part of forming childhood memories. I want my kids to remember exploring growing plants together (and seeing what happens when you add blue water), I want my kids to remember their first baking soda and vinegar explosion (and that Daddy’s idea of using baking POWDER did not work), I want those giggles and expressions of wonder to be associated with longer summer afternoons AT HOME and not just at school. This book is not just about education, but about having fun TOGETHER.

The Curious Kid’s Science Book (get it here US/ UK)