I received a sample for this review/feature. Opinions expressed are my own.
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Happy Fall! The weather is changing…even here in Florida…and with it that comes a change of books needed and wanted at home! The September Quarto STEAM Club Picks are all about SCHOOL AT HOME. While so many are coping with a new reality of zoom schools and hybrid schools here are some books that can help with home learning.
Dive into the world of creepy-crawlies in this Encyclopedia of Insects.
Packed with hundreds of bugs, every one is looked at in fascinating detail by natural history expert Jules Howard.
From the cutest and most beautiful, to the deadliest and most disgusting, there’s something for everyone in this book which highlights the importance of the insect world. Plus, find out what actually makes an insect, an insect – with guest entries from the non-insects: centipedes, spiders, woodlice, and snails.
Replicate a chemical reaction similar to one Marie Curie used to purify radioactive elements! Distill perfume using a method created in ancient Mesopotamia by a woman named Tapputi! Aspiring chemists will discover these and more amazing role models and memorable experiments in Chemistry for Kids, the debut book of The Kitchen Pantry Scientist series.
This engaging guide offers a series of snapshots of 25 scientists famous for their work with chemistry, from ancient history through today. Each lab tells the story of a scientist along with some background about the importance of their work, and a description of where it is still being used or reflected in today’s world.
A step-by-step illustrated experiment paired with each story offers kids a hands-on opportunity for exploring concepts the scientists pursued, or are working on today. Experiments range from very simple projects using materials you probably already have on hand, to more complicated ones that may require a few inexpensive items you can purchase online.
Science is entertaining… science is funny… science is downright ridiculous!
Explore the wacky world of STEM in this comic book of exciting experiments.
Defy gravity with air pressure!
Extract DNA from a living thing!
Learn the science of SLIME!
Create a lightning bolt in the dark!
Prove theories about light with Newton’s wheel!
…and much more! Discover STEM topics through the lives of over 40 scientists and their amazing discoveries. Read the comic strips then have a go at each STEM experiment yourself. Featuring a diverse range of scientists throughout history this book will inspire you to give science a go! Are you ready?
Design Genius, Jr.: Adventures in Engineering for Kids explores the future through problem solving, design thinking, and engineering in a science-fact world that most parents and kids don’t yet know exists. This book invites kids to take charge of the world they wish to create by designing inventions and solutions to challenges faced in an imaginary City X, the first human settlement on another planet.
This adventure takes readers on an epic journey: humans are leaving Earth, arriving at a new planet, and creating the first settlement there, City X. It’s a journey of historic proportions, to a fledgling city on a distant planet, where humanity has a chance to start fresh and design a future that works for everyone.
In settling another planet, humans discover a host of challenges, much like those faced on Earth: Challenges related to issues of energy, environment, transportation, security, food, safety, and health. Empowered by design thinking and advanced technology, their problems are to be solved by a vast team of young designers on Earth (your children!).
With this book, you and yours will be able to develop the tools to explore, understand, imagine, create, and share your own irresistible futures through accessible real-world activities and awesome ideations.
Without limits, what can kids create?
Design thinking—creative problem solving—will be crucial to resolving the global challenges in business, politics, and the environment facing the next generation. Each book in the Design Genius Jr. series teaches kids this important skill through fun, hands-on projects in a single area of design that challenge them to identify problems, explore possibilities, test ideas, and then come up with original solutions.
Animal Exploration Lab for Kids is your go-to introduction to the wonderful world of animals.
This family-friendly animal reference guide features fun activities designed to enhance your understanding of, and love for, the animal kingdom as you:
Explore the techniques that researchers use to study animals
Investigate the adaptations and behaviors that make animals so unique
Study how animals sense and respond to the world around them
Discover new ways to support and conserve your amazing animal neighbors
For example, in Unit 1 you’ll use a trail camera to document animals around your home and in Unit 2, you’ll examine the usefulness of blubber in keeping polar animals warm.
Each lab in the book is designed to help you build new knowledge and skills around animal science and are broken into the following sections:
Safety Tips & Helpful Hints provides additional guidelines and insights for successfully conducting each lab.
Procedure provides details about the individual steps in each lab so you’ll know just what to do.
Creative Enrichment helps you think about how to take your experiment even further.
The Science Behind the Fun provides a simple description of the science that supports the lab and other background information
EXCITING HANDS-ON STEM LEARNING: Kids discover the science behind weather patterns with their own weather station, complete with real weather instruments and an illustrated book packed with engaging experiments
16 PIECES FOR WEATHER-DETECTING FUN: Weather station base, lab station with experiment wells for a condensation station and filtration station, weather vane, rain gauge, anemometer, compass, wide test tube, thermometer with hygrometer, and a 32-page illustrated activity book packed with information about extreme weather
18 WILD WEATHER EXPERIMENTS, OUTDOOR & INDOOR: Explore the weather year round guided by the vibrantly illustrated lab book; kids will learn the difference between weather and climate, make a barometer, test for acid rain, identify clouds, discover how acidification of the oceans impacts sea life, and become familiar with the Enhanced Fujita Scale for tornadoes
INCLUDES A RAINWATER FILTRATION STATION: The expanded experimentation base includes a filtration station to illustrate the purification of rain into groundwater
PERFECT FOR BUDDING METEOROLOGISTS AGES 7+: Great for homeschooling, play dates, birthday parties, sleepovers, and family fun
As children either continue doing virtual schooling or head back to school it is nice to have a reference of science books and activities your kids can safely do from home. These books will probably get more use than normal around my house since most events and activities are cancelled. The Weather Lab has been the biggest hit out of these so far. We get a lot of afternoon showers so they like the idea of being able to check in on rain levels and their experiments more often. I love seeing them eager to do something they have learned from a book! Check out the Quarto STEAM Club to join an online STEAM community for kids, parents, educators, and STEAM lovers!
I have three girls ages 13, 10 and 5. We enjoy everything outdoors such as theme parks, hiking, camping, traveling, boating, fishing, hunting or even things as simple as hanging out by the pool and lake. We are huge supporters of Girl Scouts and are very active with our community. We live in sunny Orlando and I also enjoy college football...Go Gators!
