I received a sample for this review/feature. Opinions expressed are my own.
It can be really hard to navigate all the reading material out there to find the best stuff for your kids. The Quarto STEAM Club is a bi-monthly e-newsletter that keeps you up-to-date with the latest and greatest in STEAM books for kids taking all the guesswork out of STEAM book selection!
By joining their newsletter you get to be a part of an amazing online community which includes:
- Quarto STEAM Club book and toy recommendations chosen by a panel of STEAM experts
- A discount coupon for 40% off the Quarto STEAM Club book picks on Quartoknows.com
- Free STEAM activity downloads
- Printable Quarto STEAM Club kid-member certificate
- STEAM activity videos
- Access to a dedicated private Facebook group for members to share tips and tricks
Here are the July Quarto STEAM Club Selections:
Science isn’t limited to the classroom—it can be found out in the garden! This photographic book of experiments and projects covers covers chemical reactions, states of matter, microbiology, and much more—all with materials and equipment that can be found at home.
The STEAM Ahead series shows readers that science isn’t limited to the classroom—it can be found out in the garden, cooked up in the kitchen, and brought to life with paper and paints! Each book features clear, step-by-step instructions and has a fresh, contemporary design, with an emphasis on fun, achievable experiments to give kids hands-on experiences. The science behind each experiment is explained, giving readers the theory behind the practical activities.
Measure, hammer, and screw to make something new! For kids 8+ who love to create, STANLEY® Jr. Woodworking is Awesome gets them off the screen and into the wood shop with a dozen fun projects.
Jump right in with an introduction to building with wood! A complete basics section on tools and skills teaches kids the ground rules. (They’ll also learn when parents will need to lend a helping hand in the wood shop.) The rest of the book is all about the projects, including easy builds and more challenging ideas. Chapters and projects include:
- Fun and hobby-related projects like a birdhouse, toss across game, and catapult!
- Handy projects like a tool carrier and workbench.
- Gifts, including a picture frame and jewelry box.
With clearly written steps and helpful photographs the aim is for kids to lead. STEAM/STEMlearning opportunities are part of the fun as well! Supplemental facts and explorations accompany the projects throughout the book. Kids are encouraged to develop a maker mentality, fostering creative problem-solving and open-ended exploration. Build and explore in the wood shop!
With this fun and practical guide to outdoor play, be inspired to unplug and spark a nature connection vital for children’s healthy growth and development.
Children and families are plugged into electronics and often disconnected from direct experiences in nature. This beautifully photographed, highly visual resource offers tangible approaches to nature-based learning and play for children. Parents and teachers discover the benefits of outdoor learning and simple ways to facilitate unplugged nature connection in every season. Inspired by nature preschools, forest kindergartens, and forest school models the world over, this guide includes “Voices from the Field” with advice from experienced nature-based educators, too. This insightful guide balances nature play experiences with hands-on projects using natural materials and is an ideal jumping off point for immersive nature play.
Examples of nature-based child experiences outlined in the book include:
- Wildlife observation and tracking
- Nature sounds, songs, and poetry
- Gardening and cooking with wild edibles
- Printmaking, charcoal drawing, dyeing, and shadow play
- Journaling inspired by nature
With Nature Play Workshop for Families, any child, anywhere, can spark a nature connection.
Get ready for kid-approved ideas that celebrate the great outdoors year round! Whether you’re building forts or making fresh cider, there’s something for every kid and every season.
What might unfold if we put away our devices for an hour, a day, or even longer? What adventures await, when we press pause on technology? The Unplugged Family Activity Book invites you and your loved ones to connect, create, and celebrate all year long.
With more than 50 projects, crafts, and recipes, plus ideas for seasonal celebrations to share with family and friends, there’s fun to be had, all through the year.
Host a springtime tea party, where you’ll nibble shortbread cookies and make a mossy teacup fairy garden. Or gather with friends for a summer potluck party. Blow giant bubbles, race leaf-and-bark boats, or camp out in your own backyard. In the fall, enjoy a harvest party with your friends! Create a fall leaf rainbow, sip mulled cider, and bake bread over a campfire. When winter comes, celebrate the longest night of the year with twinkling ice lanterns. Try your hand at candle dipping and pen your wishes for the coming year.
You’ll find instruction and recipes for:
- Candied violets
- Herbal first aid balm
- Rose petal tea
- Infused honey
- Homemade ice cream
- Summer flower bunting
- Homemade dragonfly wings
- Felted acorn necklaces
- Autumn gratitude tree
- Decorative lanterns
- Baked apples
- Winter stargazing
- Maple lollipops
- Dried citrus garland
- Plus dozens more crafts, projects, and recipes!
In The Unplugged Family Activity Book, you’ll fall in love with every season–wherever you call home. So grab your family and friends, and get ready for an adventure that will last all through the year!
With more than 80 fun experiments, SUPER Science Experiments: Outdoor Fun is the ultimate lab book for kids who love nature and the outdoors!
This fact- and fun-filled book includes tons of simple, kid-tested science experiments, many of which can be done with items from around the house, and require little-to-no supervision! That’s right—no adult help needed. That means no grownups doing all the fun stuff while you watch. You can do lots of messy, cool, mind-blowing experiments all by yourself! All the supplies you need are probably already in your home. No fancy gadgets or doohickeys needed!
Whether you’re building your own bird or butterfly feeders, thermometer, or air horn, this book has something for everyone. Each experiment features safety precautions, materials needed, step-by-step instructions with illustrations, fun facts, and further explorations.
With SUPER Science Experiments: Outdoor Fun,kid scientists like you can:
- Look at underwater critters without getting your face wet
- Build a home for bees
- Measure rainfall and wind speed
- Create an ecosystem in a bottle
- Make an air horn
- Trap a cloud
- And complete many other SUPER science experiments!
At once engaging, encouraging, and inspiring, the SUPER Science Experiments series provides budding scientists with go-to, hands-on guides for learning the fundamentals of science and exploring the fascinating world around them. Also in this series, check out: Cool Creations, Build It, and At Home.
There’s no better boredom-buster than a science experiment. You will learn something and astound and amaze your friends and family. So, what are you waiting for? Get experimenting!
Crazy Drinks Science Lab:
- Concoct crazy drinks that will make you think!
- 24-Page illustrated activity book guides young scientists through 20 wild & wacky experiments they can actually drink.
- Mix up purple potions, Alien ice cubes, and glowing slime, then switch on the included UV light to see your glowing concoctions.
- Stem focus: chemistry and food science
- Ages 8 and up
In these times as children are about to 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. My girls have already started looking for nature items around our lake and in the trees for items to build using the Nature Play Workshop for Families book. 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! Good luck to all the parents as school begins not at all the way we wish it could!
