Great Books to Get Kids Excited for School
As kids head back to school, you can help put them in a learning mindset by beefing up your home library.
Here are a few new books to consider that can make learning fun, as well as support STEAM education initiatives.
It’s Elemental
Created in association with the Smithsonian Institute, “The Elements Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Periodic Table” is an easy-to-understand guide to the 118 chemical elements that make up our world.
Cataloged by type, each element’s properties and atomic structure is explained. More than 1,000 full-color photographs showcase the natural forms of each element, as well as a wide range of unexpected everyday objects in which each is found, to make them relevant to a child’s world. This guide brings the periodic table to life for children ages 9 and above.
Creative Coding
For kids ages 10 and over, “Coding Projects in Python” teaches those with some experience already how to build graphics, games and useful apps. All they need is a desktop or laptop, and an Internet connection to download Python 3.
Instructions illustrated with pixel art teach essential coding basics, like loops and conditionals, and outline seven fun projects, including a script that cracks secret codes, a quiz to challenge family and friends and a tic-tac-toe game. Once kids are feeling confident, they can creatively use the tips and tricks provided to personalize each project.
Coding is a sought-after skill that teaches kids how to think creatively, work collaboratively and reason systematically.
Fun Formations
Colorful and informative, “My Book
of Rocks and Minerals” gives kids the expert
knowledge they crave and will have them
digging deep to discover all they can
about rocks, minerals, gems, and fossils,
from the deepest caves to outer space.
From crystals to glow-in-the-dark minerals,
illuminating images provide a closer look at
amazing geological formations. Kids can take
their fascination one step further and use the
catalog and activity pages to help them collect
and group rocks to discover how different rock
types fit into the world around them.
(StatePoint)