Education | Page 10 of 39

Blades of Freedom, a smart mglit graphic novel that entertains

In speaking with our elementary school library one of their biggest desires is for kids to read more non-fiction books. For those older elementary students, as well as, anyone who appreciates smart books that educate through humor and real events the Hazardous Tales series must be on your list. Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales is an ongoing graphic novel series on Amulet Books that cover a variety of people, events, or things. They’re also some of the best, not to mention educational series of books that have the potential to engage young readers on real-life happenings. Blades of Freedom is the tenth book in the series and it brings the elements that fans enjoyed from earlier books, but also digs deeper into history and unknown nuggets.

An educational… and fun non-fiction graphic novel? yup.

KIBO 10 Home Edition, go-to coding at home for ages 4-7

I am not a coding teacher. However, after trying to teach two elementary-aged students the basics of coding in a number of different ways I have determined the common stumbling block that both of them had. It has to do with the go, stop, turn left, go, stop, rotate, go, blink, go, conundrum. We reviewed a great product from Kinderlab Robotics the other year that was awesome but did have a high price point and geared at classrooms. That robot solved the aforementioned issue that our kids had in learning coding, and now they’ve released the KIBO 10 Home Edition that does so at a much friendlier level to your purse strings.

Coding need not be greek for those aged 4-7

Who Gives A Poop?, STEM, fun, edutainment for 10 and up

Regardless of your stance on books, STEM, mglit, or chocolate chip cookies, we can all agree that Who Gives A Poop?, Surprising Science From One End To The Other is one of the cleverest book titles you’ll ever run across. The book is a story of things that we see every day. Sometimes it’s hiding in plain sight and other times it smacks us on the shoulder while we’re sitting at the pool. It’s worth noting that actually did happen to our son this summer from a passing seagull. Now that I’ve read this book I know that so many things could’ve been gleaned by taking a look at that white splotch that splattered from him onto our stuff.

It’s science. Stem. funny. readable. and makes ages 10 and up curious

National Geographic Kids: Brain Candy, a rabbit hole of fun and learning

Our 11-year-old used to obsess over books like these from National Geographic Kids. He’d grab one from his collection and regale those in the car who were lucky enough to be near him. It didn’t matter who was in the car either. It could’ve been just the driver, his brother, or friends with him; he loved sharing those tidbits of information. National Geographic Kids Brain Candy is a square book that’s jammed with the kind of vibrant, emotive photographs that make books like these stand out from the crowd.

The book is called Brain Candy because the pages have factoids of knowledge that will make elementary school ages feel intelligent. Ironically, those same facts will make their parents or teachers think to themselves that they used to know these things and or why is it that kids are so much smarter nowadays.

National Geographic Kids Brain Candy has 500 facts with brilliant full-color photos that cover any interest in the universe.

Nat Geo Kids education and fun, or vice versa

50 Maps of the World, breeds curiosity for young minds

‘Young minds’ is relative when talking about 50 Maps of the World. As a kid, I remember scouring over the world atlas our family had. It was an atlas in the truest sense of the word. There were brown patches for mountains, greens for the valleys, tan for the dessert, and varying blues for the vast amount of water. It was a cold, serious atlas and I loved it. 50 Maps of the World takes that innate curiosity that kids have about the world, enlarges it on brightly colored engaging maps, and amps up the wanderlust.

Open only if prone to wanderlust or desire to learn about other cultures

Mayflower: The Ship That Started a Nation, successfully sails and more

The first Thanksgiving was a good 399 years ago. It’s one of those holidays that elementary kids know the basics, but may not the reasons or its history. They know that they’re eating at the small table, part of the extended family will gather in one location, crafts are done, and sometimes football is watched. Our kids know the main vocabulary words like pilgrims, Indians, the Mayflower, and maybe where they landed. Mayflower: The Ship That Started a Nation is an illustrated book that can change that to some degree.

Mayflower: The Ship That Started a Nation is a historical, illustrated book that combines gorgeous art and age appropriate text for ages 9 and up.

An illustrated book about more than eating turkey on the fourth Thursday in November

The Constitution Decoded, a readable, fun reference book

At one point in time, I knew most of what the government of the United States does. I know that when our nine or eleven-year-old asks me questions about this or that regarding the government it all sounds familiar, but nailing down the precise answer is challenging. For situations like this, you need The Constitution Decoded: A Guide to the Documents that Shapes our Nation. This is a reference book for The Constitution. It presents the preamble, all of the articles, amendments, The Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of the Confederation. It has these documents in their entirety, and on the page opposite, it explains it in simple English.

Middle school USA government doesn’t get better than this

Hello Numbers! What Can You Do?, is rhyming, math fun

Young children are smart. At their core they want to learn, it’s just up to the older people who are taking care of them to get fun, educational materials in their way. For the sake of this review, young children is referring to those kids who are between two and six. These are the crawlers and first-grade kids who have nothing better to do than learn, so hop to it parents. That is where Hello Numbers! What Can You Do? An Adventure Beyond Counting can hardwire these kids for math brilliance, with a little assistance.

A smart counting book for crawlers-first grade that makes math a rhyming adventure