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Our top 10 space books for 4-7yrs

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top 10 space books 4-7yrs

If you’re preparing to blast off into space, you’ll probably want to take a good book. The same can be said if you’re about to embark on a space topic. Luckily for you we’ve got plenty of books to recommend. The books in this list are suitable for 4-7 year olds. To see our recommendations for 7-11 year olds click here.

Ready… steady…. blast off!

10. The Way Back Home

The Way Back Home

SUGGESTED AGE: 4-8 years

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: When a boy discovers a single-propeller airplane in his closet, he does what any young adventurer would do: He flies it into outer space! Millions of miles from Earth, the plane begins to sputter and quake, its fuel tank on empty. The boy executes a daring landing on the moon… but there’s no telling what kind of slimy, slithering, tentacled, fang-toothed monsters lurk in the darkness! (Plus, it’s dark and lonely out there.) Coincidentally, engine trouble has stranded a young Martian on the other side of the moon, and he’s just as frightened and alone. Martian, Earthling—it’s all the same when you’re in need of a friend.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                  For Amazon.com click here

9. On The Moon

On The Moon

RECOMMENDED AGE: 2-5yrs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: This is an artist-led picture book, which introduces young children to the vastness of the universe, how far away the moon is, what gravity is and the concept of space travel through a gentle and captivating story about an imaginative little girl. Combining full colour illustrations with NASA photographs from the surface of the moon, this beautifully illustrated picture book takes young children on an amazing journey into outer space. The story’s use of rhythmic text generates an evocative and friendly tale, taking children on a magical and informative journey.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                  For Amazon.com click here

8. There’s No Place Like Space

There's No Place Like Space

SUGGESTED AGE: 5-8 years

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Au revoir, Pluto! In this newly revised, bestselling backlist title, beginning readers and budding astronomers are launched on a wild trip to visit the now eight planets in our solar system (per the International Astronomical Union’s 2006 decision to downgrade Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet), along with the Cat in the Hat, Thing One, Thing Two, Dick, and Sally. It’s a reading adventure that’s out of this world!

For Amazon.co.uk click here                  For Amazon.com click here

7. Looking Down

SUGGESTED AGE: 4-8yrs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: If you were an astronaut traveling far out in space and you looked at the earth, what would you see? A small ball in the huge black universe. That’s where these pictures begin. Then they move closer and closer to the earth, each view revealing new details. Until finally… See for yourself. In this wordless picture book with stunning cut-paper illustrations, Steve Jenkins masterfully depicts the many levels of the universe, from the farthest reaches of space to the most familiar corner of your backyard.

For Amazon.co.uk click here               For Amazon.com click here

6. Goodnight Spaceman

Goodnight Spaceman

SUGGESTED AGE: 3-6yrs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Inspired by ESA astronaut Tim Peake and his sons, and featuring an introduction from Tim, this is the perfect bedtime book! Two space-mad little boys get ready for bed and say goodnight to their toy rockets, launch pads and planet mobiles, before being whisked away into space on an adventure beyond their wildest dreams… Tim Peake is the first official British ESA astronaut. He left Earth on 15th December 2015 to begin a six month long mission aboard the International Space Station. His time in space has been watched by millions and he is inspiring a new generation of explorers, adventurers and questioners.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                   For Amazon.com click here

5. Gravity

Gravity

SUGGESTED AGE: 3-7yrs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: What keeps objects from floating out of your hand? What if your feet drifted away from the ground? What stops everything from rising up into space? Gravity. In this unusual, innovative, and beautiful book, Jason Chin introduces young readers to this fundamental force, taking a complex subject and making it understandable. The perfect book for all young scientists.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                    For Amazon.com click here

4. The Man on the Moon

Man on the Moon

SUGGESTED AGE: 5-8yrs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: 6:00 a.m. Wake up. Have two eggs for breakfast.
8:00 a.m. Arrive at launchpad. Change into special man-on-the-moon suit.
8:45 a.m. Blast off.
8:58 a.m. Arrive on Moon.
9:00 a.m. Start work.

This is how Bob, the Man on the Moon, begins his day. It’s Bob’s job to entertain the tourists (handstands and high moon jumps are a hit), conduct Moon seminars (how long does it take to walk around the Moon on stilts?), sell souvenirs (pens, postcards – the usual), and keep the Moon clean and neat. Some people say that aliens are the ones who leave all the trash, but Bob tells them aliens don’t exist, and he would know . . . wouldn’t he?

For Amazon.co.uk click here               For Amazon.com click here

3. One Giant Leap

One Giant Leap

SUGGESTED AGE: 4-8 years

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: As a young boy, Neil Armstrong had a recurring dream in which he held his breath and floated high above the people, houses, and cars. He spent his free time reading stacks of flying magazines, building model airplanes, and staring through the homemade telescope mounted on the roof of his neighbour’s garage. As a teenager, Neil became obsessed with the idea of flight, working odd jobs to pay for flying lessons at a nearby airport. He earned his student pilot’s license on his sixteenth birthday. But who was to know that this shy boy, who also loved books and music, would become the first person to set foot on the moon, on July 20, 1969. Here is the inspiring story of one boy’s dream – a dream of flying that landed him more than 200,000 miles away in space, gazing upon the awesome sight of a tiny earth hanging suspended in a perfectly black sky. On the thirtieth anniversary of the moon landing, Don Brown’s expressive story reveals the achievement of this American legend, Neil Armstrong

For Amazon.co.uk click here                  For Amazon.com click here

2. The Darkest Dark

The Darkest Hour

SUGGESTED AGE: 4-7yrs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: The Darkest Dark is the debut picture book by Commander Chris Hadfield, international bestselling author of An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth and You Are Here, with spectacular illustrations by illustration team The Fan Brothers. Inspired by Chris’s decision to become an astronaut after watching the Apollo 11 moon landing at age nine, The Darkest Dark is an inspiring story about facing your fears and following your dreams.

For Amazon.co.uk click here               For Amazon.com click here

1. See Inside Space

See Inside Space

SUGGESTED AGE: 5-11 years

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: A flap book of astronomical proportions, packed with facts and information about the stars, planets and the universe. Fabulous double-page topics show our solar system, the Milky Way, how scientists think the universe was created and the latest space travel technology.

For Amazon.co.uk click here              For Amazon.com click here

Developing spatial awareness through STEM education

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spatial awareness

STEM skills open the door to a wide variety of exciting career paths including some of the highest paid and most in-demand jobs in the country. What’s more, the demand for STEM graduates is only set to grow. Spatial awareness is recognised as an important skill needed to perform well in STEM careers. For example, pilots need to use spatial thinking to fly a plane, architects and engineers to design buildings and surgeons to navigate the body.

What is spatial awareness?

Spatial awareness is part of our overall perception. It is the ability to see and understand the relationship between shapes, spaces and areas. This includes an awareness of your own body in relation to other objects.

Spatial awareness develops naturally in most children from a young age as they explore the environment around them. As they play with and move objects around, children develop an increased understanding of size, distance and space.

Does an increased spatial awareness improve STEM achievement?

Spatial awareness is important in STEM education and careers as these areas typically involve lots of problem solving. In order to solve these problems, spatial thinking often needs to be applied.

Research is now starting to show that developing a young child’s spatial awareness may help to increase their success in STEM fields in adulthood. Indeed, there are ongoing studies investigating whether low spatial skills explain why some students struggle in specific STEM subjects.

For example, Mathematics involves the use of spatial awareness when looking at concepts such as shapes, area, patterns and sequences. Children who struggle with spatial awareness are likely to find these areas difficult. Researchers discovered that by improving spatial awareness, students can become better at maths as a whole (Cheng & Mix 2014, read the report here).

Spatial Awareness and Gender Differences

Historically males have performed better in spatial awareness tasks than females. Indeed, sex differences in spatial ability are well documented but they are still not fully understood. We know that the idea that spatial ability is fixed is simply not true. However, we also know that there are a greater number of men in STEM careers. Research shows that boys show more of a preference for spatial awareness toys than girls. For example, many boys enjoy playing Minecraft and building Lego models. The BBC documentary ‘No More Boys and Girls: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free’ (Aug 2017) discusses the basis of these gender differences.

Spatial Awareness STEM Games for Children

Although educators recognise the importance of spatial awareness, it is a skill that is seldom taught or monitored in schools. We’ve put together our recommendations for games that enhance spatial awareness and promote STEM education. They would make great activities for children who have finished their work early or for reward time. In fact, why not schedule some time each week to play them? In doing so, you could help to narrow down the spatial awareness gender divide and improve your children’s ability in STEM subjects!

GlodieBlox

Construction: GoldieBlox

WHY WE RECOMMEND IT: This product is part of a book series and construction set starring Goldie, the kid inventor. The product builds spatial skills, basic engineering principles and confidence in problem solving. It was created by Debbie Sterling, a female engineer from Stanford University. It aims to inspire the next generation of female engineers.

For Amazon.co.uk click here

For Amazon.com click here

Lego

Construction: Lego

WHY WE RECOMMEND IT: This classic children’s toy allows them the freedom and creativity to build whatever they want. In addition to being fun, following instructions to create a lego model has been found to be a great way to develop spatial skills.

For Amazon.co.uk click here
For Amazon.com click here

Tangram

Puzzles: Tangram

WHY WE RECOMMEND IT: The 7 piece tangram puzzle is the world’s oldest and most well known silhouette puzzle. As children recreate the figures in the booklet, they will not only build on their understanding of shape but also increase their spatial awareness by manipulating objects.

For Amazon.co.uk click here
For Amazon.com click here

wooden tetris

Puzzles: Tetris

WHY WE RECOMMEND IT: Tetris is an addictive way to develop spatial awareness. The game improved eye-hand coordination and colour and shape recognition. Children must get all the blocks back together on the board with different solutions each time.

For Amazon.co.uk click here
For Amazon.com click here

Paper Folding: Origami

WHY WE RECOMMEND IT: Paper folding is an excellent way for children to develop fine motor skills and spatial reasoning. It is also a fun way to teach symmetry.

For Amazon.co.uk click here
For Amazon.com click here

15-Minute STEM

15min STEM

WHY WE RECOMMEND IT: ’15-Minute STEM’ is packed full of quick, easy-to-resource STEM activities, all of which help to develop spatial awareness in children. Some of our faves are the marshmallow challenge, newspaper towers and paper plane bullseye. For Amazon.co.uk click here.  For Amazon.com click here.

Other Ways to Increase Spatial Awareness

  • Classroom Games:  ‘I Spy’ and ‘Simon Says’ are a great way to develop spatial awareness and language. Play a game of ‘Robots’: an item is hidden nearby. The child acting as the robot has to find it by following directions such as ‘walk three steps to the left’, ‘look under the table’. This game develops spatial language.
  • Outdoor Games: playing marbles or bowls helps to develop judgement of space. Activities such as throwing beanbags into hoops help children to judge distances. Participating in obstacle courses helps children develop an awareness of their body in the space around it.
  • Outdoor Play Equipment: this also helps to develop gross and fine motor skills.
  • Map Reading: activities involving maps help children to gain an increased understanding of the objects and space around them.

Further Reading

  • ‘Finding the Missing Piece: Blocks, puzzles and shapes fuel school readiness’ (Verdine et al, 2014) click here
  • ‘Spatial Thinking and STEM Education: When, why and how? (Uttal et al, 2012) click here
  • ‘How Much Can Spatial Training Improve STEM Achievement?’ (Uttal et al, 2015) click here

Lefties in STEM

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lefties in stem

August 13th is international left-handers day and as a left-hander myself I can think of no better way to mark this than by celebrating some of the many famous lefties in STEM. But first a few facts:

  • Left-handers make up approximately 10% of the world’s population.
  • We don’t have a definitive reason as to why people are left-handed although it is thought to be genetic.
  • The brain is cross-wired so the right hemisphere controls the muscles on the left side of the body.  Some people argue that ‘right-brained’ people (left-handers) are more creative and intuitive while ‘left-brained’ people (right-handers) are more logical and analytical. However, this is not scientifically proven.
  • There are a significant number of left-handed USA presidents including Herbert Hoover, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
  • Fictional characters portrayed as left-handed include Ned Flanders and Bart Simpson (The Simpsons), Kermit the Frog (The Muppets), Chris Griffin (Family Guy) and Arnold (Hey Arnold).

We’ve profiled some of our top lefties in STEM!

Neil Armstrong

NAME: Neil Armstrong

BORN/DIED: 5th August 1930 – 25th August 2012

JOB: Astronaut and engineer.

KEY FACTS: Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio, USA. He developed a love of flying from the age of 2 when his father took him to an air show. He earned a student flight certificate when he was 16yrs old, before he had his driver’s licence! He was an active boy scout and went on to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Armstrong studied aeronautical engineering at university and spent some time as a fighter pilot for the navy. in 1962, Armstrong applied and was accepted onto a NASA astronaut program. He famously travelled into space on the Apollo 11 mission and was the first man to walk on the moon.

ACHIEVEMENTS: The first man to walk on the moon. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honour a civilian can earn from the US government.

NAME: Marie Sklodowska-Curie

BORN/DIED: 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934

JOB: Physicist and Chemist

KEY FACTS: Marie Curie grew up in Poland and did well at school. Marie wanted to go to university and study to become a scientist but it was expensive and at the time, university was thought of as mainly for men. Eventually Marie earned her degree in Physics from a university in France. Marie did lots of experiments and discovered two new elements for the periodic table! She named them Polonium (after her hometown of Poland) and Radium (because it gave off such strong radiation).

ACHIEVEMENTS: Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1903 for her work on radiation. She was the first woman to ever get this award. In 1911 she was awarded a second Nobel Peace Prize for her discovery of two new elements.

Mark Zuckerberg

NAME: Mark Zuckerberg

BORN: 14th May 1984

JOB: Internet entrepreneur and computer programmer.

KEY FACTS: Zuckerberg was born in New York and excelled at school. He began to use computers to write software while at middle school and went on to study computer science at Harvard. While he was there, he launched a website called ‘facemash’ where students could choose the best looking person from a choice of photos. However, Harvard closed the site down and Zuckerberg apologised publicly for using photos without permission. By Jan 2004 he had begun to write the code for Facebook. Facebook has since gone from strength-to-strength, making Zuckerberg one of the richest people in the world.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Zuckerberg is the co-founder of Facebook and is currently ranked by Forbes as the 5th richest person in the world. He and his wife give a lot of their wealth to good causes.

NAME: Benjamin Franklin

BORN/DIED: 17th Jan 1706 – 17th April 1790

JOB: Political thinker and founding father of the USA, scientist and inventor.

KEY FACTS: Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston Massachusetts in the USA. He stopped going to school when he was 10 and gained most of his education from reading books. Throughout his career he excelled in many areas. He is best known as one of the founding fathers of the USA. He was also a scientist and inventor. He was interested in lots of areas including meteorology, wave theory of light and electricity. He designed an experiment to prove that lightening was electricity by flying a kite in a storm. He went on to invent the lightening rod amongst other things.

ACHIEVEMENTS: He earned the title of the ‘First American’ for his work as a founding father of America. He invented the lightening rod, glass harmonica (a glass musical instrument), Franklin stove (a metal fireplace designed to produce more heat and less smoke) and bifocal glasses (with near and long distance lenses).

NAME: Leonardo Da Vinci (Italian)

BORN/DIED: 15th April 1452 – 2nd May 1519

JOB: Artist, inventor, scientist.

KEY FACTS: Leonardo was born in Florence, Italy. Little is known about his early life. When he was 14 he became apprenticed to a famous artist and went on to become a famous artist himself. However, he was interested in lots of other areas including architecture, mathematics, engineering, geology, astronomy and paleontology. He kept journals full of his sketches which included scientific sketches and drawings of ideas he had for inventions.
Leonardo was fascinated by fossils. He was ahead of his time in recognising that they contained the remains of prehistoric animals. He recorded these observations in his journals. Da Vinci was ambidextrous, perfecting the ability to write with both his left and right hand.

ACHIEVEMENTS: He is regarded as one of the most famous artists in history with paintings including ‘The Last Supper’ and the ‘Mona Lisa’. He is also remembered for his designs for inventions such as a flying machine.

Bill Gates

NAME: Bill Gates

BORN: 28th October 1955

JOB: Entrepreneur, programmer, businessman.

KEY FACTS: Bill Gates grew up in Seattle, Washington, USA. He took an interest in programming as a teenager, spending lots of time on the computer in his school. He went on to take graduate level computer science courses at Harvard. Gates took a ‘leave of absence’ from Harvard to start his own computer company (Microsoft) with his business partner. His involved him designing software and writing code. Microsoft launched its first retail version of Microsoft Windows in 1985 and went on to manage the company until 2006. It went on to become incredibly successful, earning Gates billions.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Gates is the founder of Microsoft and is one of the world’s highest-earning billionaires. He gives approximately half of his wealth to charities and good causes.

Other famous lefties in STEM include Buzz Aldrin, Steve Jobs and Henry Ford.

Our top 10 rocks & soils books

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rocks and soils

We don’t know about you but right now we’re really digging all things rocks and soils (see what we did there?!) Our book recommendations link perfectly to the UK science curriculum unit on rocks, as well as to topics about evolution, dinosaurs, archaeology and paleontology. Here’s our countdown, starting at number 10…

10. Lets Go Rock Collecting

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS, KS1 & lower KS2

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Holly Keller has created vivacious new paintings for this favourite Reading Rainbow title about geology. Readers follow two enthusiastic rock hounds around the globe as they add to their collection. Along the way they will learn how sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks are formed. From the Egyptian pyramids to Roman roads, from the diamond ring on your finger to the pebbles under your feet, rocks are everywhere!

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this and then have a go at our salt dough dinosaur fossils activity.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                             For Amazon.com click here

9. If Rocks Could Sing

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS, KS1 & lower KS2

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Amazing rocks, found on a stretch of beach near the author’s home, comprise this unique alphabet book. A is for Addition, and there are rocks in the shape of real numbers, too. B is for Bird, and there is a bird rock on a nest with an egg. G is for Ghosts, and there is a host of rocks that look like ghosts! Children and adults alike will pore over these fascinating rocks, and will be inspired collect their own.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this book and then have a go at our chocolate rock cycle activity.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                     For Amazon.com click here

8. Archaeology Dig For Clues

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & lower KS2

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Archaeologists on a dig work very much like detectives at a crime scene. Every chipped rock, charred seed, or fossilized bone could be a clue to how people lived in the past. In this information-packed Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book, Kate Duke explains what scientists are looking for, how they find it, and what their finds reveal.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this and then have a go at our Cookie Excavation activity.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                  For Amazon.com click here

7. Digging Up Dinosaurs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Long ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Then, suddenly, they died out. For thousands of years, no one knew these giant creatures had ever existed. Then people began finding fossils — bones and teeth and footprints that had turned to stone. Today, teams of experts work together to dig dinosaur fossils out of the ground, bone by fragile bone. Then they put the skeletons together again inside museums, to look just like the dinosaurs of millions of years ago.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this book and then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos’ Dinosaur Footprint Measuring activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & lower KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here            For Amazon.com click here

6. A Rock Can Be

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS, KS1 & lower KS2

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Rocks may seem like boring, static objects–until you discover that a rock can spark a fire, glow in the dark, and provide shelters of all shapes and sizes. Laura Purdie Salas’s lyrical rhyming text and Violeta Dabija’s glowing illustrations show how rocks decorate and strengthen the world around them.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this book and then go on a rock walk around the school grounds.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                 For Amazon.com click here

5. Stone Girl, Bone Girl

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Mary Anning is probably the world’s best-known fossil-hunter. As a little girl, she found a fossilised sea monster, the most important prehistoric discovery of its time. Best-selling author Laurence Anholt turns Mary’s fascinating life into a beautiful story, ideal for reading aloud. Sheila Moxley’s luscious pictures vividly evoke the coastal setting and the real-life dramas of this spectacular tale.

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & KS2

IDEAS FOR USE: Read our profile about Mary Anning here and use this as a basis for further research.

For Amazon.co.uk click here             For Amazon.com click here

4. A Rock is Lively

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: From the creators of the award-winning An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Butterfly Is Patient and A Nest Is Noisy comes this gorgeous and informative introduction to the fascinating world of rocks. From dazzling blue Lapis Lazuli to volcanic Snowflake Obsidian, an incredible variety of rocks are showcased in all their splendour. Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this book introduces an array of facts, making it equally perfect for classroom sharing and family reading.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this book and then have a go at our salt dough dinosaur fossils activity.

For Amazon.co.uk click here              For Amazon.com click here

3. Girls Who Looked Under Rocks

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & KS2

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Profiles the lives and influences of six female naturalists: Maria Sibylla Merian, Anna Botsford Comstock, Frances Hamerstrom, Rachel Carson, Miriam Rothschild, and Jane Goodall.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read our profiles about some of these women, using them as a basis for further research.

For Amazon.co.uk click here               For Amazon.com click here

2. What’s Under The Bed?

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS, KS1 & KS2

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: What’s Under the Bed? travels to the mysterious world that is just beneath our feet. Follow the underground adventures of two children and their cat to explore secret caves, fossils and even silver, gold and diamonds before eventually discovering what really is under the bed.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this book and then have a go at our Cookie Excavation activity.

For Amazon.co.uk click here                  For Amazon.com click here

1. The Rock Factory

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & KS2

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: This series uses cartoon-style illustrations and humorous narrative text to make key topics in Science and Geography accessible and engaging. This approach encourages children to read about and understand complex ideas. This is the story of how a special sort of stone formed deep inside the Earth, and came to the surface thousands of millions of years later. The Rock Factory looks at how minerals turn into rock crystals, how the Earth is structured and how volcanoes happen. This book also contains an experiment, useful websites and an index.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this book and then have a go at our chocolate rock cycle activity.

For Amazon.co.uk click here             For Amazon.com click here

Our top 10 dinosaur books

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Our top 10 dinosaur books

Most children go through a ‘dinosaur phase’ at some point in their early lives. We don’t blame them – dinosaurs are incredible! We’ve compiled a list of our top 10 dinosaur books. Our list contains a mixture of fiction, non-fiction, picture and chapter books. Each book will help your children to find out more about dinosaurs and will link perfectly to our Digs & Dinos activities. Here we go…

10. Harry and the Bucket Full of Dinosaurs

harry and the dinosaurs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Harry finds some dusty plastic dinosaurs in Nan’s attic. He cleans them, finds out their names and takes them everywhere – until, one day, the dinosaurs get lost! The lost property man gets a surprise when Harry proves the dinosaurs are his by calling them over to him.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos‘ Dinosaur Ice Excavation activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS & KS1

For Amazon.co.uk click here             For Amazon.com click here

9. The Dinosaur’s Diary

the dinosaurs diary

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Surviving and finding a safe place to lay her eggs is difficult for Hypsilophodon with dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex around. When she falls into a mysterious pool and finds herself on a modern farm there are still problems. Finally she finds a safe place to hatch her babies, but how can she keep thirteen baby dinosaurs safe and secret? When the farmer catches one – Hector – and plans to take him to the vet, it’s up to Hypsilophodon and her fiesty daughter, Henrietta, to get him back. After a daring rescue, Hypsilophodon takes all her youngsters back through the mysterious pool to her own world.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos‘ Salt Dough Dinosaur Bones activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & lower KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here           For Amazon.com click here

8. Dinosaurs from Head To Tail

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Archaeologists on a dig work very much like detectives at a crime scene. Every chipped rock, charred seed, or fossilized bone could be a clue to how people lived in the past. In this information-packed Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book, Kate Duke explains what scientists are looking for, how they find it, and what their finds reveal.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos‘ Dinosaur Measuring activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & lower KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here              For Amazon.com click here

7. Dinosaur Bones

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: With a lively rhyming text and vibrant paper collage illustrations, author-artist Bob Barner shakes the dust off the dinosaur bones found in museums and reminds us that they once belonged to living, breathing creatures. Filled with fun dinosaur facts (a T. Rex skull can weigh up to 750 pounds!) and an informational “Dinometer,” Dinosaur Bones is sure to make young dinosaur enthusiasts roar with delight. Along with the rhyming, read-aloud text comes nearly 30 fun and amazing facts about dinosaurs. Also included is a “Dinometer,” describing information about different dinosaurs such as its height, weight and footprint size.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos‘ Salt Dough Dinosaur Bones activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS, KS1 & lower KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here              For Amazon.com click here

6. How Big Were Dinosaurs?

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a Velociraptor for a walk, or try to brush a Tyrannosaur’s teeth? We think of dinosaurs as colossal giants, but how big were they REALLY? With kid-friendly text and seriously silly illustrations, this fact-filled book puts dinosaurs next to modern animals so that you can see exactly how they size up. And a huge fold-out chart compares the dinos to each other, from the tiniest Microraptor to Argentinosaurus, the largest animal to ever walk the land.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this book and then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos’ Dinosaur Footprint Measuring activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS, KS1 & lower KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here                 For Amazon.com click here

5. Prehistoric Actual Size

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: What is it like to come face-to-face with the ten-foot-tall terror bird? Or stare into the mouth of the largest meat eater ever to walk the earth? Can you imagine a millipede that is more than six feet long, or a dinosaur smaller than a chicken? In this -actual size- look at the prehistoric world, which includes two dramatic gatefolds, you’ll meet these awe-inspiring creatures, as well as many others.IDEAS FOR USE: Have a go at our ‘make your own fossils’ STEM project!

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos‘ Dinosaur Measuring activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS, KS1 & lower KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here            For Amazon.com click here

4. How The Dinosaur Got To The Museum

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Acclaimed author/illustrator Jessie Hartland presents the fascinating 145-million-year journey of a dinosaur: a Diplodocus longus, from its discovery in 1923 in Utah to its arrival in the hallowed halls of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos‘ Dinosaur Ice Excavation activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: EYFS, KS1 & lower KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here            For Amazon.com click here

3. Digging Up Dinosaurs

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Long ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Then, suddenly, they died out. For thousands of years, no one knew these giant creatures had ever existed. Then people began finding fossils — bones and teeth and footprints that had turned to stone. Today, teams of experts work together to dig dinosaur fossils out of the ground, bone by fragile bone. Then they put the skeletons together again inside museums, to look just like the dinosaurs of millions of years ago.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this book and then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos’ Dinosaur Footprint Measuring activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & lower KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here            For Amazon.com click here

2. Stone Girl, Bone Girl

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: Mary Anning is probably the world’s best-known fossil-hunter. As a little girl, she found a fossilised sea monster, the most important prehistoric discovery of its time. Best-selling author Laurence Anholt turns Mary’s fascinating life into a beautiful story, ideal for reading aloud. Sheila Moxley’s luscious pictures vividly evoke the coastal setting and the real-life dramas of this spectacular tale.

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & KS2

IDEAS FOR USE: Read our profile about Mary Anning here and use this as a basis for further research.

For Amazon.co.uk click here             For Amazon.com click here

1. Monster Stones

DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER: This series uses cartoon style illustrations and humorous narrative text to make key topics in Science and Geography both accessible and engaging. This approach encourages children to read about and understand complex ideas. This book takes the reader back millions of years to tell the story of a dinosaur’s death. Through this story, we discover how fossils are formed. We also learn how they are discovered, removed, researched and preserved in museums. This book also contains an experiment, more great facts to know, useful websites and an index.

IDEAS FOR USE: Read this then have a go at our ‘Digs & Dinos‘ Salt Dough Dinosaur Bones activity.

SUGGESTED AGE: KS1 & KS2

For Amazon.co.uk click here          For Amazon.com click here

6 STEM books about making mistakes

Posted on by admin

With today’s pressures to do well in exams and succeed at school, it’s no wonder that children sometimes feel like failures if they do something wrong. Whilst we may pretend to be perfect, the reality is that none of us are and the sooner we start sharing that with our children the better. We’ve put together a few of our favourite STEM books which teach children that not only is it normal to make mistakes, it’s an important part of life!

No 6 – Your Fantastic Elastic Brain

Did you know that making mistakes is often one of the best ways that our brain learns? This book challenges our understanding of our brains, explaining that each time we make a mistake, we develop our brain. For those teaching their children about growth mindset, this book is the perfect accompaniment.

To buy this from Amazon.co.uk click here

To buy this from Amazon.com click here

No 5 – Beautiful Oops

We love the colourful illustrations in this inspiring book about turning a mistake into something beautiful. The artistic ideas in this book can be linked to all areas of learning. This book serves as a good reminder to the perfectionist in all of us that sometimes beauty can just happen.

To buy this from Amazon.co.uk click here

To buy this from Amazon.com click here

No 4 – 11 Experiments That Failed

All of the best scientists have experienced failure in their careers. In this book we discover what happens when scientific methods go wrong. Guaranteed to make you giggle, we can learn a lot from the mistakes made in this book.

To buy this from Amazon.co.uk click here

To buy this from Amazon.com click here

No 3 – Mistakes That Worked

From velcro to silly putty, post-it notes and fudge, so many of the things we’ve come to love today started out as a mistake. Find out more about some of these amazing discoveries in this entertaining read.

To buy this from Amazon.co.uk click here

To buy this from Amazon.com click here

No 2 – The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

Nobody is perfect, are they? Meet Beatrice Bottomwell, the girl who has never made a mistake! Join her as she makes a most spectacular mistake and realises that you don’t have to be perfect all the time.

To buy this from Amazon.co.uk click here

To buy this from Amazon.com click here

No 1 – What Can You Do With A Problem

We can’t get enough of the beautiful illustrations in this inspiring book. Like so many of us, the child in this book tries to run away from his problem, only to find that it gets bigger and bigger. He then comes to realise that we can learn a lot from our problems and that sometimes they can bring us unexpected gifts…

To buy this from Amazon.co.uk click here

To buy this from Amazon.com click here

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