Kids Will Have a Blast Building, Inventing, Creating and Discovering with the New Smithsonian Maker Lab Book -- Includes 28 Super Cool Projects (Review)

Disclosure: I was sent a review copy from the publisher in order to write an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

As seen on “The Late Late Show with James Corden”

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Whenever we make a stop at the bookstore, or I find myself looking for new books to our homeschool library, I am drawn the STEM books.  STEM  stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and is being taught more and more in schools and even after-school programs.  Kids learn best with hands on projects and experiments, and STEM education is all about that -- getting kids to learn about math and science especially in a fun and innovative way.  

I have shared in the past about my homeschooling adventures with the girls and how they both have different styles of learning that I have to cater to.  But, they both have interests in math, science and technology and learn best with hands on learning.  So, this book especially caught my eye when I first read about it, as a great learning tool to incorporate into our homeschooling.

Here is more about this book, which contains 28 kid-safe and easy to do projects and crafts. These activities are a great introduction to children who may not have yet been exposed to STEM learning.  And, for those who have and love this type of learning, they will love this book and all that it has to offer.

More about this book:

"Supporting STEM education initiatives and the maker movement, the National Parenting Publication Award-winner Maker Lab includes 28 kid-safe projects and crafts that will get young inventors' wheels turning and make science pure fun.

Each step-by-step activity is appropriate for kids ages 8–12, and ranked easy, medium, or hard, with an estimated time frame for completion. Requiring only household materials, young makers can build an exploding volcano, race balloon rocket cars, construct a solar system, make a lemon battery, and more. Photographs and facts carefully detail the "why" and "how" of each experiment using real-world examples to provide context so kids can gain a deeper understanding of the scientific principles applied.

With a foreword by Jack Andraka, a teen award-winning inventor, Maker Lab will help kids find their inner inventor and create winning projects for school projects, science fairs, and beyond."

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Like I mentioned, this book has 28 projects and crafts for your curious child to complete.  Activities include drawing a secret map using invisible ink you make to watching a plant grow into a both -- both activities which I have down already with my girls and they have loved.  We also hoisted a weight with a water wheel and just the other day made our very own dazzling kaleidoscopes, which my girls plan to make more of and give as gifts to their friends this holiday season.  

One of the reasons I love homeschooling is that I am able to do fun projects and activities like the ones in this book, that play up to the strengths and interests of my two girls.  Every time we pick a STEM activity from this book, their eyes light up and they are eager to sit down at the table and complete the activity, while also talking about how things work.  Parents and grandparents who pick up this STEM-based learning book will be happy to know that each of the 28 projects and crafts are laid out with easy to follow along instructions with photos, so you are not guessing how to complete a project.  You are also told what you need for supplies -- many of which you will have laying around the house.  

I can't stop raving about this book to fellow homeschoolers and friends who have kids in public school, who love STEM learning like my girls.  What is better than asking your child how something works and then sitting down at the table and completing a project where you can be see it in action.  This book would make for a great gift to wake up to on Christmas morning.  Older kids will be able to grab this book and supplies needed for each activity and explore on their own. But, once you take a look at this book, you will want to do these fun activities and crafts as a family.  What better way to spend quality family time and bond than over learning using this fun STEM-based learning book?  We absolutely love this book, and I know your family will, too!

Disclosure: I was sent a review copy from the publisher in order to write an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.