Tag: Baby Loves Science

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STEM #Kidlit for Toddlers: Baby Loves the Five Senses

 

Be on the look out next week for three new board books for the youngest readers in the Baby Loves Science series:

all by Ruth Spiro and illustrated by Irene Chan.

We’ve reviewed a couple of other books in this series in the past and were eager to see the newest versions.

What’s to like:

The series has a lot going for it. Each book features Chan’s delightful illustrations and Spiro’s bouncing, enthusiastic text. Babies hear STEM vocabulary words that might not come up in typical conversations. The concepts are simplified, but not to the point they are no longer accurate.

I recently led a STEM story time about senses for preschoolers and these Baby Loves The Five Senses books would have been a welcome addition.

On the other hand:

Since the series began, the Baby Loves books have become more and more technical in a few pages in the middle. For example, for the one about taste:

“When Baby chews the strawberries, some of the flavor molecules stick to the receptor cells.”

It goes on to discuss electrical signals in the brain.

For certain children this level of detail is welcome and is likely to generate even more questions.

For others, however, it might not be the right time to discuss more advanced concepts. I had that experience during the story time I mentioned above. I choose some books about insect senses to show how our senses are similar and different to other animals. This is a topic I think is fascinating, but the children just weren’t ready for it. They needed to understand what human senses were before they could compare to others.  If your young readers aren’t receptive to the concepts in this book, you can skip those pages. Perhaps  you can return to them later when they are older or have had more experience.

Overall. the Baby Loves The Five Senses books fill a unique niche of introducing science to the youngest readers.

Related:

 

Age Range: 2 – 3 years
Series: Baby Loves Science
Publisher: Charlesbridge; Illustrated edition (August 18, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1623541549
ISBN-13: 978-1623541545

Age Range: 2 – 3 years
Publisher: Charlesbridge; Illustrated edition (August 18, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1623541557
ISBN-13: 978-1623541552

Age Range: 2 – 3 years
Publisher: Charlesbridge; Illustrated edition (August 18, 2020)
ISBN-10: 1623541530
ISBN-13: 978-1623541538

These books were provided electronically for review purposes.

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

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#kidlit Baby Loves Gravity!

I’ve been wanting to take a look at the Baby Loves Science series forever. When book 5 came out in May 2018, I knew it was time.

Babies, toddlers and preschoolers are explorers and scientists; they are constantly discovering new things and trying to figure out how the world works. Baby Loves Gravity! (Baby Loves Science) by Ruth Spiro and illustrated by Irene Chan introduces the vocabulary they’ll need to explore the concept of gravity.
Using short sentences, age-appropriate examples, and colorful illustrations the book will entice babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

“Gravity is even at the park!
Baby climbs up…
…and gravity helps him down.
Whee! Baby loves gravity.

Some question the validity of introducing high-level science concepts to toddlers whose brains aren’t fully developed yet (for example, Kirkus). On the other hand, it is easy to underestimate children. I’ve had a four year old explain to me that he didn’t want to go faster than the speed of light because he wouldn’t be able to see where he was going. My feeling is that if they are interested in gravity, you will know. If they aren’t, go on to something that does interest them.

Give Baby Loves Gravity a try. If nothing else, you will be prepared to answer all the non-stop why questions you are going to get.

Related activities:

Experiments with gravity for elementary-aged kids at Growing with Science

Age Range: 3 and up
Series: Baby Loves Science (Book 5)
Board book: 22 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge; Brdbk edition (May 1, 2018)
ISBN-10: 158089836X
ISBN-13: 978-1580898362

 

Another in the series:

Baby Loves Quarks! (Baby Loves Science) by Ruth Spiro and illustrated by Irene Chan

Disclosure: This book was provided for review purposes. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.