Tag: Tia Williams

Christmas Craft Book: 30 Fun & Festive Projects to Make With Kids (Laura Minter & Tia Williams)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Christmas Craft Book: 30 Fun & Festive Projects to Make With Kids by Laura Minter and Tia Williams, a holly jolly compendium of easy crafting activities to celebrate the Christmas season.

What better way to get in the Yuletide mood than to create some hand-made masterpieces with family and friends? This collection of thirty seasonally-themed crafts, all detailed in step-by-step instructions and color photos, walks prospective crafters through projects like handmade wreaths, artful ornaments, winter wearables, and holiday decorations.

Delightful! We’ve reviewed a few of Minter and Williams’s instructional books before, and we’re glad to see that this one carried through the elements we’ve enjoyed in the past – colorful yet informative visuals, age-appropriate crafts with replicable results, and a focus on both safety and fun. The Christmas-themed crafts in this book were nicely varied, mixing traditional favorites like popsicle stick ornaments and potato stamp wrapping paper with some truly inventive ones, like family photo advent calendars and “Santa-spotter” cardboard binoculars. American readers may have trouble sourcing materials for a cracker snap craft, but otherwise the crafts can easily be completed in an afternoon. Overall, this is a great collection, especially for parents hoping to keep their kiddos busy over the winter holiday. We like it a lot – Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Kitchen Science: 30 Awesome STEM Experiments to Try At Home (Laura Minter & Tia Williams)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Kitchen Science: 30 Awesome STEM Experiments to Try at Home by Laura Minter and Tia Williams, a fascinating collection of DIY science experiments that center around food.

Did you know you can make a volcano with a lemon? Or crush a soda can with ice water? Ever wonder what oobleck is? Or how yeast makes bread rise? Young scientists can learn all this and more in this kitchen- and food-themed book of experiments, which give kids and their caregivers the tools to conduct educational, and often edible, experiments right at their kitchen counters.

Awesome! We were big fans of Minter and Williams’ previous DIY experiment book, Science School, and this follow-up takes everything that made that book great and adds some delicious food-based fun. By exploring the science of cooking, young readers get a double dose of learning; for instance, not only how to make their own rock candy, but also how the sugar molecules form around a seed crystal to create the rock candy. Coupled with clear-cut and easy-to-follow instructions, color photos showing each step of every experiment, and a healthy amount of safety warnings, and this makes for a great way to get kids involved in both the kitchen and the classroom. JJ and I loved the experiments on offer, especially those that resulted in tasty homemade snacks. Overall, this is a wonderful title for both the culinary- and science-inclined kiddo, and we highly recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Science School: 30 Awesome STEM Experiments to Try At Home (Laura Minter & Tia Williams)

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Hello, friends! Our book today is Science School: 30 Awesome STEM Experiments to Try At Home by Laura Minter and Tia Williams, a collection of science-themed activities for kids to attempt with everyday objects.

How do magnets work? Or a kaleidoscope? Why is the moon full sometimes, but only half-full others? What makes an ecosystem? And what on earth is oobleck? Kids can learn the answers to these questions and many more with this STEM-based activity guide, filled with 30 “experiments” that young readers can try with household materials. By germinating seeds, making chromatography flowers, or even cooking up their own butter and slime, young scientists are introduced the science terminology and concepts like cohesive force, propulsion, and non-Newtonian fluids.

Awesome, indeed! This activity guide balances learning with fun by choosing a range of crafts and model experiments from a number of scientific disciplines. The activities are simple in construction, and most can easily be replicated with items that can be found around the house. Each features clear photography and illustrations to walk bookworms through the instructions while also breaking down the STEM/STEAM elements that the experiment exhibits into easily-understood language. This is a great manual for any home library, and can provide families with a wealth of rainy-day activities that are both fun and educational. JJ loved checking out the various experiments (she was a huge fan of oobleck), and we both had a blast with this one. A great guide for any budding scientist, and Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)