Learning About the World Around Us (giveaway)

Science with kids can be an awfully fun experience. (It can also be a messy subject, but I'm not going to focus on that.)

DK Publishing just recently re-released I'm a Scientist: Kitchen full of "Fun experiments for budding scientists." This book was put together by Lisa Burke who introduces children as being "detectives" out to observe and discover the world around them. In this book we find fold out spreads of full color illustrations and directions for experiments that young ones can do in the kitchen. As she explains:

"Apart from being passionate about science I am also a mother. I realize how little time we have in our busy lives to play with our children. Therefore, none of the 'games' (or experiments!) should require more than one hour to complete."

I don't know that I don't have the time, but I like projects that are contained and easy to determine both the time frame and mess factor! There are experiments in there to learn about density, magnets, differentiating between solids and liquids and a happy egg's ability to float due to salt content in the water. All of the materials necessary to complete the experiments are fairly straight forward. Each project contains a list of items you'll need to have on-hand and I didn't see anything out of the ordinary on the list. (For example, you'll need things like: balloons, a plastic comb, salt, orange juice, water, ice, etc.)

This is a fun and exciting book for children to explore the world through - while standing in the kitchen with mom or dad.

Up We Grow!: A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm is a new release from Kids Can Press. If you and your family like to eat local - then this is a book that will be of incredible interest to you!

Up We Grow! takes you through Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter on a small farm not too far outside of city limits. This is a rather lengthy picture book that offers a great deal of detailed explanation as to what you can expect to find on a farm during the various seasons. We meet the group of farmers who tend this farm and see how they tend to the land the animals together. As their various jobs are explained, the children are asked questions such as, "Which job would you like best?"

As I read this book I couldn't help feeling like it was the PERFECT book to read before a field trip to a farm. I love the full-color photographs which illustrate this book and help bring the farm to life. Up We Grow! is a celebration of the local farm and, I think, an impressive and amazing book. I have a feeling we'll be revisiting this book several times over throughout the years, as we have so many local farms and do our best to eat local whenever possible. Excellent resource, this one!

Now for the good news -- I have a copy of I'm a Scientist: Kitchen and Up We Grow! to give away to one of you, courtesy of DK Publishing and Kids Can Press.

To win? Simply leave a comment below. This contest will remain open through Thursday, September 9th.

Enjoy!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED