8 joyful, powerful books that teach s.t.e.m. by osmosis

8 joyful, powerful books that teach s.t.e.m. by osmosis

This post was first published in June 2017. It listed the fastest growing future jobs, with percentage growth predicted over the following five years (U.S.).

Crystal-balling the future is ever moving, but those predictions still seem to be pretty much on point. Which means today's kids will need to become comfortable with s.t.e.m. and s.t.e.a.m. concepts (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) as part of everyday life!

Fortunately, there's a wonderful subset of picture books to help with that. They're fun, beautiful and powerful, and they lead kids to the point of becoming s.t.e.m. and s.t.e.a.m. natives—which gives them so much advantage in interacting with the world, however it turns out for them.

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24 cool things-to-do that work your brain at any age

24 cool things-to-do that work your brain at any age

Fun is ambiguous don’t you think?  One person’s fun is another person’s special agony (I’ve heard there are people who really enjoy cleaning the oven—never met one, just heard), but most of us find that there’s nothing quite as fun as giving our brain a workout ... here's a collection of things-to-do that work your brain at any age—with links to books to cement, inspire and connect that wonderful work.

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3 fabulous stories about authority

3 fabulous stories about authority

ages 2 to 10 years
These three books are all about authority—they let us question who should have it and how it should be used. Those are important questions, as evidenced by the number of times, every day when I was working in junior kindy, that I answered the question: “Why?”.

1)  DON'T CROSS THE LINE!
2)  MY UNCLE'S DONKEY
3)  KING PIG

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stories for the adventure that is school (or any other big life-changing adventure)

stories for the adventure that is school (or any other big life-changing adventure)

Savannah is off to pre-school this year, and William and Ivy start Kindy. In honour of these major life moments, here's a small collection of books that are lovely to read in the first week or two of school. I hope you find something that feels right for your new (or returning) school kid.

I’m going to read Off to School Baby Duck to all three of our new school kids via Marco Polo this week too. It’s a cute story of a baby duck who is scared to go to school but, predictably, has a good day. It was a favourite for their fathers long ago—mostly out of print now, but full of nostalgia for our family.

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a selection of 'freedom' books to celebrate 9 November—the day on which the Berlin Wall fell

a selection of 'freedom' books to celebrate 9 November—the day on which the Berlin Wall fell

When Jesse was about 8-years-old, listening to Joan and I reminiscing about watching the fall of the Berlin Wall on television, she lamented: “I wish I lived in interesting times". That wish has come true, hasn't it!

But, even with the seminal events that have happened since that conversation, the fall of The Wall in 1989 still shapes the way we think about history and our hopes for the future. Its stories are deep and complex, with political undertones that are as important as the grassroots swell of demand for liberty—and so worth celebrating.

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a simple and colourful yarn web + 4 magical books to keep the mood going

a simple and colourful yarn web + 4 magical books to keep the mood going

ages 3 to 12 years
We have a wonderful old lemon tree in the back yard. It needed some pruning and love when we first moved in but it was worth it—not because of the lemons but because Ivy loves playing in and with it so much. It's just the right size for a 4-year-old to test her limits, and has been a castle, a boat, a unicorn, a great friend and unlimited food for the imagination.

Ivy decided that her friend the tree needed decorating, so we made a colourful spider web for it

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in celebration of driving—10 favourite picture books

in celebration of driving—10 favourite picture books

ages 2 to 10 years
When Joan was a (very) little girl her parents owned a milk factory and she and her brother would ‘borrow’ the milk trucks and drive around town. It was a two person job: Joan on the gears and keeping a look out, brother Warren steering and giving directions! Hilarious and terrifying—but according to Joan, ‘just something we did’! .....
Since every adult in the world may now drive, we’ve gathered a collection of books about driving

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