My Top 5 STEM Book Recommendations for Kids
By Janice Lao-Noche
Pretty crazy times right now huh? Parents, I feel your pain too, especially with online learning the past few months and now with school out and our kids are back stuck at home (for safety sake of course!)
I often get asked what are my top STEM book recommendations for kids? I have two kids of my own too and I want to make sure they make the most of their school break and have some fun in the process.
My Top 5 Books are:
Everything you need to ace MATH in one big fat notebook
Want to help your child with middle school math? This is a fun way of learning the tips and tricks of doing well in math. Written in a comic, diary format, its even great for anyone, really, not just for kids.
Everything you need to ace SCIENCE in one big fat notebook
Like its counterpart math book (see top 1), it’s a fun way of learning the facts of middle school science. I wished it had more fun experiments to supplement the facts… but its still an excellent resource book!
Skill Sharpeners Math (from 1st to 6th grade)
Not your typical boring math workbook (remember those?), this one lets your child practice math using code-breaking, mazes, storytelling and drawing. Math is all about practicing skills (which is boring), but the gamification aspect of the exercises helps make it motivating and fun.
Everyday Superheroes Women in STEM careers
Want to inspire your daughter (and son!) to be an astronaut, a Nobel prize winner, a coder, marine scientist? You can do that by reading about the real life stories of 26 modern women who, against all odds, have made a career in science, technology, engineering and math, illustrated colorfully in comic form. (Disclaimer: I’m featured as one of the 26 scientists!).
Press Start series
Most people think that STEM can only be learned in reference books or workbooks, but my kids adore these series. It’s a story of Super Rabbit Boy set in robot world with gamification and coding elements. With its colorful graphics and short chapters, it’s a fun way to see science in a story setting and in everyday life.
The reality is, there aren’t a lot of great STEM books and most are still the typical boring reference books we grew up with… this is why my daughter and I co-wrote a kid mystery book with a STEM element in it, titled “Sparky & Benny’s Big Home Mystery” it’s a heartwarming and inspiring story of climate change, told through the eyes of two curious and determined kid whales, who are on a mission to find out why they are losing their homes, who is destroying it and how they can stop it. Launching in October 2020 with Bookazine in HK, pre-ordering is now available! It will be fun and inspiring reading for you and your child(ren).
Janice Lao-Noche is an internationally multi-awarded environmental scientist and economist working with businesses so they can be a force for good. She has been named in several lists featuring women scientists changing the world. She can be reached through her FB/IG/Twitter/LI @janiceillao.