From now through September 30, hop along to all participating blogs for the chance to win a great variety of prizes. There is no limit to how many you can win, so be sure to hop along and enter them all. Good luck and happy hopping!
**Complimentary copies received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.
An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but if you ask me... a book a day will also keep the BOREDOM away. As important as it is to take care of our bodies with healthy eating, it is also important to take care of our minds. Reading is such a fantastic way to do so.
One thing that I have tried to do for my children is to make sure that they always have plenty of access to books. We try to keep a good variety in our personal collection from picture books to chapter books and nonfiction reads as well. I have found that as we are doing our schooling at home now, that collection of nonfiction reads is even more important than ever. Our favorites? National Geographic Kids!
We were recently given the opportunity to try out a few of their new books for ourselves. Take a look:
Beginner’s United States Atlas, Third Edition, (ages 7-10, 128 pages, paperback) The fully updated edition of this popular atlas introduces young readers to the wonders of all of America's states and territories, with maps, fun facts, geographical features, and more. It’s accessible design showcases what's unique about each state and territory and every profile starts with a colorful map and essay and includes capital cities; population; important land and water features; state birds, flowers, and flags. It's all packaged in a bigger format, with a refreshed design, and bold, bright photos and illustrations.
United States Atlas Sixth Edition, (ages 8-12, 176 pages, paperback) Current, authoritative, and produced by the expert cartographers at National Geographic, this best-selling United States atlas is newly updated with all the latest info and is packed with maps, stats, facts, and pictures. National Geographic's world-renowned cartographers have paired up with education experts to create maps of all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C., that pinpoint the physical features, capitals, and other towns and cities. Discover the latest data along with colorful photography of each state and the people who live there. Key points reflect the latest information about land and water, people, and places. Essays cover each region of the country while eight specially themed maps on nature, population, economy, energy, climate, and more delve deeper into key issues. State birds and state flags add to the high visual interest.
5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!) - (ages 8-12, 224 pages, hardcover) This book is literally busting its covers with fascinating, fun-tastic facts on super, sensational topics that kids love. Who knew that there were so many sweet things to learn about chocolate or that a dozen delicious details about peanut butter would show up on a page with a few splotches of jelly to whet our appetites? Keep turning and a terrifyingly toothy shark tells you all about himself, while other spreads lay out tons of tips on toys and games, mysteries of history, robots and reptiles, sports and spies and wacky words. A visual feast of colorful photographs surrounded by swirling, tipping, expanding, and climbing bits of information in a high-energy design, this book will satisfy both the casual browser and the truly fact obsessed.
Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero (ages 8-12, 192 pages, hardcover)— A brand new series from the author of many beloved American Girl books, Valerie Tripp! Join Izzy Newton and her friends at Atom Middle School in the first adventure of this new middle-grade fiction series. A crowded new school and a crazy class schedule is enough to make Izzy feel dizzy. But for the S.M.A.R.T. Squad, it’s all about relying on the value of friendship and the power of science to help them think their way through all kinds of sticky situation. Science and tech reign supreme when these five brainy buddies put their heads together! Read the first chapter and meet the characters at https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/books/smart-squad/.
Little Kids First Big Book of Science (ages 4-8, 128 pages, hardcover) - This lively introduction to the fascinating world of science explores the different kinds of science, what scientists do, and the amazing things that scientists study: animals and plants; oceans and space; earthquakes and volcanoes; sound and light; inventions and more! Fun activities, games, and simple experiments encourage interactive learning, showing kids that anyone can use scientific observation and experimentation to be a scientist and discover new things. With bright images and age-appropriate text, this book inspires kids to be curious, ask questions, and explore the world around them and maybe even grow up to be a scientist one day, too! Topics include astronomy, botany, paleontology, malacology (that's the science of clams, snails, and other animals with shells!), zoology, and more.
First up, we couldn't wait to dive into the atlases. While our National Geographic collection is fairly extensive, these were the first atlases we'd checked out. What I loved most about these atlases is that they were each perfect for different age groups. My daughter enjoyed looking through the beginner's version which has less a little information, but is certainly more suited for her age group. Meanwhile, my older son enjoyed digging deeper and learning even more in the United States Atlas Sixth Edition. These are great resources to help kids of all ages (and even kids at heart) learn anything they might need to know about the states.
Next up, we dove right into 5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything). We have other fact type books from National Geographic, and they always tend to be a favorite among my kids. They truly are the perfect boredom buster because there is such a wide variety of topics covered. Kids can always find something new and fun to learn about when they open the pages. It's also one they can grab quickly and check out a few facts, and not one that necessarily have to sit down and read from start to finish. As such, it's good for breaks between lessons or to stash in the car to have on the go too. We cannot get enough of these fun facts.
Little Kids First Big Book of Science really grabbed my daughter's attention! She has been very big into science lately. Mostly, she's loving geology, space and slime science... but really, she enjoys it all. Needless to say, she couldn't wait to check this out. This book again offers a wide variety of science topics that are perfectly suited for her age group. It's got a ton of great information, but it's written in a way that is understandable and fun for kids.
Like all the National Geographic Kids books that we love, all of these nonfiction titles are filled with vibrant photos and captions that never fail to grab kids' attentions. To be honest, at 33 years old, I still enjoy looking at the images inside myself. They truly do help kids feel excited to be learning. Isn't that what we want? As such, they are a great addition to any home library. For homeschooling, these can be a great addition to aid with your current curriculum. For those in a regular school, rather in the building or via e-learning, these are a fun way to keep the learning going beyond the lessons.
Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero is a little bit different than the rest of the books mentioned--- after all, it's a fictional story! I love a good fiction read, and want to encourage my kids to do the same, so I love that we have these fun options from National Geographic that are still quite educational, but also focus on friendship and fun too. My daughter is just beginning to read chapter books, so I know this will be one that she will absolutely adore!
If you're looking for some fantastic additions to your at home library, these are certainly worth checking out.
Want to learn more? You can connect and keep the National Geographic fun going at the links below:
- National Geographic Kids Books twitter - @NGKidsBks
- National Geographic Kids Facebook - @nationalgeographickids
- National Geographic Kids website: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
And one very lucky reader is going to win a Home Learning Essentials Grand Prize Giveaway which consists of all 5 titles listed above (total ARV $75). U.S. only. Enter using the giveaway form below:
MamatheFox and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.
Would love for my niece!
ReplyDeleteMy grandkids would love the books.
ReplyDeleteMy grandchildren would love this, I remember growing up with National Geo all my life.
ReplyDelete@tisonlyme143
sounds like a great book selection!
ReplyDeletemia2009(at)comcast(dot)net
I love National Geographic. They do awesome work. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteMy granddaughters love all of the books that National Geographic publishes.
ReplyDeleteMy kids would love these books, and it would help them learn some interesting facts.
ReplyDeleteThese sound like great books. I know my son would enjoy reading them.
ReplyDeleteMy great niece and great nephew would love to have these to read and look at :)
ReplyDeleteMy grandson loves National Geographic Kids Books. I would be excited to win this prize.
ReplyDeleteI would like to win this for my granddaughter :)
ReplyDelete