Reviewed by annieb123 on
Busy Little Hands: Science Play! is a tutorial guide in the Busy Little Hands series aimed at preschoolers and their caregivers for creativity play. Due out 20th Dec 2022 from Storey Publishing, it's 48 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
This is a wonderfully accessible, brightly colored, and fun little book chock full of great ideas to engage young kids in exploring science concepts and mastering fine motor skills. The text is very simple and the included experiments are well photographed, and will appeal to almost everyone. The steps which require some (minor) help from an adult helper are clearly marked in highlighted text sidebars in each tutorial. I liked that the children pictured are inclusive and representative of a wide variety of backgrounds. Representation is very important.
Each of the projects includes prep-steps for grownups showing suggested materials, tips for protecting surfaces, and cleanup. The tutorials themselves are photographed with step-by-step photos and finished pictures. The instructions are encouraging and supportive and cover some surprisingly sophisticated science concepts.
This would be a superlative gift, excellent classroom or library group selection for activity groups, a wonderful parent/caregiver activity, or even for babysitters and child-minders looking to improve their activity time with their small charges.
I loved this one. It's simple but so well done. The tutorials are simple and the tools and supplies are easy to source and inexpensive.
Five stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 9 November, 2022: Reviewed