Tag: Baby University

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Build that Baby STEM Library! The ABCs of Mathematics and Physics

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Quantum theorist and Dad Chris Ferrie adds two more board books to his Baby University library: The ABCs of Physics and The ABCs of Mathematics!

The ABCs of Physics, by Chris Ferrie, (Oct. 2017, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $9.99, ISBN: 9781492656241

A is for Atom; B is for Black Hole; C is for Charge… The ABCs of Physics is a bright, entertaining introduction to physics. Not your run of the mill ABCedary, The ABCs of Physics works for all ages – for babies and toddlers, it’s a pretty board book with all sorts of interesting pictures to look at. For older kids and adults, it’s an intro to physics terms and concepts. I am here to tell you, unabashedly, that I found this book fascinating. Did you know that a newton is a standard unit of force? I did NOT. I also learned that my little book scanner works thanks to photons – and you can trust and believe that I will pass on little bits of this information in my day to day at work and at home.

 

The ABCs of Mathematics, by Chris Ferrie, (Oct. 2017, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky), $9.99, ISBN: 9781492656289

The ABCs of Mathematics is even more little one-friendly, because it introduces basic concepts that our kids are going to be learning soon enough. A is for Addition: Addition is the mathematics of counting. D is for division: Division is the mathematics of fair sharing. It’s wonderfully to the point, and illustrations help reinforce simpler concepts like union: a Venn diagram, something that most school-age kids are familiar with, or addition, which stacks apples over numbers to illustrate the concept.

Want to close that word gap? Introduce some of these terms to your little ones. Let them explore and play with the books. Just expose them to the words and ideas in the books; if they hear it enough, it won’t be a scary thing when they hear it in school. Any book that teaches me something as much as it does my kids is a good book.

Posted in Early Reader, Non-Fiction, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Cultivate your little scientist with Baby University’s books

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Baby University, from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, are a cute series of board books that break down principles of science for little ones. Written by quantum theorist and dad Chris Ferrie,  the first four books: Newtonian Physics for Babies, General Relativity for Babies, Rocket Science for Babies, and Quantum Physics for Babies all use the example of a child’s toy – a ball – to explain science to the littlest scientists in training. The covers are adorable, incorporating pacifiers into the scientific art.

newtonian

Newtonian Physics for Babies (May 2017, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $9.99, ISBN: 9781492656203) introduces babies to a bouncy ball, explaining in short, bolded sentences how gravity affects the ball, which leads to an exploration of mass, acceleration, and force. Being Newtonian Physics, we also see the apple, and gravity’s effect on the apple and Sir Isaac Newton. The ending proudly exclaims that the reader is understands Newtonian physics.

relativity

General Relativity for Babies (May 2017, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $9.99, ISBN: 9781492656265) uses the ball to explore mass, black holes, and gravitational waves. Babies are pronounced experts in general relativity at the end.

rocket-science

Rocket Science for Babies (May 2017, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $9.99, ISBN: 9781492656258) looks at the ball, but changes the ball’s shape to a wing to explain air movement, lift, and thrust. From there, we learn how to put wings on a rocket to make it move, and how a rocket requires an explosion to propel it forward. Readers are affirmed rocket scientists at the book’s end.

quantum

Quantum Physics for Babies (May 2017, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $9.99, ISBN: 9781492656227) demonstrates energy and atoms – starring the neutrons, protons, and electrons – by using the ball. Readers learn about movement within the atom, and are bestowed with the quantum phycisist title at the end.

The books are simple and fun, with clean, computer-generated art and simple explanatory text. Are my toddlers at storytime going to get this? No, but it’s not going to stop me from handing out small rubber balls to parents to let the kids play with and get a feel for as I read the books. It’s exploring scientific topics early, introducing babies to the words and letting them become household names, words that maybe won’t frighten them when they get older, if they grow up hearing them. I’d read these with preschoolers, too, when they can grasp ideas a bit more.

I love STEM, and I love helping young children fall in love with science, especially the sciences (and their accompanying mathematics) that scared me away when I was a kid. These are fun, bright books to get in front of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers now, if just to introduce exciting new words to their vocabularies. At least, your little one learns that Sir Isaac Newton was beaned on the head by an apple. At most, you get a Nobel Prize winner who thanks you in his or her speech.