Non-fiction books inspiring children to explore their natural curiosity and passion for learning. The real world is more amazing than anything you can make up!
Non-fiction books inspiring children to explore their natural curiosity and passion for learning. The real world is more amazing than anything you can make up!
In the book, The Greatest Stuff on Earth, Steve Tomecek looks at the amazing science behind everyday stuff. Sp what do you think is the greatest stuff on Earth? It could be rocks, water, fire, food, electricity, your home, clothes, wheels, paper, books, medicine, smartphones, microphones… there is so much! Take a look around you and draw your favourite stuff using our free downloadable sheet.
Based on The Greatest Stuff on Earth:
Have you ever stopped to think about all the stuff you encounter every day? There’s the stuff you breathe, the stuff you eat, the stuff you wear, the stuff you read, the stuff you walk on, the stuff you ride in, the stuff your body is made of… plus water, trees, sunlight, soap, electricity, vaccines, smartphones, and so much more! In The Greatest Stuff on Earth, Steve Tomecek and John Devolle show us how this stuff works, including the miracle of transforming energy into matter and matter into energy. Stars do it…and also internal combustion engines…and living things, including grass and bacteria and worms and cheetahs and even us humans.
With contagiously enthusiastic and chatty explanatory text, fast facts, and clever, stylish and sometimes funny photos, illustrations, and diagrams, this fantastically browsable book offers hundreds of entry points for knowledge-hungry kids.
Steve holds a degree in Geology and has 30 years’ experience educating children (and their teachers) about science in a super fun, friendly way – as a writer, a radio and television presenter, and a live performer. He’s the perfect person to introduce kids to the inner workings of the material world.
Enjoy this free downloadable First Big Book of How dinosaur colouring sheet. Print at home or school to start colouring and answer the question: ‘How long were the dinosaurs alive for?’
Based on First Big Book of How by Sally Symes.
How do scientists see into space? How do polar bears keep warm? How do keys open locks? How do fireworks explode? Featuring more than 150 compelling questions about space, Earth, machines, buildings, animals, bugs and the human body, this magnificent book by the author-and-illustrator team behind the bestselling First Big Book of Why provides answers for every inquisitive child. And these are answers you can trust, as they have all been thoroughly fact-checked and reviewed by subject experts, who are proudly profiled in the book.
By encouraging children to question how things are happening in the world around them, First Big Book of How supports STEAM learning and nurtures curious minds. The warm and playful text is accompanied by stunning real-life photography as well as gorgeous original illustrations and helpful, friendly diagrams. This book is the ultimate gift for kids who need to know everything – and now!
A poster which shows children how much their teeth and mouths are like other animals. And also what the differences are!
Based on Open Wide! Jaw-dropping mouths of the animal world by Dr Letizia Diamante.
Explore the most marvellous mouths of the animal kingdom, from the awesome jaws of the great white shark to the tiny teeth of the garden snail. Some animals sport tongues that are longer than their bodies, others have super-sticky spit that can speedily snare an insect snack. And animals use their mouths for lots of things other than just eating – to carry their food or their babies, to build their homes or even to climb waterfalls!
Join scientist and author Letizia Diamante to discover some of the most important animal body parts that are often overlooked, even though they’re right under our noses!
In Open Wide! Jaw-dropping mouths of the animal world by Letizia Diamante, you get to see inside some of the most astonishing mouths, sharpest teeth, stretchiest cheeks and stickiest tongues in the animal kingdom.
Make your very own roar-some tiger mask based on Ed J. Brown’s amazing illustrations now.
The equipment you need includes:
Pens, pencils or paints
· Scissors
· Thin card (to stick the mask onto)
· Glue
· Sellotape
· Paper straw or lollipop stick
Here is more about Open Wide: Jaw-dropping mouths of the animal world by Letizia Diamante which is for children aged 7+:
Explore the most marvellous mouths of the animal kingdom, from the awesome jaws of the great white shark to the tiny teeth of the garden snail. Some animals sport tongues that are longer than their bodies, others have super-sticky spit that can speedily snare an insect snack. And animals use their mouths for lots of things other than just eating – to carry their food or their babies, to build their homes or even to climb waterfalls!
Join scientist and author Letizia Diamante to discover some of the most important animal body parts that are often overlooked, even though they’re right under our noses!
Can your students match these awesome jaws, teeth, tongues, and spit facts to the right animal?
The activity sheet covers a nile crocodile, snake, great white shark, human, yellowhead jawfish, giraffe, kangaroo and nectar bat. Includes an answer page which you can print separately.
Based on Open Wide! - Jaw-dropping mouths of the animal world by Letizia Diamante.
Explore the most marvellous mouths of the animal kingdom, from the awesome jaws of the great white shark to the tiny teeth of the garden snail. Some animals sport tongues that are longer than their bodies, others have super-sticky spit that can speedily snare an insect snack. And animals use their mouths for lots of things other than just eating – to carry their food or their babies, to build their homes or even to climb waterfalls!
Join scientist and author Letizia Diamante to discover some of the most important animal body parts that are often overlooked, even though they’re right under our noses!
Gross FACTopia! has been shortlisted for Laugh Out Loud Book Awards 2024 in the non-fiction category. You can vote for your class here: https://shop.scholastic.co.uk/lollies/vote
There is something amazing about Gross FACTopia! Every fact is linked to the next, and in the most surprising and stomach-churning ways. Download this free colouring sheet, to learn amazing facts including that in just one day, a cow can produce enough wind to fill 30 balloons!
Based on Gross FACTopia! Follow the Trail of 400 Foul Facts. A non-fiction book for children aged 8+ years old.
Did you know that sloths poo only once a week? Or that poo from crocodiles was sometimes used as make-up in ancient Rome? Or that ancient Romans sometimes purchased vials of gladiator sweat? Or that apes and monkeys sweat from their armpits just like humans do? Welcome to Gross FACTopia!, a wonderland of fantastically foul facts, all of which are verified by Encyclopaedia Britannica! Every fact in this book is linked to the next in an ingenious trail of information, where you will slither from topic to topic in surprising and stomach-churning ways. Sometimes your path branches, and you can catapult forwards or creep backwards to a totally different (but still connected) part of the book. Follow your curiosity (and your nose) through this ridiculously revolting world of facts!
In Secret FACTopia! take an undercover journey through hundreds of the most mind-blowing, wow-worthy and crazy-cool classified facts.
Download our free Secret FACTopia! activity sheet to see if you can you find the word which links each mysterious fact. Use each word twice to connect one fact to the next. The first one has been done for you.
Follow an ingenious trail of 400 facts about everything from secret recipes and escape artists to hidden treasure and invisibility cloaks. You’ll meet an underwear-stealing cat, find out about sharks that glow, uncover a toilet in disguise and learn about the biggest ever game of hide-and-seek. And the facts aren’t the only secrets in this book, for hidden amongst the illustrations are ten mice just waiting to be found!
Lavishly illustrated with witty illustrations that combine artwork and photography, and verified by the experts at Encyclopaedia Britannica, Secret FACTopia! sheds light on some of the world’s most amazing ‘hidden’ facts, which children will be desperate to share with their friends and family.
An activity sheet with facts about places around the world on the June solstice plus space to draw what your solstice looks like? Or for children to imagine what the solstice is like around the world. Includes prompts to get children thinking.
The activity sheet is based on the book Solstice: Around the World on the Longest, Shortest Day by Jen Breach and 14 global artists. Here’s more about the book:
It’s June and sunshine time, but it’s also time for snowmen. How could that be? The June solstice is the longest day of the year in the north, but down south, it’s the shortest! Imagine Earth tilting like a seesaw, with the North Pole leaning towards the sun. This brings more sunshine to the north, while the south gets less.
In this book, you will join 14 fictional children in 14 real places from Antarctica to Stonehenge as they experience the June solstice. For some, it is a special day full of music, dancing, food and fun – whilst others go about their normal day.
Just open the book to begin your round-the-world solstice tour!
Wordsearch featuring animals found on the Galapagos Islands or in the sea around them.
It is based on the book Galápagos Islands: The World’s Living Laboratory by Karen Romano Young.
Far off the coast of Ecuador lies a group of volcanic islands unlike any other. Home to species as diverse as giant tortoises, salt-snorting marine iguanas, and the birds that made Charles Darwin famous, the Galápagos are a living laboratory for scientists working on the most urgent problem of our times: How can humans exist in harmony with nature on the only planet we are ever likely to have? Karen Romano Young, author of Antarctica: The Melting Continent, again takes to the field, visiting the archipelago to observe its environments first-hand and to interview the people who are lighting the way for the rest of us. Illustrator Amy Grimes brings Karen’s experience into vivid visual life for those of us who haven’t been there – yet.
A climate change and environment focused poster which includes 10 tips that students can use to help the environment.
Based on the book, How to Teach Grown-ups about Climate Change. A witty guide to the science behind climate change, which puts kids in charge.
Never has there been a more perfect time to empower children to take the lead and educate their grown-ups about climate change. Featuring a foreword by internationally renowned climate scientist Dr Michael E. Mann and bursting with fabulous original illustrations, this delightfully witty book deals with the pressing topic of our changing planet in an uplifting, positive manner. Interwoven amongst the more serious questions – why is Earth so special in the first place? How do we know about climate change? What causes it? How can we recognise false information? – are fun-filled facts about cow burps, woolly mammoths, panda-shaped solar panels, and much more. Crucially, this book also equips children and adults alike with the practical tools they need to tackle climate change in their everyday lives. And there’s a handy quiz at the end so that you can check your grown-up has been paying attention!
A teacher guide focused on activating climate change agents in the classroom. The guide looks at tackling misinformation and helping your student gain a new understanding of global warming to become a protector of the planet in the classroom, at home, and throughout the community. The activities are split into two parts: personal choices and global progress.
Based on the book, How to Teach Grown-ups about Climate Change. A witty guide to the science behind climate change, which puts kids in charge.
Never has there been a more perfect time to empower children to take the lead and educate their grown-ups about climate change. Featuring a foreword by internationally renowned climate scientist Dr Michael E. Mann and bursting with fabulous original illustrations, this delightfully witty book deals with the pressing topic of our changing planet in an uplifting, positive manner. Interwoven amongst the more serious questions – why is Earth so special in the first place? How do we know about climate change? What causes it? How can we recognise false information? – are fun-filled facts about cow burps, woolly mammoths, panda-shaped solar panels, and much more. Crucially, this book also equips children and adults alike with the practical tools they need to tackle climate change in their everyday lives. And there’s a handy quiz at the end so that you can check your grown-up has been paying attention!
A climate change and environment focused wordsearch which includes 10 hidden words/phrases as well as an answer sheet with the definitions of each word/phrase.
Based on the book, How to Teach Grown-ups about Climate Change. A witty guide to the science behind climate change, which puts kids in charge.
Never has there been a more perfect time to empower children to take the lead and educate their grown-ups about climate change. Featuring a foreword by internationally renowned climate scientist Dr Michael E. Mann and bursting with fabulous original illustrations, this delightfully witty book deals with the pressing topic of our changing planet in an uplifting, positive manner. Interwoven amongst the more serious questions – why is Earth so special in the first place? How do we know about climate change? What causes it? How can we recognise false information? – are fun-filled facts about cow burps, woolly mammoths, panda-shaped solar panels, and much more. Crucially, this book also equips children and adults alike with the practical tools they need to tackle climate change in their everyday lives. And there’s a handy quiz at the end so that you can check your grown-up has been paying attention!
Activity sheets about the future and technology from Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia.
This encyclopedia takes you on a journey from the beginning of time to the present day and even into the future! It explores a wide range of topics and is divided into eight chapters by subject: Universe, Earth, Matter, Life, Humans, Ancient & Medieval Times, Modern Times and Today & Tomorrow.
In this activity pack, children can answer questions about technology and the future of the world. Examples include what was the first .com website registered, which was the world’s first full-colour daily newspaper and which is the most crowded city in the world.
They can search for words including; billionaire, endangered, inequality, internet, media and robot.
Quick quick taken from the Science Timeline Wallbook.
Children can answer 10-questions all about science, with questions about rivers, hearts and the theodolite included.
Ancient & Medieval History activities, including a quiz, crossword and wordsearch taken from Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia.
This encyclopedia takes you on a journey from the beginning of time to the present day and even into the future! It explores a wide range of topics and is divided into eight chapters by subject: Universe, Earth, Matter, Life, Humans, Ancient & Medieval Times, Modern Times and Today & Tomorrow.
Children can answer questions about the Akkadian Empire, Stonehenge and The Roman Empire. Ancient Gods, castle and pyramid are some of the words they can search for.
Modern history activities from Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia.
This encyclopedia takes you on a journey from the beginning of time to the present day and even into the future! It explores a wide range of topics and is divided into eight chapters by subject: Universe, Earth, Matter, Life, Humans, Ancient & Medieval Times, Modern Times and Today & Tomorrow.
The activity pack consists of a quiz, wordsearch and crossword and children can answer questions about European explorers, famous ships and Mughal emperors. They can also seach for words including abolition, war, communism and apartheid.
Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia - What We Know & What We Don’t.
The encyclopedia takes you on a journey from the beginning of time to the present day and even into the future! It explores a wide range of topics and is divided into eight chapters by subject: Universe, Earth, Matter, Life, Humans, Ancient & Medieval Times, Modern Times and Today & Tomorrow.
In this pack children can answer simple questions about space and universe, fill in a crossword and do a wordsearch.
Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia takes you on a journey from the beginning of time to the present day and even into the future! It explores a wide range of topics and is divided into eight chapters by subject: Universe, Earth, Matter, Life, Humans, Ancient & Medieval Times, Modern Times and Today & Tomorrow.
These activities focus on humans and children can answer a quiz about humans and do a crossword and wordsearch.
Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia takes you on a journey from the beginning of time to the present day and even into the future! It explores a wide range of topics and is divided into eight chapters by subject: Universe, Earth, Matter, Life, Humans, Ancient & Medieval Times, Modern Times and Today & Tomorrow.
The resources include a quiz about simple scientific concepts, a wordsearch and crossword.
Perfect for KS2 children.
Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia takes you on a journey from the beginning of time to the present day and even into the future! It explores a wide range of topics and is divided into eight chapters by subject: Universe, Earth, Matter, Life, Humans, Ancient & Medieval Times, Modern Times and Today & Tomorrow.
This resource focuses on nature and animals and includes a quiz, crossword and wordsearch.