Mr Z has been having a look at some new educational books from Miles Kelly Publishing: Project Space and Project Ancient Egypt. These are really interactive books with lots of flaps to lift to discover more information and project ideas tied in on nearly every page with things to make and do to support learning on the topic.
Each page is colourful and packed with detailed information. It is quite advanced, as it is aimed at age 7+ so Mr Z did feel it was difficult for him to read by himself (he’s 5.5) but there is plenty for us to look at together and chat about as he gets a little older he will be able to browse through these books by himself and pick up lots more facts.
Project Space has over 10 projects including making Galactic Art and an Eclipse Kit. You can see sample pages and find more info here.
Project Ancient Egypt also has more than 10 practical projects to make to accompany the learning on each page. Mr Z decided to try out the Pyramid model project first and this was not too difficult for him.
We found the instructions clear and Mr Z really enjoyed making the pyramid after looking at the pyramid pictures in the book.
We were given clear instructions of how to measure out the template on the paper, using a ruler and then cut and stick it all together. We did adjust the dimensions given so that the template would fit onto one A4 piece of paper. To make the pyramid according to the dimensions given in the book you may need an A3 size, or you could even get a bigger sheet of card and double the measurements to make a giant pyramid!
Making the pyramid involves mathematical thinking and spacial awareness, and it was interesting for Mr Z to see how a flat template on the page translated into a 3d model. He also put his imagination to work decorating the inside of his pyramid with lots of hidden treasure and Egyptian style markings.
It did involve some trial and error for Mr Z, which is all part of learning. Linking the facts and information about pyramids with a practical activity like this will definitely help the lesson stay in Mr Z’s mind for longer. I can see him returning to this same activity again as well as trying out many of the other activities from the books. It’s great that every time we go back to complete another project it will give him a refresher on all the information about the topics.
Here’s one of Mr Z’s finished pyramids:
The next projects we have planned from the books are the Hieroglyphic Challenge from the Ancient Egypt book and the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star activity from the space book, which involves making sparkling stars using a torch and foil stars under water.
These books are a great idea if you are looking for something to help encourage learning at home and to get really involved in the topics. I would definitely recommend them. If your child is under the recommended age of 7 then they will need more support and guidance from an adult but can still benefit from doing the projects.
Find out more and see more ranges at mileskelly.net
What do you think of the books? Have you made paper pyramids before? Let me know in the comments.