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Smithsonian Interactive Books and Activity Kits Review

I am always on the lookout for new educational books and materials to share with my kiddos. When recently offered the chance to review some new Smithsonian interactive books and activity kits, I eagerly accepted the opportunity. I received Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea, Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs, Smithsonian Discover: Earth, Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1, Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3, and Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States.

Smithsonian Interactive Books and Activity Kits

Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea

Through beautifully illustrated sticker activity book Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea by Emily Rose Oachs, young explorers will embark on an underwater adventure to learn about life beneath the waves. The hands-on format allows children ages 5 and up to explore the amazing diversity of the sea while interacting with more than 200 reusable stickers and five oversized deluxe dimensional stickers. After exploring the sea creatures in the book, children can create an underwater scene by placing the stickers in the removable framed ocean scene.

My daughter loves stickers, so Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea grabbed her attention as soon as I opened the box of Smithsonian interactive books and activity kits. The books retails for $15.95, which I consider extremely reasonable for a beautifully illustrated 64-page informational book complete with reusable stickers. The book is divided into over two dozen sections that focus on different parts of ocean life. Written for kindergarteners on up, the language including style and vocabulary is age-appropriate. My three-year-old daughter also found the information interesting as I read the book aloud to her. She also enjoyed looking at all the beautiful pictures of sea creatures in the ocean.

Because of her love of stickers, my daughter had a blast helping me put the reusable stickers on the pages of Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea. The stickers are fairly high quality and do peal back off the book pages okay. I did remove most of the stickers from the sticker sheet for my daughter because some of the smaller details will tear if not treated carefully. The framed ocean scene is a unique addition to the book that adds some fun value to the entire education experience. If you are searching for an interactive book about ocean life for a young sticker lover, I highly recommend Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea.

Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea 1 Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea 2

Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea 3 Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea 4

You can purchase Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea on Amazon via my affiliate link.

Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs

Another beautifully illustrated sticker activity book with a retail value of $15.95, Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs by Ruth Tepper Brown provides a glimpse into the age of dinosaurs through a fun and innovative format. Also recommended for children ages 5 and up, the book features the same hands-on format as Under the Sea with more than 200 reusable stickers and five oversized deluxe dimensional stickers. The language including style and vocabulary is likewise age-appropriate, and the colorful illustrations capture the attention of even younger readers. My sticker-loving daughter loves Dinosaurs as much as Under the Sea, and, if my son is at all like so many other little boys that I have known, he too will delight in the many pages of dinosaur facts and pictures within the activity book. I highly recommend Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs for any young dinosaur lover.

Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs 1 Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs 2

Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs 3 Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs 4

You can purchase Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs on Amazon via my affiliate link.

Smithsonian Discover: Earth

Smithsonian Discover: Earth by Dorothea DePrisco is a must-have interactive book for any young explorer who calls Earth home. The book contains three sections: Amazing Earth (inside and outside of the planet), the Blue Planet (oceans, raging rivers, and great lakes), and Wild Weather (science of weather and natural disasters). Each page contains science presented simply for children ages 8 and up, with facts backed by the museum professionals of the Smithsonian. With a reasonable retail value of $16.95, the engaging book additionally includes a three-dimensional paper globe to build, twelve fact cards, and a two-side poster.

My preschooler daughter is still a bit young for Smithsonian Discover: Earth, but I already foresee using this interactive book as part of her Earth science studies once she reaches a third-grade level. The language including style and vocabulary is definitely geared toward middle schoolers, but my daughter does already enjoy looking at all the amazing photographs and illustrations throughout the pages. She is also extremely excited about the globe, which offers a unique interactive extra not found in most other Earth science books. I will definitely incorporate Smithsonian Discover: Earth into my homeschool curriculum in the future, and I highly recommend the interactive book overall.

Smithsonian Discover: Earth 1 Smithsonian Discover: Earth 2

Smithsonian Discover: Earth 3 Smithsonian Discover: Earth 4

You can purchase Smithsonian Discover: Earth on Amazon via my affiliate link.

Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards (Grades K-1 and Grades 2-3)

Curious minds will find hundreds of fascinating facts in Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know. I received Grades K-1 and Grades 2-3, both of which contain 275 fact cards that provide a variety of information in a tactile and engaging manner. Each flip of a card not only showcases beautiful color photographs and illustrations paired with a fact but also presents a new learning moment. Inquisitive kids will have hours of fun discovering facts about early science, social studies, and history exploration in a fun format designed to engage eager young minds. Each set retails for $19.95, which I consider reasonable for such a large number of fact cards.

Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know: Grades K-1 includes twenty fascinating categories: outer space, opposites, the five senses, from the soil, a rainbow of animals, A to Z fun fact, our solar system by the numbers, animal homes, money, transportation, around the world, inventors, national parks and monuments, 50 US states, United States in the past, US presidents, let’s celebrate, lay of the land, weather wonders, and from limb to limb. Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know: Grades 2-3 contains sixteen categories: outer space, planet earth, dinosaurs, food facts, biomes and ecosystems, inside the human body, the world of plants, amazing mammals, feathered friends, amphibians and reptiles, United States past and present, underwater animals, insects and spiders, geography, US presidents, and world wonders.

My daughter is only three-and-a-half years old, but she already loves looking at all the beautifully illustrated cards in the Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know sets. She flips through the cards, looking at the pictures, and then I read the facts aloud to her. The illustrations and text prompt her to ask many insightful questions. I have no doubt in my mind that she will continue to enjoy the cards as she grows older and begins to read on her own. I additionally like the compact format of these fact cards. The small flip-top box makes travelling with either or both sets easy. The cards are a fun activity to bring on a road trip. I highly recommend  both grade levels of Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know.

Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 1 Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 2

Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 3 Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 4

Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 1 Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 2

Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 3 Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 4

You can purchase Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 and Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 on Amazon via my affiliate links.

Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States

Young explorers can journey across the United States of America with the Smithsonian and learn all about what makes the country so great with Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States. The alphabetically arranged compendium of state trivia contains information on state birds, animals, and flowers, famous state residents, and a gaggle of fun facts. Children ages 6 and up will enjoy assembling the adorably-illustrated 130-piece puzzle map of the United States. The map kit retails for $18.95, which is reasonable for a puzzle with so many pieces.

My daughter is still a bit young to put the puzzle of the United States together on her own, but she had quite a fun time helping me fit the colorful pieces together. The poster helped her figure out which piece went where by acting as a photo guide for her. She also enjoyed looking at the state fact book that accompanies the activity kit. She was especially excited to have a visual of the country in anticipating of an upcoming cross country road trip. I plan to take the booklet on our vacation so that I can read a few facts aloud to her as we pass through each state. Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States, which I highly recommend for any young learner, will continue to grow with my daughter and son through the years.

Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States 1 Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States 2

Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States 3 Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States 4

You can purchase Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States on Amazon via my affiliate link.

Final Verdict

If you are searching for interactive books and activity kits that focus on science and social studies, look no further than Smithsonian from Silver Dolphin. I received Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea, Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs, Smithsonian Discover: Earth, Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1, Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3, and Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States to review, and I rate all six products extremely highly. Although the sets are intended for slightly older kids, my preschooler daughter is already quite interested in each, and all six will continue to grow with her and my son. At only $107.70, the entire set of engaging and interactive books and activity kits is extremely reasonably priced. I will be using all six for years to come as part of my homeschool curriculum with both my children. I highly recommend the Smithsonian interactive books and activity kits.

For more information, visit the Silver Dolphin website or the Silver Dolphin blog. You can also follow Silver Dolphin on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Image Credits

Smithsonian Interactive Books and Activity Kits © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea 2 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea 3 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea 4 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs 2 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs 3 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs 4 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Discover: Earth 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Discover: Earth 2 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Discover: Earth 3 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Discover: Earth 4 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 2 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 3 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades K-1 4 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 2 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 3 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know Fact Cards: Grades 2-3 4 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States 2 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States 3 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States 4 © 2015 Heather Johnson

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