~ MMGM S.T.E.A.M. THE OCEAN CRAFT BOOK ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY S.T.E.A.M. FEATURE ~

-- 'READ, LEARN & CREATE:

THE OCEAN CRAFT BOOK'  -- 

AUTHORS CLARE BEATON & RUDI HAIG

ILLUSTRATOR CLARE BEATON

 LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS 

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

With topics sure to stimulate creative thinking and artistic prowess, these fun ocean crafts will motivate little ones to venture outside for inspiration. Perfect for your preK explorers and your elementary artists. Make a craft inspired by ocean--and learn something, too!

What can you create with just a cardboard box and some construction paper? Your very own coral reef! Use easy-to-follow directions to make thirteen crafts (and one recipe), each one focused on the ocean. Crafts include fun facts and additional resources, giving covert learning opportunities for your little explorer and reducing screen time.

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK:

"Young makers will learn ways to use (and reuse) everyday items in craft projects based on various kinds of ocean life, but this book goes above and beyond, also teaching about those creatures and the waters they call home. The double-page spreads are well organized, keeping all informational text about the given subject on the left-hand page, while placing all instructions for a related craft on the right-hand page. Beaton’s illustrations of the animals, such as dolphins and sharks, are colorful, and they are accompanied by helpful templates as well as an image of the finished craft. Steps are clearly described and can be completed by children with little to no adult supervision. Interesting facts about each animal will help children understand more about marine life, the dangers of pollution, and what they can do to help. Written in a knowledgeable voice and combining fun facts with creative ideas, this informative craft book is a must for any nonfiction children’s collection."
—Booklist 

CLICK HERE TO READ AN EXCERPT OF THIS BOOK ON THE PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:

Clare Beaton illustrates in felt, pen and ink, and paper collage.

MY THOUGHTS:

This colorful craft book is a treasure trove of fun and appealing projects for primary-grade and middle-grade learners. 

The book kicks off with an introduction about Earth's five oceans and two of Earth's seven seas. Readers learn the difference between ocean plants and animals and freshwater plants and animals. The authors warn that oceans "are all under threat from pollution created by people." (page 1)  

A brief section entitled, 'Activities', gives an overview of materials to use for the projects and how to use the templates in the book. Readers are encouraged to use as many recycled items as possible when making their projects.

Next come the delightful projects including Paper Cup Penguins, Crafty Sea Turtles, Amazing Sea Creatures Paintings, Starfish Cookies {recipe}, Toilet-Paper Tube Crab, Your Own Coral Reef, and several more. 

What makes this a S.T.E.A.M. book in my opinion instead of an arts and crafts book is that the authors include a non-fiction narrative about the subject of each project before they present the instructions for the particular project.

Stepped-out instructions include a 'What you Will Need' materials list and detailed instructions. Instead of photos of each completed project, the illustrator has provided labeled illustrations for the ocean creatures and the projects. 

There is even a section on Beachcombing and Ocean Boats with suggestions for craft projects. I'm not too sure about the suggestion to have children to collect plastic and other trash on the beach and take it home to use it for art because of safety concerns and also environmental protection regulations about not taking anything from a protected seashore, but the recycling crafts and boat hat they present look like fun for kids.

The final section was really unique, in my opinion. It's entitled, 'Nautical Flags', and includes drawings of the twenty-six flags which represent the alphabet used to allow ships and boats communicate with each other and/or people on shore. 

Quoting from this book:  "Ships can use the flags to spell out a message or use a single flag that stands for an entire message. For example, the flag for the letter A--alpha--tells other ships to keep clear because there is a diver underwater." This was all news to me, and I was glad to learn about this communication system!

Highly-recommended for primary and middle-grade students, librarians, teachers, parents/grandparents, and youth/camp/scout leaders.

I borrowed this book from the non-fiction 'new book' shelf in the children's section of the local public library.

**************

Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.

# # # # #