Animal Exploration Lab for Kids

This is a fun and well illustrated book to teach children about biology and nature studies. Some of the activities do require equipment like motion sensing night cameras. I appreciated that the author stressed that children should not harm the animals and return them to where they were found. In some cases, the instructions didn't seem thorough enough. For instance, we have raised butterflies for many years (naturally, not using kits which can be problematic in several ways) and the short instructions didn't cover a lot of things that I would have added. There were a few activities I put on the list to try with my kiddos though. All in all, a good book for backyard biology, especially for beginners.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

'Animal Exploration Lab for Kids' is filled with many neat projects for kids! This would be great for summer time or even quarantine. A huge variety of projects are included, some covering topics like finding animals, senses, and how animals eat. I would have rated this higher, but some of the projects required sometimes pricey items like cameras, etc. and there was an activity about carrying other children, specifically toddlers! That seems like a dangerous suggestion to me! Overall, this had many neat project ideas to get children to consider the lives of animals.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group/Quarry Books for providing this ARC.

Animal Exploration Lab for Kids is full of easy to follow activities to help kids learn about the animal kingdom through exploration, investigation, and discovery. My son and I had so much fun conducting the experiments and learning about the life around us. This is an excellent guide for families, teachers, and home schooling to introduce the next generation to love and have fun and get a little dirty while learning new things, discovering the world around us, and building a love for our vast ecosystem.

The book is made up of 8 units and several labs within each unit. Each lab has a list of materials, safety tips, helpful hints, the procedure, creative ways for the parent to enrich the activity, and the science behind the fun. Along with photos of children doing the lab, which my son especially loved. The format makes each activity so easy to follow. Each lab had different time variables, but one could expect they would take anywhere from 30 minutes to 120 minutes.

The labs are open-ended parent guided and child led, so it was very easy to adapt to your children’s age, or varying ages if you have kids in different age groups. I did a few activates with my 3-year-old and 8-year-old nephew. Both were completely captivated with their task at hand and had different takeaways, which was fun to watch them talk about the activity with each other.

This would be excellent curriculum for an immersive classroom (home or in school) and to get your child to get excited with learning and have fun at the same time I highly recommend this book. I will look forward to working my way through this book with my kids and doing the activates over and over throughout the year, as they grow and perspectives and abilities change it open enough for us to get more in-depth each time.

Thank you NetGalley, Quarry Books, & Maggie Reinbold for the gifted eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Animal Exploration Lab for Kids by Maggie Reinbold is a must-have resource for anyone with Elementary or Early Middle School aged students. This book is full of hands-on, adult-guided activities that provide children with knowledge about the animal kingdom and teach them the research skills to examine it. Easy to follow "Labs" include a materials list, an easy to follow step by step procedure with accompanying photos, and finally, a “The Science Behind the Fun” section with clear explanations of what the students have been examining. With 52 labs included, you have a year's worth of weekly hands-on science. The materials needed are mostly things you already have, and then you just open your door. I particularly like the focus on observation, close looking and recording. Animal Exploration Lab for Kids is a fantastic resource for both teachers and parents alike. This is experiential learning at its finest!

I was so happy to receive a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As an educator or young children, for nearly 20 years, I can tell you that this book Is a wonderful resource. This book not only explains the how and what of these animal observations, but explains the why's. This book also explains how these techniques are used in jobs. This book would be a great resource for a summer camp program, an in-depth animal unit, or for an at home activity for a family. The photos and illustrations are clean and crisp. Overall, a great find

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This book was broken up into eight units studies. The units teach about studying animals. All the units are broken up into labs. There are a total of 52 labs. This book is fun for all size of children. If you do one lab a week, this book will last you all year. You can even use this book for a science unit study for homeschool. The book will be a great gift for any child who loves animals. I give this book a five star. The only downfall is the cost, but it has great activities to do with your children. It will open your children's eyes to the truth about animals' habits, behaviors, senses, and more. It also teaches you how to keep a science journal. It also gives safety tips and helpful hints. This book is full of fun and education. I highly recommend this book for all the children who love animals.