To mark British Science Week we have gathered together a collection of brilliant STEM themed children's books to engage and entertain young readers, and inspire scientists of the future.
Fact Books to help develop STEM skills in KS1
The Start Small Thing Big series written by Mary Auld and illustrated by Dawn Cooper, are primary-science picture books that take a one simple start - a nut, a seed, a chick - and follow the journey each take. With a clear narrative and colourful illustrations, the pages are full of facts and information, carefully presented in age-appropriate text for 4-8 year olds. Each book includes a big fold out map and an i-spy game, and are wonderfully interactive to share in a classroom setting.
And also highly recommended for KS1 the SuperQuesters series by Dr Thomas Bernard & Lisa Moss is a unique blend of adventure stories and expertly designed quests for children aged 5+ to develop their STEM skills in exciting new ways. Each book has its own overarching theme, a series of challenges to solve, and an excellent range of activities so there is no risk of it feeling repetitive. The use of stickers adds a great way to make the reading experience more interactive and suit kinaesthetic learners. Discover the full list of books here, and each has an accompanying activity download.
Written and researched by Maddie Moate, the star of CBeebies Do You Know?, How Does It Work? is packed with awesome facts and key STEM concepts - perfect for nurturing curious minds aged 6 and above. Highly recommended by us.
Fun filled fact books to fascinate KS2
The innovatively educational Discoveries and Inventions series sets out to explain the who, where, why and how of STEM disciplines. In What’s Science? Frances Durkin aims to answer this huge question through the exploration of thirteen seminal scientific discoveries, which fit perfectly into this years British Science Week theme of Change and Adapt. It's great for classroon learning and also comes with this brilliant and fact-full download, with extracts from the book, questions and ideas for classroom activities.
Professor Ben Garrod's excellent Extinct: The Story of Life on Earth series tells the story of life on Earth through the history of creatures caught up in one of the various mass extinction events. Inspiring any young thinker and a must have for young paleontologists, here are evolution's superstars, from the super-weird to the super-ferocious. Perfect for classroom lessons or a school assembly, Ben introduces his series across two videos found here, plus there are accompanying activities and teachers resources, including this great colouring & fact download.
A must-read fact series for KS3
The Explodapedia series by Ben Martynoga, a hugely accomplished neuroscientist and science writer, takes his readers on a journey of wonder and discovery. The series concept, described as the exploded encyclopedia with “everything you need to know about science, one book at a time!”, takes key scientific subjects and presents them in a way that is both entertaining and readable with an attractive pocket-sized format and witty illustrations. You can find classroom downloads linked to the books here, plus a fascinating online interview with Ben Martynoga which discussed the important question, Can Nature Heal Our World?
What is British Science Week?
British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths that will place between 8-17 March 2024.
The theme this year is Change and Adapt. There are free activity packs to download which include a range of ideas for practical activities for classroom activities, plus lots of information and guidance to plan events for the week.
Events planned this year include :
Free Online Event for Primary Schools - 12th March 1.30pm
A live author event for Primary Schools with Mr Dilly and a panel of STEM-focused children's authors - Vashti Hardy, Lisa Harvey-Smith, Dr. Lucía Pérez-Díaz and illustrator Aidan Ryan will lead an exciting draw-along session. Not to be missed - find out more about this free event, and reserve your spot here.
BBC Teach Live Lesson - Join an astronaut training school with Tim Peake
Space Live Lesson on Monday 10 March at 11:00 - a BBC Teach science Live Lesson from the National Space Centre, with British Astronaut Tim Peake. Find out more about this special event for KS2 with links to download your Teaching Guide and Activity Pages.
The British Science Week Poster Competition
For Early Years and Primary Get your class to create a poster on the theme of ‘Change and Adapt'. Prizes up for grabs include STEM books and a 3D building playset - entries close on 3 April 2025.
For Secondary Schools Can you help them by coming up with a new idea or invention to improve the health of the air in our buildings? Present your ideas, through artwork and text, in a poster form. Winners will be judged by a team from UCL - find out more here.
NFU Education Science Farm Live
The NFU are inviting pupils to an action-packed week of lessons exploring all the ways that animals and crops are adapted to their habitats here in Britain and all the ways that British farmers are adapting their practice to fight against climate change.
Take part in one of the UKs longest written biological records, exploring your local area and adding your observations of when Spring starts.
And there are lots more events planned across the country including a LightFest in Sheffield, Ocean Conservation in Plymouth and Robotics Workshops in Newcastle. Find something near to you or join one of the many online events.
To mark British Science Week scroll down for a selection of books with a STEM theme - fiction and non-fiction - that celebrate a love of science.
Find further reading in -
30 children's books to celebrate International Day for Women and Girls in Science
30 Children's Books to Celebrate World Oceans Day
Plus a huge range of STEM activity downloads, classroom resources and videos on our Kids Zone.
And find out more at britishscienceweek.org
On X @ScienceWeekUK
Facebook @ScienceWeekUK
Instagram @britishscienceassociation
#BSW25
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