Curious Creatable Creatures

STEAM is so important for me when it comes to my nephew; I want him to have the best chances in life and by making the connections between these subjects, he certainly will.
This book will ensure he is motivated and inspired from the very start, without being bogged down by the information.

This fun and educational book makes STEAM fun for kids. With easy to understand instructions and clear photographs to assist with completing tasks. These activities are something I would love to do with my kids!>

After my first glance through this book, I thought ‘wow!’ Then I realised that many of the models require some tools and equipment that would need a lot of supervision like hot glue guns, pliers, drill, wire strippers, electricity circuits etc., that had my heart sinking. However, once I got over the fact that all these special tools and equipment were needed, I got to looking at the book in depth and I have to say, the projects are so truly original and awe-inspiring, that I can look past the fact of the tools and equipment. The photos are simply stunning; little scenarios with the fictional creatures in situ which are so cute and zany and have such weird and wonderful names – Yarny Yip Yaps, the Spitting Spurlock, Honksee the Popstar, Fossilized Beetlebops – that you just can’t help but completely adore them. Your little cherubs will be nagging you to help them create them upon sight.

These creatures can be adjusted, customised and experimented with. Tools and equipment can be swapped and played around with. The only limit is your creativity and imagination.

The book states it’s aimed towards children aged 8 – 12 years old. Hmmm, I’m not so sure. I think that you might find some ‘young-at-heart’ adults wanting to create some of these also..

Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review.

Why didn’t they have books like Curious Creatable Creatures when I was young? I made a model of Frankenstein that just stood there (and would be worth a lot more now if I had never even opened it).

Many of these twenty-two creatures light up, make music, and move! Two even spit! While your kids are having fun, they are also learning valuable math and science concepts from geometry, chemistry, earth science, electricity, and more. All of the instructions have a difficulty and cost rating. What’s nice is the most difficult, and awesome, projects are not always the most costly making this an ideal book for home schooling moms on a budget.

Curious Creatable Creatures is an ingenious and relatively inexpensive way to get your child into STEAM projects. Plus they will have fun doing it. There are simple projects involving yarn, pipe cleaners and googly eyes for younger primary graders with a parent’s help. There are more complex battery-powered creatures for older elementary age children. Overall, a good choice to see where your child’s interests lie. 4 stars!

Thanks to Voyageur Press/Quarto Kids and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Filled with imaginative, whimsical rainy (and other) day projects. Well-photographed with step-by-step instructions and materials lists. Here is a book that will inspire a child's creativity. These are "STEAM" projects, ones that involve science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Younger children will need help from adults when using required tools like drills or scissors. Most of the items needed to assemble the creatures can be found around the house. A book that will generate lots of giggles.

This STEM books takes art by the hand and gives us STEAM. It is all about creating new creatures, and learning about the principles behind them such as magnets, propellants, etc. I really like that this book talks to the readers. It makes you part of the events, not just a bystander. The projects are fun, and not too difficult, but each worth the time for the lesson it will teach.

Took a while, but I finally found a hard copy of this book! It would make a good addition to a craft section or as a buy for a crafter who works with kids, like me! I plan on making lots of these fun little critters over the summer with the kids I work with! Nice and easy, simple enough to make many of them with young grade schoolers.

I admit, I picked out this book almost exclusively based on the cover illustration. My interest was cemented by the promise of interactive creations. I find the claim of STEM education to be a bit of a stretch. We learn to make things using springs or air pressure or magnets but do we really learn any science? As a craft book it's pretty accessible. Very little specialty equipment needed.