Curious Minds 40 Hands-on Activities to Inspire a Love of Learning

A great resource for parents and homeschoolers in search of kid-friendly DIY projects, educators seeking to enhance classroom lessons, and caregivers or camp counselors looking for activities with a deeper educational lesson behind them, Curious Minds is filled to the brim with learning activities that will excite the eager, gifted child just as much as the special needs learner.

Through 40 fun projects designed to promote kids' critical thinking about the interest in the world they live in, Curious Minds fosters active "learning by doing" in four core academic areas—math, science, social studies, and language arts. Each activity includes a short mini-lesson and list of "related lingo" to provide educational background information; a simple materials list; easy-to-follow, illustrated instructions; and guidance for extending the activity. The wide range of projects ensures every child's interest will be piqued. Kids will make homemade butter like the pioneers did; understand viscosity by making homemade quicksand; learn to recognize and use creative writing techniques; make their own ink using natural resources; and much more!

Ty Kolstedt teaches secondary-level social studies in the Denver area. He has worked with kids as a wilderness instructor, program coordinator, and teacher for over 12 years. He has a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of Colorado at Boulder as well as a master of arts degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Colorado at Denver. Dr. Azeem Z. Vasi is an otolaryngologist who has daily clinic interaction with parents and children dealing with various developmental issues.