I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the twins borrow books from their school library each week. At least the last five books my little man has borrowed have been from The Magic School Bus series. This is not the first sign I’ve seen of his interest in these books, both he and his sister have borrowed them on occasion before.
The first time one came home I thought for sure that the books were a little old for them, they can be quite lengthy, and delve into a variety of scientific topics. The kids are only five years old, and more often than not are reading about trains, animals, and in my daughters case, Pinkalicious. However I think the combination of these books being set in a fun classroom environment, and all of the wonderful adventures the children take on the school bus seem to have my kids completely enthralled.
Here are a few of The Magic School Bus books and some fun interactive learning activities you can do with your children.
The Magic School Bus Gets Planted
- Activity: Have your child grow beans from seeds. They will learn how to care for their new plant, as well as learning important information about what plants need to thrive. The end reward will be them picking, preparing, and eating the beans they grow.
The Magic School Bus Sees Stars
- Activity: On a clear evening take your children outside to lay under the stars. Print a map of the stars and let them observe that before heading outdoors, you might want to take a flashlight with you too so they can compare the map to what they are seeing above them. Can they see the Milky Way, or a shooting star? Have them draw or paint a picture of the night sky as they saw it. Do they have glow-in-the-dark stars? If they do have they may want to arrange them just like their picture. Also, if you have a science center or planetarium in your area take the kids along so they can learn even more about the solar system, make sure to sign up for updates too, on occasion they may have night viewings led by experts.
The Magic School Bus Gets Recycled
- Activity: Encourage your kids to recycle. Set up a variety of bins for them to place items such as batteries, cans, bottles, paper, compostable materials, and garden waste. Take them to visit a recycling center, and if you have curbside recycling pick-up in your area they will love watching the truck coming to collect items for recycling. Also see if there are facilities available close by where kids can take cans and bottles and redeem them for a little pocket money.
Don’t forget to take them on a fun bus ride too.
Have you done any fun activities based on The Magic School Bus books?
