Make Learning Fun and Keep the Mind Young

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” ~Henry Ford

With school in full swing, maybe your child is having difficulty with a subject, or perhaps you want to explore an interesting topic together. The library has a wide array of materials that will help make learning fun.

Art Up Close is a book is for all ages. Learn to appreciate art with this big colorful book of world famous art. The author takes snapshots of small details, so young ones have fun searching the images while they learn about history and culture.

Discovering the natural world is exciting with Time for Kids Science Scoops and National Geographic Kids. Learn about creatures that used to roam the earth in Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs, and natural disasters in Volcanoes! Then, watch the fascinating Disney Nature videos Migration, Predator and Prey and Oceans.

Learning about our country is important, but it can be a drag if too many dull facts are presented. Discover the geography of the west coast with W is for Washington, O Is for Oregon and C Is for California. Students from each state were selected to write poems that accompany the photography. Pair these geography books with the American Girl series. You will meet different girls from a variety of backgrounds, time periods and eras. Another historical fiction series, Magic Tree House, weaves history and magic together. These books may be fiction, but they highlight actual events.

Math won’t be a struggle when you read David Adler’s books. He makes learning math easy by combining stories with math. Try Mystery Math and Easy Math Puzzles.

Failing Science? Learn physics, chemistry, biology and astronomy through Dan Green’s cute cartoon characters that engage the reader.

Falling asleep reading those history textbooks? Try The Cartoon History by Larry Gonick. You might be unable to put this series down.

English classes got you down? If reading Shakespeare makes you fearful of an upcoming test or essay read the No Fear series. You can read a modern version of the story alongside the original.

And, don’t forget that your local branch has interesting magazines on art, science, archaeology, nature, history, boating, psychology, and much more!! The older issues can be checked out.

~ Renee, Ballard Branch