Alison Borthwick & Alan Cross in Primary Mathematics:

It™s great to see the 15 Minute STEM Book 2 following the super original 15 Minute STEM book. Emily Hunt™s second book follows on from her first excellent collection of 40 exciting, easy to resource STEM activities. Book 2 follows the great recipe from the first book including another 40 great ideas to get young hands and minds buzzing. The book very powerfully demonstrates again that simple starting points can lead to very purposeful action and inquiry. Emily claims that the resources needed are simple and that certainly is true, almost all the items needed could be found at home or on a quick trip to the supermarket.

Emily is quite right that STEM subjects will become more and more important and that many of our learners will, be employed in STEM businesses. She has stuck to her winning formula of no fuss, straightforward and yet exciting ideas which cover the full range of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM subjects) content. Her short introduction to the book gives very helpful advice for adults keen to inspire interest and a love of learning through STEM subjects. Each project is very clearly laid out beginning each time with a question to investigate. What follows is a how to guide for the investigation including: equipment list, instructions, prompt for investigation and short summary of what science, technology or mathematics we will be learning about. Helpful icons suggest whether the activity can be done by an individual or is suitable or a group and whether the investigation is suited to indoors, outdoors or both. The clear and helpful colour photographs and diagrams give clues and often background to the topics. A helpful ˜What we are learning™ section summarises relevant subject knowledge and like the diagrams often reference real world applications. We particularly like the icons, which indicate the profession or occupation, which might employ ideas illustrated in each investigation. These are expanded in a very useful STEM jobs glossary, we even learned what a dendrologist is! This glossary alone would be a great basis for enquiry and discussion. Each member of a class could investigate one of these occupations and find out why more about it and why it is considered a STEM career. Incidentally we™d love to include another occupation - teaching! A final bonus is a page of fifteen further activity ideas, which we hope Emily might expand on in Book 3!

Find out more about 15-Minute STEM Book 2 here.