Oooh, two of our favourite things combined in a brilliantly presented and seriously absorbing new book from DK? How could we resist!

Food and Science meet with a pop, and a fizz in "Science you can Eat" by Stefan Gates.

Stefan is a brilliant host in this amusing and utterly fascinating look at our food, and the way our bodies work with it, combined with a ton of awesome recipes and experiments to keep you and your little ones busy in the long summer hols.

We busied ourselves getting right down to the nitty gritty of trying out some of the experiments in this book. Spit and custard? OK We did skip that one, as it sounded a little bit too gross - but learning how our saliva works on our food to make it easier to digest was actually one of the more interesting bits of this book.

We also found out why popcorn pops, why Space Dust fizzes and explodes on our tongues, and - er - why baked beans make your trousers trumpet!

Let's have a look inside this fabulous book!

Our tongues are amazing. Not just for poking out at your teacher or politicians, they're amazingly sensitive to a whole range of flavours and tastes

Stefan's easy style of writing completely captures children's imaginations, and science experiments you can do at home with just a few simple things really make this a complete winner of a book when the kids plaintively cry "We're bored! Find us something to do!"

Yeah we always cry when we slice an onion because we think about all their little onion brothers and sisters missing them. SOB!

The real science behind some of the amazing facts in the book is introduced in a kid-friendly but not dumbed-down way, so you'll come away with a whole gamut of knowledge about food and how we process it. Did you know, for instance, that there really is iron in cornflakes? There's a great experiment in this book to prove it to you!

We all scream for ice cream!! Yum!

As you'd expect from DK, this is a beautifully presented and visually impressive book. Wear a chef's hat AND a lab coat for the proper effect while digging into a ton of amazing experiments that will wow and stun in equal measure.

Sum this book up in a sentence: The perfect book for the long summer hols, round up your pet adults and get busy with a ton of fabulous food-based experiments to tantalise your tastebuds and stimulate your brain!

"Science you can Eat" by Stefan Gates is out now, published by Dorling Kindersley (kindly supplied for review). 

Monkeying around with food in Springboard Stories Issue 3!

Once again we're extremely grateful that Springboard Stories have let us take a look at their fantastic packed-to-the-gills magazine, filled with brilliant ideas, discussion and stories.

This issue revolves around a subject very dear to my heart, food and creatures very dear to Charlotte's heart, monkeys!

Dipping in, there's a brilliant retelling of the ancient Chinese "Monkey" stories. For those of you who grew up in the 70s and 80s and can only remember "Monkey" as being that funny little guy who rode around on a cloud and biffed baddies with his stick, it'll be a revelation. Debjani Chaterjee's version of the story revolves around Monkey being extremely naughty while trying to worm his way into the King's royal fruit gardens. With illustrations once again by the very talented Walmesley Brothers (Simon and James), it's a great story to share with class before examining the various monkey-based activities that accompany this delightful little book.

Elsewhere in the magazine, there's plenty of mouthwatering morsels to enjoy. There are fab activities based around food with an eye on literacy and numeracy. Setting up a classroom cafe (that suitcase-based cafe is adorable, where can we get one?!) and writing menus, totting up bills are all good fun and stimulating for children (Charlotte enjoys this activity already at home, either setting up her cafe or her supermarket)

Look out Waitrose, you've got some competition!

One of the main reasons we like Springboard Stories' publication is that there are so many triggers for talking points. Not just with children but with other adults (particularly the wonderful book folk I am lucky enough to be in touch with on a daily basis). The Monkey legend was a particularly popular topic this week, examining the various ways the legend has been adapted and 'westernised' over the years -  from Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's big budget West End stage production of "Monkey: Journey to the West" to the popular videogame adaptation of the legend (Enslaved by Ninja Theory).

It was great to see the 60s animated version getting mentioned, as this is probably one of the most powerful and faithful versions of the stories. There are sumptuous images from that version to enjoy throughout the magazine.

If you're a teacher, librarian or interested in child literacy, numeracy and of course wonderful wonderful books and you've yet to experience the sheer wealth of information and activity ideas on offer in Springboard Stories, drop by their website and check out their subscription rates and the wealth of free material they offer in addition to the magazine.

http://www.springboardstories.co.uk

Charlotte's favourite bit: The brilliant Monkey story included with the magazine (I think it's because Monkey's more than a bit naughty in it really!)

Daddy's favourite bit: Some brilliant artwork spreads (Springboard's posters in every issue always end up on the wall or the pinboard!) and fantastic activity ideas. A metric ton of fabulous and inspirational activities. I just don't know how they manage to pack so much in!