Smithsonian Children’s Books Collection from Silver Dolphin Books

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I received complimentary products in exchange for my honest review.

It’s that time of year again; the kids are going back to school and we’re all geared up for learning around here. For the first time ever, I will have two kids in school this year. Dub starts Pre-K in a few weeks and we have been having a blast getting ready with this amazing collection of Smithsonian books and other goodies from Silver Dolphin Books. I am excited to tell you about each of the items in the fabulous set. 

We have been fortunate enough to visit The Smithsonian museums of Natural History and American History. I went once when I was in my early teens and I was visiting my aunt who lived in Washington DC at the time and we also stopped in on our way out to Colorado with the kids. Having been there, I knew that the books bearing their name would have a lot of live up to. 

This is what I received: Smithsonian Discover: Earth, Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Dinosaurs, Smithsonian Sticker Creations: Under the Sea, Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know: Grades K-1, Smithsonian Everything You Need to Know: Grades 2-3, and Smithsonian Young Explorers: 50 States.

The two sticker books, Dinosaurs and Under the Sea have standard stickers that we’re all used to that are meant to be put in specific places in the book. The book tells your child all about under the sea and dinosaur life and the stickers are a supplement to what they learn within the book. It really makes learning fun and interactive. 

In addition to the standard stickers, the books also have a scene in the back with these wonderful 3D stickers that can be stuck and unstuck to make new scenes. At 4.5, Dub is still a little young to understand that the stickers have a specific place within the book, but he still loved looking at it and creating new scenes in the back of the books. In a few more months I think he will “get it” when it comes to the rest of the book and he will have a blast finding where the stickers are supposed to go. 

These cards were his favorite! Dub loves looking at flash cards so he thought these were the best thing ever. He also loves to look at the 2-3 set, but we have put it away in the closet for now to hold on to until he gets a little older. 

The K-1 set is perfect for him right now and he especially loves the US States and Outer Space cards. The simple designs keep him engaged and the information on the back is easy for him understand and learn. 

The whole family enjoyed looking at Discover Earth. My high school son and both my husband and I loved this book. Dub also thought it was neat, but we decided to put it away for when Dub is a little older. It’s such a great resource for when he’s ready, we didn’t want to risk it getting ruined on his bookshelf.

The book itself is high quality from the information to the design and materials used. We love that instead of a typical spine, it’s like a ring binder so the book lays flat for easier reading. 

Last, but not least is the 50 States puzzle and map. This was so much fun to put together and Dub loved seeing our trip from Connecticut out to Colorado in with a real visual. While he doesn’t remember living in Connecticut, he still likes to see the trip that we made across the country. He also loves to see the states around us that he does remember visiting such as New Mexico and Wyoming. We hope to be adding to the list of states that he will remember visiting very soon and he will love to look at our journey on his map. 

Overall, I am very impressed with this set from Silver Dolphin Books. It really lives up to the Smithsonian name and will be an excellent resource for Dub for many years to come as he starts Pre-K and beyond. If you have a child in the earlier elementary grades then I highly recommend picking up a few pieces from this collection. 

You can win this set in the Looking Forward to Fall giveaway hop ending on August 28, 2015, at 11:59 pm.