Science Made Fun: STEAM books for Esploranauts!

Open the doors to a new way of learning about science for kids…

For budding scientists who are fascinated by the world around them, or newcomers to the wonderful world of science – the Esploranauts Science Club for Kids will get young learners thinking about the way things work… from the chemicals in our atmosphere to the physics of engineering.

Launched in September 2022, the Esploranauts club will give its members access to a digital library of STEAM books to help further their learning. The books are available on Octavo – a Malta-based digital reading platform – and form part of the STEAM Readers collection created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution.

The science club is designed for curious children and eager learners aged between 5 to 10 years. The collection of STEAM books includes 90 original texts, with 45 of those books targeted for children in Grades 1 – 3, and the other 45 books suitable for children in Grades 4 – 6.

Members of the club will receive an official Esploranauts t-shirt, quarterly magazine, an Esplora digital book and a free Esplora Child Ticket on their birthdays to enjoy a day at Esplora!

The STEAM digital books will be available all year long and can be accessed by creating a free account on Octavo.

The Membership fee for this science club, comprising all these benefits, is €15 per year.

As Malta’s Interactive Science Centre, Esplora is located at Villa Bighi and aims to provide an immersive experience for visitors to learn about science. The hands-on experiences and exhibitions are designed to spark interest among all visitors, encouraging an informal alternative approach to classroom-based science lessons!

Click on the button below to sign your child up to Esploranauts!

5 oBooks to Explore the World for Elementary Readers

Passport and World Map

Explore countries, landscapes and cultures with these travel-themed oBooks

Travel books for children have the power to increase global awareness from a young age. Learning about the different countries and their unique cultures around the world can encourage a sense of curiosity among young readers, helping them expand their horizons and learn about the many wonders of the world.

With the summer months ahead of us, what better time to encourage children to read more? These 5 travel-themed oBooks will make the perfect summer read for elementary-level readers (CEFR: A2)

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Where Reading Starts!

Children reading on Octavo

Discover the new Jump! Collection on Octavo

If you’re looking for a way to get young readers excited about books, here’s your chance! The fun-packed Jump! collection has just been added to Octavo with over 145+ educational, levelled English oBooks waiting to be read.

This collection uses high-interest non-fiction topics to educate readers from grades PreK – 3. From beginner readers to newly-fluent ones, the collection covers a diverse range of subjects that young children will love to read!

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Why are Non-Fiction Books so Important for Children?

Hands-on learning: Explore the digital non-fiction collections available on Octavo. 

Great ideas are often sparked from ordinary moments, and creating an environment that stimulates learning among children can lead to wondrous discoveries.

The conversations we have, the media we consume and how we spend our free time can all help to shape how a child approaches learning. For example, by swapping the television time for non-fiction books, or using tablets and mobile devices to read instead of watching videos, children can expand their real-world knowledge and understand how the world works.

But there’s more to non-fiction than that. 

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