Boredom Busters: Over 50 AWESOME Activities for Children Aged 7 Years +. Caroline Fernandez. New York, NY: CICO Kidz Books (Distributed in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son), 2014. 128 pp., trade pbk., $18.95. ISBN 978-1-78249-105-7. Kindergarten-grade 5 / Ages 5-10. Review by Courtney Novotny. **** /4

excerpt:

Egg Carton Creature
Do you ever need a place to hold your teeny tiny stuff? Recycle a cardboard egg carton to make a fun tidy to hold erasers, hair ties, stickers, buttons, jewelry, craft supplies, or whatever other itsy bitsy gear you have on hand. This is a great 2-in-1 activity, as you are not only making an organizer for yourself but also creating an egg carton creature to decorate your desk.

Guess What…Egg Cartons
The egg carton was invented by Joseph Coyle of British Columbia, Canada, in 1911. He invented the egg carton to solve a disagreement between a local egg farmer and hotel owner. The hotel owner and farmer were both angry that eggs kept getting broken during their journey from the farm to the hotel. So Joseph invented a paper carton to protect the fragile eggs during transport.

Boredom Busters is an excellent craft and activity book that appeals to both children and the adults in their lives. It is organized into five distinct chapters: Art Activities, Craft Activities, Science Activities, Food Activities, and Travel Activities. A wide variety of project types and difficulty levels are included, and the projects range from a recycled crayon necklace, plastic bag friendship braid, and lava in a cup, to invisible icing, fingertip fudge, and wooden spoon puppets.

     The projects are well-organized and include the length of time to complete the project, the boredom buster factor of the project (e.g., “one time activity,” “over and over again” etc), a difficulty rating, supply list, and detailed step-by-step instructions. Each project also includes a “Guess What…” section that provides further information, such as historical background to materials, definitions, and science information (see excerpt above), and adds another educational element to the project and book. Large, clear photographs accompany the instructions, making each project easy for children to follow along. Cheerful young models also make the book fun to look through and relatable for children.

     Children will enjoy poring over the ideas to pick out an activity for a rainy day, day off school, or summer project, while parents, caregivers, and teachers will enjoy the educational tidbits included with each project. Most of the projects make use of everyday or recycled materials, making them affordable and easy to pull together in a few minutes. The food and science activities round out the craft activities and widen the appeal of the book beyond the arts and crafts audience. There are also reminders to put down newspaper, wear an apron, and wash hands to protect clothing and surfaces and keep things neat and tidy. Boredom Busters is the perfect activity book for creative and inquisitive kids to work through during their summer break and an excellent classroom resource for preschool and elementary school teachers.

Highly Recommended.

Courtney Novotny is a Children, Teens, and Families Librarian at Calgary Public Library.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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