I love it when my kids and I learn and discover new things together, and that’s what happened when we sat down to read the brand new National Geographic Kids book Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth together. The Dirtmeister is geologist and educator Steve Tomecek who has worked on numerous television shows, was the on-air science host for WNYC’s New York Kids’ radio show, is the current senior science advisor for ABCMouse.com and has written over 50 books for both children and teachers. His latest book Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth is like reading a biography about the Earth written by your favorite and funniest science teacher! Steve not only explains how the “dirt” on the Earth was formed, but how scientists have reached various conclusions through trial and error throughout history. Subjects range from the actual age of the Earth (from early estimates of just 6,000 years old to the current, agreed-upon age of 4,600,000,000!), to how the continents actually moved around the planet and broke away from one another, to much, much more!
The book has some cool illustrations by Fred Harper and throughout the book there are comic strips to further help explain the concepts in a really fun way. The questions the characters in the comics ask are all from real kids that The Dirtmeister has met in his years of performing and educating at schools, museums and on the Internet! There are also some neat science experiments you can do with everyday household materials like old water bottles, straws, yogurt, raisins and paper clips, which will help your kids (and you) understand sediments, weathering, volcanoes and other concepts.
I’m also a history buff and the book is full of little historical ‘tidbits’ including many mini bios of scientists, geologists, “fossilist extraordinares” and even film makers whose findings brought us to the way we understand the Earth today (my daughter and I especially appreciated the bios of the women)! Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the first people to explain how mountains formed or that scientists used the amount of salt in the ocean water to determine the age of the Earth? You will know that and more with Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth!
Check out The Dirtmeister’s website: dirtmeister.com
