The Useful Book


Book Description

A modern and energetically designed encyclopedia of DIY with everything you need to know to roll up your sleeves and cook it, build it, sew it, clean it, or repair it yourself. In other words, everything you would have learned from your shop and home ec teachers, if you'd had them. The Useful Book features 138 practical projects and how-tos, with step-by-step instructions and illustrations, relevant charts, sidebars, lists, and handy toolboxes. There’s a kitchen crash course, including the must-haves for a well-stocked pantry; how to boil an egg (and peel it frustration-free); how to grill, steam, sauté, and roast vegetables. There’s Sewing 101, plus how to fold a fitted sheet, tie a tie, mop a floor, make a bed, and set the table for a formal dinner. Next up: a 21st-century shop class. The tools that everyone should have, and dozens of cool projects that teach fundamental techniques. Practice measuring, cutting, and nailing by building a birdhouse. Make a bookshelf or a riveted metal picture frame. Plus: do-it-yourself plumbing; car repair basics; and home maintenance, from priming and painting to refinishing wood floors.







The Really Useful Book of ICT in the Early Years


Book Description

Practitioners and students wishing to know how very young children develop an awareness of ICT will find this text invaluable. ICT has arguably one of the biggest impacts on every-day 21st century life, so its inclusion in the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum reflects the need to encourage forward-looking practice in classrooms and nurseries. This book enables you to help young children develop their knowledge, understanding and skill in the use of ICT, with chapters from contributors with a wide range of practical experience. Full of ideas and new thinking, this practical guide shows you how to: promote independence in children's use of ICT through resources like digital cameras and role-play toys. explore the nature of creativity through ICT, using it to support the more traditional areas of art, music, dance and writing use ICT to enhance the physical and sensory aspects of outdoor learning experiences. harness the potential of ICT in reaching children with a variety of different learning needs, particularly those with profound and multiple learning difficulties, or autistic spectrum disorders. value children's home experiences of ICT and build on what they already know, and how to work with parents in developing their child's ICT capability. ICT can underpin all areas of learning for young children; this highly practical, inspirational and informative text is therefore relevant to all practitioners and students training in Early Years education.




The Really Useful Physical Education Book


Book Description

The Really Useful Physical Education Book offers support, guidance and practical ideas for effective, innovative and imaginative physical education lessons. Underpinned by easy-to-understand theory, this second edition is fully updated in line with the National Curriculum for Physical Education at Key Stages 3 and 4 and provides a wide range of high-quality lessons alongside engaging teaching examples and methodologies. With an emphasis on inclusive physical education, it highlights the ways in which schools can re-design the curriculum to ensure maximum enjoyment for all pupils. Key topics covered include: • Planning, progression and assessment • Health and safety issues • Inclusive track and field athletics • Adapting activities to support SEND • Swimming and water-based activities • Alternative activities including street-surfing and combat sports • Introducing dance into the curriculum • Enjoyable gymnastics for physical literacy • On-site adventurous activities • Values-based teaching • Teaching accredited awards • Using new and emerging technologies The Really Useful Physical Education Book offers essential advice and inspiration for both trainee and practising teachers responsible for the 11–16 age range. It is a must-read for all those who want to make their lesson inclusive and fun whilst promoting a healthy lifestyle and enthusiasm for lifelong activity.




The Book of Really Useful Information


Book Description

The Book of Really Useful Information provides a broad and fascinating education in 20 easy lessons, from great works of art to political leaders, literature that shaped society to basic science, and everything in between. This is an ideal book for anyone who spent their school days gazing out of the window and now realizes how much they missed out on. It provides a full and fascinating education that covers all key subjects. For clarity and ease of use, the book is divided into five days, Monday to Friday, and then subdivided into four single-subject lessons. Each lesson is based around the five w’s—who, what, when, where, and why—and poses questions such as: Who was Eric Arthur Blair? What happened to the Romans? When was the Big Bang? Where do laws come from? Why is evolution controversial? You can choose to dip into a lesson at random, read through a whole day, or start from the beginning and keep going to the end. Accessible writing and useful fact boxes will help you pick up the key points quickly, and summary boxes provide a concise review of each subject. And for that authentic school experience, each day in The Book of Really Useful Information ends with a test—except this time you get to mark it yourself. If you’re feeling brave, you could even get your kids to take the tests, too, to see which of you knows the most. So sharpen your pencils and get ready to quickly learn everything you need to know in the 20 lessons of The Book of Really Useful Information.




The DAM Book


Book Description

One of the main concerns for digital photographers today is asset management: how to file, find, protect, and re-use their photos. The best solutions can be found in The DAM Book, our bestselling guide to managing digital images efficiently and effectively. Anyone who shoots, scans, or stores digital photographs is practicing digital asset management (DAM), but few people do it in a way that makes sense. In this second edition, photographer Peter Krogh -- the leading expert on DAM -- provides new tools and techniques to help professionals, amateurs, and students: Understand the image file lifecycle: from shooting to editing, output, and permanent storage Learn new ways to use metadata and key words to track photo files Create a digital archive and name files clearly Determine a strategy for backing up and validating image data Learn a catalog workflow strategy, using Adobe Bridge, Camera Raw, Adobe Lightroom, Microsoft Expression Media, and Photoshop CS4 together Migrate images from one file format to another, from one storage medium to another, and from film to digital Learn how to copyright images To identify and protect your images in the marketplace, having a solid asset management system is essential. The DAM Book offers the best approach.




The Really Useful Book of Secondary Science Experiments


Book Description

How can a potato be a battery? How quickly will a shark find you? What food should you take with you when climbing a mountain? The Really Useful Book of Secondary Science Experiments presents 101 exciting, ‘real-world’ science experiments that can be confidently carried out by any KS3 science teacher in a secondary school classroom. It offers a mix of classic experiments together with fresh ideas for investigations designed to engage students, help them see the relevance of science in their own lives and develop a passion for carrying out practical investigations. Covering biology, chemistry and physics topics, each investigation is structured as a problem-solving activity, asking engaging questions such as, ‘How can fingerprints help solve a crime?’, or ‘Can we build our own volcano?’ Background science knowledge is given for each experiment, together with learning objectives, a list of materials needed, safety and technical considerations, detailed method, ideas for data collection, advice on how to adapt the investigations for different groups of students, useful questions to ask the students and suggestions for homework. Additionally, there are ten ideas for science based projects that can be carried out over a longer period of time, utilising skills and knowledge that students will develop as they carrying out the different science investigations in the book. The Really Useful Book of Secondary Science Experiments will be an essential source of support and inspiration for all those teaching in the secondary school classroom, running science clubs and for parents looking to challenge and excite their children at home.




The Useful Book of Gadgets, Gizmos & Apps


Book Description

Covering over 100 gadgets, whether you're looking to improve your golf game, fix your PC and fill it with free software, measure a room using your phone or even alter your state of mind without drink or drugs, The Useful Book of Gadgets, Gizmos & Apps has something for everyone.




The Really Useful Book of Science Experiments


Book Description

The Really Useful Book of Science Experiments contains 100 simple-to-do science experiments that can be confidently carried out by any teacher in a primary school classroom with minimal (or no!) specialist equipment needed. The experiments in this book are broken down into easily manageable sections including: It’s alive: experiments that explore our living world, including the human body, plants, ecology and disease A material world: experiments that explore the materials that make up our world and their properties, including metals, acids and alkalis, water and elements Let’s get physical: experiments that explore physics concepts and their applications in our world, including electricity, space, engineering and construction Something a bit different: experiments that explore interesting and unusual science areas, including forensic science, marine biology and volcanology. Each experiment is accompanied by a ‘subject knowledge guide’, filling you in on the key science concepts behind the experiment. There are also suggestions for how to adapt each experiment to increase or decrease the challenge. The text does not assume a scientific background, making it incredibly accessible, and links to the new National Curriculum programme of study allow easy connections to be made to relevant learning goals. This book is an essential text for any primary school teacher, training teacher or classroom assistant looking to bring the exciting world of science alive in the classroom.




The Really Useful Grandparents' Book


Book Description

Flaps: Are you eager to spend time with your grandchildren, but anxious about what to do with them? The Really Useful Grandparents’ Book is the perfect solution. It’s a book that you can share with your grandchildren to discover the activities that will bring you closer and entertain you both all afternoon. Packed with information on the kinds of things a child will want to learn about from the world’s most dangerous animals to Mount Everest, from Alexander the Great to Henry VIII, this book will make learning fun and engaging. Is your grandchild more interested in hands-on activities? Learn how to play games and pick up hobbies that will have them all tuckered out by the time their mom comes to pick them up at night. Maybe you’ll plant a garden or play rugby, learn how to cross-stitch or play chess, write a rap or a poem, make a curiosity box, build a campfire, create a special playlist on your iPod and many other fun things which will truly enhance your relationship with your grandchild and leave both of you the richer for it. TONY LACEY has worked as an editor at Penguin for thirty years. He has two grown-up children, as well as two granddaughters and a grandson. ELEO GORDON also works in publishing. Her parents lived abroad and as a child she spent most of her holidays with her grandparents. Her grandfather was American and her grandmother Cuban and they met in New York and later settled in England. Back Cover: All grandparents are eager to spend meaningful time with their grandchildren but so often they are held back by the generation gap and aren't sure what they can do together that will be fun for everyone. Now, grandparents can stop being anxious about planning special time with their grandchildren and get involved the way they've always wanted. Whether they're looking for an activity or some impressive trivia it's all right here in this book. Some of the great ideas include: Learning and performing card tricks Starting a stamp collection Making a scrapbook Camping out in the backyard Playing chess Making Origami Having a Treasure Hunt and Making pancakes or baking meringues The Really Useful Grandparents’ Book includes simple directions and illustrations for all these activities plus a lot more. And on top of all the games and projects, it includes fun and educational conversation-starters ranging from every possible natural disaster to the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. This is the perfect book for any grandparent who knows just how special it is to bond with his or her grandchild and is looking for ways to enhance and improve that relationship for years to come.