We always aimed to encourage our girls to be interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects. We have therefore aimed to expose them to books and other experiences around these subjects. CBeebies, for example, has great science programmes such as Nina and the Neurons, Do you know and The Lets Go Club.
The problem is that, obviously, all of this is in the majority language, English, and we’re trying to bring the children up as bilingual, for which, they need as much exposure as possible in the target language. So I started looking for equivalent materials in our target language – Portuguese.
That is the challenge for emigrants or expats – the accessibility of quality products in their language.
I hope this list is helpful to others in a similar position and that it grows much bigger. For that to happen, we need your help – comment below recommending other good resources in Portuguese or other languages.
*This post includes affiliate links (marked with a *). I only recommend products that I like. See disclaimer for details.
Science magazine for kids
Sou Cientista is the first science magazine for children in Portuguese. It’s launching in April 2018 and you can subscribe to it here.
It’s published monthly and it includes a free Experiment Kit. It’s aimed at children aged 6 to 10 years old.
Toys
There are many toys in the market though most need to be bought in Portugal or another Portuguese speaking country, if you want to have it in Portuguese. Science 4 You* is a Portuguese company stocked worldwide.
Their products are sold on Amazon* though that tends to be the English version. They also have sites for Portugal, UK, France, Italy, Spain and Canada (go to the site above, and select one of these countries from the top/right menu drop down). Unfortunately at the moment, they don’t ship games in Portuguese outside Portugal. Click here or on the image below if want to order the games in English.
Books
Nowadays there are many excellent books in Portuguese, including science – some are translations, others are originals. Edicare, a publisher which also has a few shops in Portugal has a great selection, as does Fnac. Fnac is a large French bookshop chain that also has branches in Portugal.
You can also buy online from Wook a Portuguese online bookshop that delivers internationally. Just search using the box below:
Radio
Radio Miudos is a favourite in our home, and I expect it will remain so for a long time. It has a weekly science show called Os Cientistas Explicam currently on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 6pm, 4pm and 9.30pm GMT time.
YouTube
Science 4 You has a Youtube Channel in Portuguese with home science experiments for children called Aqui ha Ciencia.
Apps
I’m not aware of any good science themed Portuguese apps I do however know of a fantastic maths app that has many language options – you can find the OneBillion Maths app and other in Portuguese and other languages here
Events
Native Scientist is a venture that empowers migrant communities through science and celebrates multiculturalism. They run science events in different cities around the world, in various minority languages. How cool is that?!
In the UK, children attend through schools offering Portuguese as a second language.
Good old fashioned conversation
I wrote an article for STEM week about Portuguese women of science. The idea was to help parents inspire their children around STEM subjects, especially little girls. If you’re Portuguese, you’ll probably know some of the great women listed. I hope this list inspires Portuguese speaking parents across the world, and luso-descendants, to chat about science and Portuguese women of science with their children.
Do you have any other recommendations? Make them in the comments below.
