If you and your family enjoy spending time in the great outdoors it is worth investing in a few books to encourage your children to engage with what they are seeing and to help you answer those tricky ‘What’s that purple flower?’ questions.
‘Usbourne Spotters Guide to Nature”
- A guide to most common flowers, trees, birds and insects with an easy to use layout.
- Acts both as a reference guide and as a ‘bingo’ where things can be ticked off when they have been spotted.
- Ideal for children aged 6 -10.
- Fairly bulky, not too big but not pocket size either.
- Lovely clear illustrations and extra information about things like bird migration, identifying trees etc.
- Rolls some of the other Usbourne guides into one, so good value from £7.67 on Amazon.
‘I SPY Nature’
The ‘I SPY’ books are a great classic some of us will remember from our childhoods. They are small and portable with the added ‘Bingo’ element. We have ‘I Spy Nature’ but I have just noticed the box set which at only £6.20 for 4 books and a notebook in a sturdy box seems an absolute bargain. Could be a perfect stocking filler!
- A simple mostly pictorial layout.
- Great for 4-8 year olds.
- It will help your child engage with nature but don’t expect an in depth guide.
- An absolute bargain at £2.50 for the single book.
- Perfectly portable size, even for little hands.
‘Food for Free’
Ever fancied a little foraging whilst on a walk or camping? You’d be amazed at how much edible stuff you pass by.
- This great, classic guide is now available in the ever handy Collins Gem size.
- It advises what to look for, where and what to do with it once you have found it. I always take it with me. One day we will make an entire Ray Mears style meal. In the meantime it’s just fascinating to know what is out there!
- Did you know you can eat goose grass (you know the sticky stuff you can hilariously stick to the back of your friend’s jumper), ground elder and cow parsley!
- Only £3.74 for a Gem edition or £16.24 for a luscious, hard back edition to keep at home.