I-spy with my little eye

This week is half term for a lot of people so my book recommendation this time is the wonderful “I-Spy” series as they are cheap, fun and should keep most kids amused for a few minutes at the very least!

The range of subjects in the series is hugely varied so although I have picked three nature-based ones, there really is something to suit all tastes.

They are aimed at under 10s but on a journey or a day out I think you could probably persuade your tweens or teens to get involved in trying to spot things in the books. And as adults I challenge you to not start looking for things to start building your points!

I-Spy books

Three nature-based I-Spy books to get you started are I-Spy Trees, I-Spy Garden Birds and I-Spy In The Woods. They’ll get the family outside, which has so many benefits in itself, will offer a focus to keep the kids amused and get them exploring, plus most of the books give great little facts so they’ll be learning stuff at the same time.

I-Spy Trees

This is a great book to learn a bit about the trees around you. What the leaves are like on each tree, how big they grow, what the scientific name is and what the bark looks like. You could combine searching for the trees in this with collecting different leaves, doing some bark rubbings or a quick game of hide and seek. Although aimed at children I use this book with adults doing beginners tree identification courses as it is so simple to use. Encouraging a love of trees is something I am passionate about so can’t recommend this one enough! If you are looking for places to visit with some amazing trees around Devon try Bicton Gardens, Killerton National Trust or your local park. Further afield you could look at visiting Westonbirt Arboretum.

I-Spy Garden Birds

This book can be used in your garden, local park or by just looking out of your window. It has clear pictures of the birds plus a few facts about each bird. There are birds that will be easy to tick off the first time you get the book out but others you may need to spend a bit more time searching for. If you have a bird feeder in your garden then lots of the birds might already be visiting your garden, otherwise you could take a trip to a RSPB reserve or local nature reserve where they often have bird feeders near the visitor centre or cafe where you can sit and spot which birds arrive. If you are in Devon then you might want to try RSPB Bowling Green at Topsham, Stover Country Park or Seaton Wetlands. Getting out and about in February gives you a chance to maybe spot the truly spectacular starling murmurations - I can recommend Ham Wall RSPB Reserve in Somerset and Slimbridge WWT centre for brilliant views but there are many more places to spot them at dusk or dawn.

I-Spy In The Woods

There are loads of different things covered in this book including trees, mushrooms, wildlife as well as den building and nature walks. A great addition to a family outing to the woods. Den building is one of the most popular activities at our forest school and finding a space out in the woods that is suitable for a quick den whilst out on a walk is a great activity for the whole family. And then getting 25 points for it in your I-Spy book is an added bonus! If you are brave enough try and get the kids to make it water proof with leaves and then see how well they’ve done by sitting in it whilst they pour some water over it :)

A few other titles in the series

I can’t list all of the books in the series here but you can view them all on the Collins website - collins.co.uk/collections/collins-michelin-i-spy-guide

Other favourites of my family over the years have been car badges, on the motorway and camping.

Summary - Imaginative, interactive, inexpensive.