By Nancy F. Castaldo
The outdoor experience is tough to beat, especially when you are a kid. Parents who are looking for fun ways to engage their children outside will love the book, Sunny Days and Starry Nights. Chock full of activities, games, crafts and tips on observing and learning from nature, kids and their parents will surely benefit from this handy guide. Containing 67 activities to enhance a young child’s creativity, observational skills and understanding of the natural world. Try this fun game from the book!
Nature Bingo
As you find each of the nature objects on your homemade nature bingo board, check it off with a marker. Make sure to yell “Bingo” when all the objects in a row are found.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED
Construction Paper
Markers
Ruler
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO
- Fold your paper into thirds. Using the ruler, draw straight lines on the folds.
- Turn the paper around and fold the paper into thirds again. Draw lines on the new folds too. Your paper should now have three rows of three squares.
- In each square, draw something to look for in nature, such as a tree, nest, flower, puddle, insect, frog, pinecone, leaf or acorn.
- When you have drawn a picture in each square, you are ready to play Nature Bingo!
MORE NATURE FUN
- Play Nature Bingo in your back yard, on a walk through the park, looking out your car window, or when browsing through a picture encyclopedia
- Let’s get down to details! Instead of looking for any flower, cloud, bird or leaf, look for a yellow flower, dark cloud, red bird or hand-shaped leaf.
- Go for the gold – play Super Nature Bingo! See if you can be the first to check off every square on your Nature Bingo Game Board
Sunny Days and Starry Nights is geared for kids ages 2 to 6, and is available by calling 1-800-888-4741, online atwww.ipgbook.com, or at bookstores nationwide.
Cooking on a Stick
Campfire Recipes for Kids
By Linda White, illustrated by Fran Lee
Every kid loves to camp. Some parents love it too, but we all know there is no cheaper vacation sure to be a hit with a young family than to head out on a wilderness adventure. Even if camping is not your forte, you can attempt a reasonable substitute if you pitch a tent out back. Likewise, a picnic in the park is the epitome of fun for every child. These outdoor activities have one thing in common…food. That’s where Cooking on a Stick comes in. One in a series of activity books published by Gibbs Smith Publishers, this easy to read activity book for kids and parents is packed with recipes and tips for making your outdoor eating experience fun and successful.
Complete with simple instructions for making cooking equipment, a campfire and preparing as much of the food as possible beforehand, this handy resource simplifies the process and makes cooking outdoors a snap. Safety tips and reminders for kids to be sure adult’s help them are included to keep parents involved in the process. This handy guide packed with simple recipes and helpful hints is sure to keep your outdoor cooking experience fun and delicious!
Tips for cooking outdoors:
- Know basic safety rules. Fire safety is very important and parental supervision is required wherever an open flame is being used.
- Prepare for your cookout in advance. Gather the stuff you need to make and extinguish the fire, pots and utensils for cooking, and assemble the ingredients you will need before you head outside.
- Have a parent or adult helper with you.
- Make sure you have everything you need for cleanup.
- Keep a first aid kit handy.
Cooking on a Stick is available in bookstores nationwide or online atwww.gibbs-smith.com
What’s That Bird?
Getting to Know the Birds around You, Coast to Coast
By Joseph Chioniere and Claire Mowbray Golding
For anyone who has ever wanted to know what kinds of birds they see every day beyond the garden-variety crows and pigeons, What’s That Bird? is the perfect resource. Every birder was a beginner once, and this simple, easy to read how-to guide will help even the most inexperienced bird lover to identify birds found from coast to coast. Complete with full-color illustrations and photographs, this book is the perfect accompaniment for people on a camping trip, vacation, or just looking at birds around their own back yard. Fascinating facts about bird habitats, habits, and even a full section on interesting birds – biggest, smallest, meanest, and best dancer, to name a few – are a fun way to get the family involved in this hobby.
