**Complimentary products received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.
With summer in full swing, we've reached the point where we might be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained... both indoors and out. How do you keep the kids entertained (and learning) outside during the summer. Whether you're spending time in your own backyard in the garden or traveling to parks and exploring, National Geographic has a great variety of books that will encourage kids and adults of all ages to escape the indoors and explore outside.
Let's take a look:
Little Kids First Nature Guide: Bugs (ages 4-8, flexibound)
Discover the many insects, spiders, and other creatures―aka BUGS!―that creep, crawl, and fly around your neighborhood and beyond.Young explorers learn where, when, and how to safely and kindly find insects, spiders, and other creepy-crawlies such as worms and pill bugs with this fun and sturdy take-along guide. Features include:
- Easy-to-understand profiles of a variety of insects and spiders commonly found in North America, along with some exotic bugs from around the world
- Vibrant National Geographic photography that brings the subject matter to life
- “Check Me Out!” fact boxes that provide more information about each creature, including size and color, where it’s found, and what it eats
- Basic facts about insect and spider anatomy and life cycles
- Tips on how to how to become keen observers and explorers, and how and where to spot insects and spiders
- Fun facts sprinkled throughout
- Simple text for reading aloud or for beginning readers
- Ideas for related activities
- A helpful glossary
- Flexible binding for durability
This fun-filled guide inspires kids to get out of the house and explore the great outdoors, whether in their backyard, across the country, or around the world. Full of fun activities, kids will learn how to make backyard bird baths, explore their local state parks, participate in an outdoor community event, and much more. Activities for every season and rainy day activities are also included. Facts, lists, and sidebars supplement activities to help put information into geographic, scientific, and/or historical context, to help kids dig deeper and learn more.
Read all about these greatest of American treasures -- from Acadia to Zion -- in preparation for a parks visit sometime soon. Filled with color photos, information on animals, fascinating lists, facts, maps, cool things to do, conservation tips, and much more -- think of this book as your trusted guide to these most majestic of places.
This photo-filled, fact-packed night sky guide encourages kids to stop and look up to spot stars and planets right from their own backyards. From Mars to meteor showers, Scorpius to satellites, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these space-dwelling phenomena in the night sky at any time of year. With tons of info and interactivity prompts, it's the perfect companion for backyard field trips, camping or vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for your pocket or backpack!
Weird But True Know It All: Rocks and Minerals (ages 8-12, paperback)
- Did you know that Montana’s Grasshopper Glacier is filled with millions of frozen locusts that got caught in a storm more than 300 million years ago?
- Or that Roman soldiers were said to get some of their pay in salt, and the word salary comes from "sal," the Roman word for salt?
In this latest single-subject Weird But True! book, readers will learn about everything from rocks in outer space to precious gems found in Earth's deepest oceans and everything in between, including rock-related careers, art, geography, history, consumer products (did you know the average car has 44 pounds of copper in it??) and simple tools, tips and "how to's" to get outside and become a rock hound!
National Geographic Backyard Safari Kit (ages 6+)
Dress for adventure! The National Geographic Backyard Safari Kit includes a safari vest featuring handy cargo pockets and carry tabs, a safari hat and loads of gear for making the most out of any outdoor adventure including a magnifying glass, compass, whistle, and pair of binoculars, all made specially for kids with durability and safety in mind. The set also comes with a mini pencil and field guide that details characteristics of the different types of animals and plant life your kids will see and provides pages for them to record their observations.
First up, the Little Kids First Nature Guide: Bugs. Now admittedly my daughter is not a bug person so this was definitely not her first choice. However, it truly is packed full of information about all types of insects... it allowed us to check out some of the various bugs we see around us and determine what they were and what they do. Even not being bug people, we ended up appreciating this one more...so I can only imagine a kid who likes bugs would love it all that much more too.
My daughter is all about activities, so the Get Outside Guide was definitely right up her alley. While I like to encourage my kids to use their imagination outside whenever possible, sometimes so inspiration really is needed... and this guide offers just that. With fun activities to try, facts and great images, this is one that we will turn to time and time again!
If you plan to do any traveling, the National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A. might be a great resource to help kids gain an understanding of places you might visit. Still, if you're like us and staying home, this guide can still be quite entertaining. Kids can learn all about the National Parks across the U.S. and experience a little bit of the beauty right from home, no travel required.
As much as we want to spend time outside during the summer, heat waves can make that less than enjoyable... and as such, sometimes we find it's better to go out after the sun has gone down. For my space loving daughter, that makes for a great time to explore the stars... and the Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Night Sky is a great resource to help her learn all about them! Of all the books received, this is a close contender for the top spot in her favorites list!
There are two things my daughter absolutely loves: rocks and Weird But True books. Seriously, she is always reading through her Weird But True collection, and sharing new facts with the family. So, when she saw the Weird But True Know It All: Rocks and Minerals it was like a match made in heaven! She absolutely, positively loved this one... while perhaps a little more in depth than the typical WBT style we're used to, it's packed full of information that she loves. This is definitely a new favorite in her collection.
While all of these books are great and will certainly help to inspire a love of outdoor adventure, it's the National Geographic Backyard Safari Kit that really bring that adventure to life. My daughter couldn't wait to explore the world outside with her new vest and binoculars, as well as the other goodies included. She loved that not only could she enjoy finding the things all of these books talked about, but she could dress the part as well. Even if she's only exploring around our own neighborhood, this simple kit makes it that much more exciting!
Explore more at the National Geographic Kids website: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
Ready to escape the indoors yourself? One very lucky reader is going to win all 6 items listed above (the 5 books and the Backyard Safari Kit) with an ARV of $114. US only. Enter using the giveaway form below:
National Geographic Kids books are all so well written and illustrated. They make learning fun!
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
My grandson would love this
ReplyDeleteI have one child who just loves nature. They love to be outside. Love all the insects and wildlife.
ReplyDelete