For the third year in a row, we are taking part of the great 30 days wild nature challenge, organised by the Wildlife Trusts. This is a brilliant initiative to get people to connect with nature and do something wild for each day of June. If you would like to find more information on the nature challenge and how to receive your free pack, which is full of ideas on what to do, then click here-Wildlife Trusts . You can also download the 30Days Wild app for free .As a home school family, who spends quite a lot of time in the great outdoors , needless to say we have accumulated quite a few nature related books throughout the years. This blog post contains five of our favourite and most oft used nature book series.
1 Usborne Spotter’s Guides series – these are really brilliant series , especially for older children aged 5 and above. They are written by experts, accurately illustrated and easy to use.” They use the detailed descriptions to identify various species. The books also have a glossary at the end and a page with various internet links, where you can find further information. In addition, your child can record their sightings and add up their spotting successes on the scorecard.e We have the Ponds and Lakes, Woodland Life, Trees , Bugs and Insects, Wild Animals. There are 18 books in total in the series – Butterflies, The seashore,Dinosaurs, Rocks and Minerals and many more. The series can be bought from here–Usborne Spotter’s Guide Trees
2. The Handbooks by the Wildlife Trust, written by Miles Kelly- We have the British wildlife, The British wildflowers and the British birds. We actually bought them from Lidl, and they weren’t expensive at all. These books are quite heavy so they are great for doing project work at home. The books have fact files that provide identification of the various species. The illustrations are stunning too and very detailed. I really like that there is space for the child to add their own notes and pictures or photos. Thoroughly recommend them. Here is the link to the books, should you wish to buy them-British Wildlife Flower and Trees Handbook
3. My First book of… series by RSPB- these are great for pre -school children. We have the books for garden bugs, garden birds and the garden wildlife. All the books are written in a way that the reader gets some clues on one page as to what bird/bug /animal or insect etc is on the next page. This makes it really more fun and engaging and my three year old really likes guessing what animal it is. Each page contains description of the relevant bird/animal etc , including simple information like their habitat and the sound they make. The illustrations are beautiful and captivating. The books in these series are very educational , clearly laid out and very easy to follow and can be read by emerging readers too. The books are perfect for you to use with your child in your garden and find more about what wildlife it attracts. Here is the link for some of them-My First Book of Garden Birds
4 Usborne minis series- I recently found about these these series on Instagram and we absolutely love them. We have the birds, flowers and trees to spot and also intend to buy the bug book too. They are perfect size for your bag or your children’s rucksack .They are very thin, so don’t take a lot of space too, which is a bonus for sure and you can even fit them in your pocket. Instead of just using your phone when your child asks you for the tenth time “What’s this?”, you can both look it up in the booklets. I really love the fact that the various species of trees, flowers, and birds are divided in categories- garden, woodland town, water, farmland etc. In addition, the booklets have a spotter chart at the end with stickers , so your child can keep track of the species they have spotted. All in all, these books are fantastic, beautifully illustrated and very easy to use- a must have for your walks. You can purchase them on here.-Usborne minis
5) The Spot series by Miles Kelly, published by the Woodland Trust– These series are brilliant for older children, aged 6+ . They are very light so, you can easily carry them in your rucksack. The books can easily fit in your pocket when you are out for a walk, as they are not bulky. Divided into colour groups, each species , whether it is a tree, wildflower, bug , insect etc comes with a beautiful colour artwork and important identification tips. There is also key information and a detailed fact file, including vital stats such as family group, height and the time of year flowers can be seen. The illustrations are really captivating too.
Let's learn , Mama! 