{"id":4502,"date":"2017-04-19T10:16:40","date_gmt":"2017-04-19T10:16:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/?p=4502"},"modified":"2020-07-10T08:55:25","modified_gmt":"2020-07-10T08:55:25","slug":"spy-books-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparentsocial.com\/spy-books-review\/","title":{"rendered":"i-SPY Books: A Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

*** four i-SPY books for lockdown\/quarantine ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

i-SPY in the Garden<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

i-SPY Butterflies and Moths<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

i-SPY Garden Birds<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

i-SPY in the Night Sky<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

I was a fan of the Michelin i-SPY books when I was little and I\u2019ve bought a number for my children; I even included i-SPY On a car journey<\/em> in my Car Games for Long Journeys<\/a> post.<\/p>\n

So I was happy when Collins<\/a> told me about a new range of titles for the series. I picked three to review with my daughters and we\u2019ve been using them loads since they arrived.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re unfamiliar with them, the pocket-sized books all have a different theme, but same premise: you spy something, you tick off what you see as and get a score for it (5 points through to 50 points according to how common\/rare your spot is). When you get 1000 points you can apply for a certificate and badge.<\/p>\n

The books really encourage children to look around and take notice of their surroundings and environment and provide a great on-going challenge.<\/p>\n

i-SPY Wild flowers<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"i-SPY\"

Plenty of Gorse!<\/p><\/div>\n

We\u2019ve been on a number of walks during the Easter holidays and have spotted lots. There was plenty of Gorse when we went on the National Trust<\/a> trail at Headley Heath; in the wetland area of Morden Hall Park I found out that what I\u2019d always thought were mutant buttercups were in fact marsh-marigolds, at Hampton Court we spotted an array of wild flowers and we also discovered that the banks of motorways were a haven for them, particularly primroses. We even got a \u2018top spot\u2019 with Green Alkanet in our own garden!<\/p>\n

\"i-SPY\"<\/p>\n

The book is colour-coded so if you spot a white, yellow, blue, pink\u2026 flower you can skip right to the appropriate bit in the book. This makes it nice and easy to use and the pictures are clear so everything is easy to identify. There is also a brief written description to make extra sure you\u2019ve got it right. It’s also all indexed. There\u2019s a fact file about each including info on when it flowers, where it\u2019s found and what its scientific name is.<\/p>\n

There are also some wild flower questions included so you can amass bonus points if you answer correctly. This one was my favourite of the three books.<\/p>\n