I love being with children by the sea – or a lake or river – and enjoying the endless possibilities for play and discovery. Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield obviously feel similarly and have created The Beach Book to stimulate and inspire families to get the most from their waterscape surroundings.
The Beach Book is divided into seven sections:
and these comprise 68 ideas to have fun and engage with nature. From rockpooling to ball runs and sundials to shadow transformers there is an activity for most occasions and locations. I particularly like the seaside stick puppets although these are actually made at home with bits and pieces collected from the beach and you have to use a hot glue gun obviously under adult supervision.
Some of the activities like funny feet and mosaics and patterns are easily achieved by children on thier own but others will need parental input for younger children. There are some safety tips as appropriate throughout The Beach Book and there is a comprehensive section at the end devoted to beach safety. The index is a useful way in to activities you may not have thought of or put together. Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield are brilliant at making their readers look at nature differently and The Beach Book has ideas that will perhaps inspire you to more creative play in the garden or park.
The Beach Book is ideal for adults who are sometimes bereft of ideas and for older children who can use the book as a launching point for their own creative endeavours. The photographs taken by the authors are enough to make you get outdoors and explore. One addition might be to have a weather/waterproof edition so you don't worry about ruining the book while enjoying its contents.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Published by Frances Lincoln, The Beach Book