Spring is in the air...

I'm really enjoying the longer days and am delighted to see the flowers beginning to bloom in my garden. I love the bright splashes of yellow daffodils on the verges that follow the white and purple mix of snowdrops and crocuses. Everything begins to feel so much brighter and we all begin to look forward to the warmer weather to come.

Many teenagers are preparing for the summer exams and quite a few will have received their results for the January sitting. We're still a year away at least from exams here, thank goodness, and I am determined to make the most of our remaining exam-free time by revisiting some of the resources on the Picture Book Explorers website and, hopefully, getting a couple of new ones in there too :)

When my kids were younger, we used Picture Book Explorers to fit the season. For spring we would choose The Tale of Jemima Puddle-duck or Granny Sarah & the Last Red Kite. We would explore Wales, the Lakes, birds, feathers, wind and trees. We would go out to look at ducks and visit places where red kites could be seen flying overhead. Happy days :)

The Boat is another spring-ish one if you want to explore rain - we've certainly had plenty of that round here the last few days :/ And of course, you may want to explore Ireland as St Patrick's Day approaches with either Fog Island or The Day the Crayons Quit - that one was a definite favourite here

Another project that's perfect for this time of year is the Linked Lapbook ~ Sowing and Planting. This is a full hands-on project with science activities as well as minibooks to record the progress of the plants you grow, be they flower, fruit or veg :) Actually, that might tie in nicely with Floss where you explore farms and farming :)

Oh, and of course, Mother's Day is fast approaching. Have you seen the My Mum Mini Lapbook that you can make on a piece of A4 card? It's a lovely little project that can be finished in a very short time. It can be completed as an interview between mother and child, or maybe another adult or older sibling can help with it to make a very personal surprise gift for Mum on Mother's Day. Why not add a photo or drawing of Mum to the cover? It will be great to look back at in years to come :)

D'you know what? Seeing as how it's Mother's Day soon, I'm going to give a FREE copy of My Mum Mini Lapbook with every purchase made through the Picture Book Explorers website throughout the rest of March.

Happy Exploring!