A book a day for nature play – week 2 of 30 Days Wild

Tomorrow (5th of June), World Environment Day falls within the second week of 30 Days Wild, the Wildlife Trust’s challenge for everyone to partake in 30 simple, fun and exciting Random Acts of Wildness across the month of June.  The compelling theme of World Environment Day this year is Reimagine: Recreate: Restore – let’s get active, not anxious.

They aim to create ‘Generation Restoration‘, and we all know that from very early in their lives, young children are oh-so ready to fall in love with and care for their world.  We also know how powerful good quality picture books can be for initiating and sustaining their fascination with and growing attachment to the natural world.  So it turns out that our 5-blogpost theme of ‘a book a day for nature play‘ works particularly well this week!

Continuing the construction of a 30-book library for inspiring and sustaining nature play, each day of Week 2 presents a lovely stimulus for engaging with one of 5 nature based themes, so that interest and interaction with all 5 themes is supported across the week, with a bonus book for involving families over the weekend:

  • Monday focuses on Creatures (helped by a very charismatic honeybee)
  • Tuesday aims to inspire play with Earth and Stone (think of all the rocks there are: skipping rocks, splashing rocks, climbing rocks and wishing rocks)
  • For Wednesday our attention is on Plants and Growing (with our favourite restoration eco-hero, Christopher Nibble!)
  • Thursday’s focus is Trees and Sticks (have you ever noticed the similarity of leaves and birds?)
  • On Friday, we’re getting ready for the weekend with Weather and Seasons (through living life with your head in the clouds)
  • And for the weekend we are encouraging Gratitude and Giving Back (with a story of hope for us and our planet).

There should be plenty of inspiration in this week’s collection for children and adults alike to start Reimagining, Recreating and Restoring the natural world that is our home.  Remember that it is often possible to buy second hand books in very good condition – better for your budget and much better for the planet we are working to restore (please aim for them to be sold in the UK though, to avoid books travelling by air!)

Monday 7th June: CreaturesThe Honeybee by Kirsten Hall (Atheneum books for Young Readers 2018)

Tuesday 8th June: Earth and Stone – If You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2011)

Wednesday 9th June: Plants and GrowingChristopher Nibble in a tale of dandelion derring-do by Charlotte Middleton (OUP Oxford 2010)

Thursday 10th June: Trees and SticksThe Conductor by Laetitia Devernay (Chronicle Books 2011)

Friday 11th June: Weather and SeasonsA Pig With Six Legs and other clouds by The Cloud Appreciation Society (edited by Gavin Pretor-Pinney (Sceptre 2007)

Weekend 12th & 13th June – Gratitude and Giving BackA Song of Gladness by Michael Morpugo and Emily Gravett (Two Hoots 2021)

Featured image is copyright Carol Duffy and must not be used without written permission from the photographer or Early Childhood Outdoors.  Book covers sourced from Amazon.co.uk

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