A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Nature

Nature Study Bring Alongs

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I was chatting with a gal in my Facebook Group the other day about nature study and things to bring along with you when you go.  I thought it might be helpful to share with you what my nature study bring alongs would be.

Bring alongs would include such things as sketch pads, cell phone, nature books, writing instruments, magnifying glass or travel microscope, and a note pad.   Let’s talk about why these things are important.   This post will include affiliate links where possible.

Nature Study Bring Along, tiger bee fly on a wall

As I wrote this post I was thinking about 10 ways you could engage in nature study summer.  I was thinking about how have a go to nature study bag is vital to that.  I know the summer is a bit more than half way through but pretty soon autumn will be here and that’s a SUPERB time to get out into nature.   It’s so important to have a bag ready to go, meaning that on those hard to school days you can just grab up the kids and hit one of the local trails. 

Sketch pads

Why do you need a sketch pad?   Because you need one! 

Jotting down notes, doing a quick outline so you can remember important features of the plant/animal/insect/bird/fungi/water thingey so you can look it up when you go home.

OR to simply take time to do a detailed drawing of that interesting leaf, to do an image in relief of tree bark, leaf, etc.  

A Sketch pad is an invaluable addition to your nature study book bag.  I learned that for me and my lad that the smaller ones worked better for us than the big pads.  We could fit two into a smaller bag making for lighter travelling.  We tended to like the side bound ones but we have friends who like the top bound. 

You can get good quality pads, or do the cheapies from the dollar store. whatever fits your budget.  The important thing is the preservation of what you see, and the… taking  of the moment to really look at what’s out there. 

Cell phone

Do you HAVE to have a cell phone?  Of course not.  We did plenty of walks without the phone but I found it easiest to answer the lad’s questions immediately and I loved using the notebook feature to jot down questions I couldn’t quickly answer.   Answering one question would often lead to another question, whereas taking notes and saying let’s look when we get home stifled further questions when the desire was right there!

But having a cellphone with an active data plan was great for those spontaneous questions that I didn’t always have the answer to. 

My current phone is a umidigi f1 and I love it!   No bloat ware, fast, does everything I want it to for the fraction of what some of the name brands cost.  An excellent phone that I am so glad I got the case for as this one goes with me everywhere.  It has saved my phone more than once.

Nature books

Okay, honestly, we never brought along nature books.  We occasionally brought nature cards along with us and a couple times “make art from things in nature” books along.  Mostly though, we just grabbed pen and paper and off we went.   BUT I know that some people greatly benefit from bringing along their nature books.  

When we go camping I bring along these books.  

Writing instruments

You will need something to write with.  I like bringing along both pen and pencil. My preference is for pencil but they so often break that having a working pen along just helps with notetaking.  The pencil though serves not only for taking notes but for making quick sketches as well.   I never bring my best along with me because losing things is something TOO easy for me to do.  Always bring along one extra.  You’ll need it!  🙂   An eraser might be a good idea too!

bloom blooming blossom blur
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Magnifying glass or travel microscope

You know those cheap little magnifying glasses you can get?  They work GREAT for nature study.  Looking into the cracks on trees to find small insects or spiders, getting up close to mosses, examining the spores on ferns, and just about anything else.  Take the time to examine the minutae.  You won’t regret it.  God has provided so much variety, and yet, so many interconnections between species.  It will blow your mind.  

IF you want a slightly more indepth look on your nature studies… then bring along a traveling microscope.  They make them in all size now it’s amazing.  The first time I saw what a small hand-held microscope could do I was stunned. 

You can get pocket microscopes or digital microscopes.   These allow for greater clarity and closer inspection of what you are looking at.  I wish I’d had one when the lad was little.  The amazement we could have shared! 🙂 

Note pad

A note pad, scratch pad, old paper, whatever you want.  Have something on which you can take a quick note, particularly if you don’t want to the waste the paper is a good quality sketch pad.  Jot down those questions from your children (or even yourself) so you can look up the information later.   You will never regret having spare paper along with you. 

Anything Else?

What you bring along depends on where you are going.  If on a longer hike you’ll want to bring water and some sort of travel food with you.  If going on QUITE a long hike, a compass, map of the area, extra clothing, an emergency blanket and a first aid kit would come in handy. 

But for your average, let’s go to the park or the local small bush type hike, these are the basics of what you’ll need.  I’ve learned it’s great to bring along a plastic bag for garbage you see along the way.  And another bag for any not damaging to nature items you want to bring home… like a pretty rock, empty pine cone, or some deadfall leaves.

Plan to leave the world a better place than you found it right?

Have I missed anything you consider essential to doing nature study?  What nature study bring alongs would you add?  

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses shares My Must Have Homeschool Resources.

Kristen @ A Mom’s Quest to Teach shares Homeschooling Must Have Resources and Supplies in Our Home.

Annette @ A Net in Time shares Nature Study Bring Alongs.

Jessica @ My Homeschool with a View shares My Top 5 Homeschool Supplies.

Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag shares Must Have Supplies … For Mom.

Vicki B @ Tumbleweed News shares Homeschool Must Have Resources / Supplies.

Yvonne @ The Life We Build shares her Top 5 Favorite Homeschool Supplies and Resources.

Lori @ At Home: Where Life Happens shares Homeschool Supplies… Squirrel.

blog hop 2020

10 Ways to Engage in Summer Nature Study

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Did you know that summer is upon us?   I KNOW!  How did that happen so fast, seems I was just getting my garden in and now it’s almost July.  Means that soon I’ll have a 15 year old living in my house!  Thinking of my boy brings me back to his childhood and all the walks we did in our local bush.   I thought it might be fun to recall some of our explorations (if I can find the pictures) and talk about 10 ways to engage in summer nature study.

The Fun of having a pond

What exactly is nature study?   It’s viewing the world around you and taking time to make note of it.  It’s seeing ants and watching them work, watching a bumblebee bumble in the backyard, or finding clover in your front lawn. Nature study is simply the art of paying attention to the living things that surround you.  It can happen indoors or out, at home or in the community and often when you go on vacation.  It might even be something that you make!

We have a pond in our backyard that has gone through a couple of changes.  The first year we had it, we were inundated with tadpoles.  It was so cool listening to the calls of the toads, and one night the lad and I went out late and discovered mating toads.   This of course, resulted in lots of tadpoles.  For a fun quip from my lad see my original post. 

Tadpoles, boys hands,

As my son’s love affair with insects continued, we learned to build an insect trapping kit.    This lovely device is called a Pooter.  We used it for a long time and it was actually quite easy to make. You can make different sized one depending on the size of the insects you want to catch. 

bug catcher

How Nature Study Happens

Nature Study mostly looked like taking advantage of where we were.  If we went camping up north we took our time examining the wildlife around the numerous small ponds.  If we went for a walk in the bush we’d examine the mosses, fungi, ferns, birds, spiders and insects that we came across.  Our weekly trips to the local park let us watch the baby Canada geese mature.  Regardless of where you live, nature study is possible.

It might look different to you.  Where you live you might have pigeons and ospreys surrounding you, or you might have lizards and roadrunner in your backyard.  For all I know, you might have manatees swimming in the local waterways.  Take advantage of the world around you and take your time to learn about what you see.  You never know what might inspire you… You might design your own toad area!

Bend down and touch the moss and fungi.  Imagine if you will, the wonder in your child’s eyes when he discovers that some fungi puff up and release their spores if they are lightly brushed. Take your phone and grab a picture so you can remember and look up more information when you get home. 

toad

10 Ways To Engage in Summer Nature Study

  1. Go into your backyard/park/local green space.  Put a hula hoop around yourself and now take the time to examine everything inside that hoola hoop, count the spiders, types of plants, ants and other insects, see if you can find any arthropods, tiny invertebrates, feathers etc.  
  2. Weekly take walks in a bush, park, any green space, go to the beach, and just look… wildlife is everywhere.  At the beach check the dunes for insects and spiders, watch the water birds, scour the shore for interesting rocks or shells.  In the park, you’ll find birds, tracks of nocturnal critters, small rodents and maybe some reptiles too! 
  3. Make an art project from collected items.  For inspiration, you might find Crafty Ideas from Nature handy. 
  4. Drawings while out in nature.  One of the most enjoyable art pieces we’ve ever done has been going out into nature and drawing what we see.  Moss on a log, a tiny spider in a web, a pine cone hanging from a tree, just sitting there and drawing while listening to the birds around us.   Hugely successful and generated so much conversation. 
  5. Scavenger hunts.  Looking for words about nature such as Wild Words, or objects to find, or specific plants.   Have fun with it, it is great for all ages!

Five More ways

  1. Follow Inspiration from nature books, cards, or any study you are doing.  Such as if studying owls, going on an owl prowl held by your local park/nature authority.
  2. Go out at night, to an area you are familiar with, and just sit quietly.  Do you see anything different than you would during the day?
  3. Set up a bird feeder and note the birds that come through.  Are there any that are just passing by and are thankful for a quick meal, or do you have any permanent residents?
  4. Get a pocket microscope so you can do close up examinations right on the spot, allowing you to release small critters right where you find them, or lets you examine a leaf or flower without damaging the plant.  So quick and easy!
  5. Keep a nature journal.  Just a way to document what you see and watch changes occur throughout the seasons.   Write in it, draw in it, and attach a bag to keep items in.
June TOS

Interactive unit studies

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Being who I am I love to find things that will be helpful to others.  Years ago someone turned me on to the dragonlady (who no longer exists) who did these AMAZING unit studies.  They had printable templates for doing great builds of pyramids, or lizards or just whatever have you.  Fantastic units that thoroughly engaged the student (and their teacher) in learning.  I thought they were fantastic and since then have looked for other interactive unit studies. 

Interactive Unit Studies

Through the Homeschool Review Crew I discovered  Home School in the Woods … which has some interesting builds such as this World War 2 game.  And we’ll be using them as a spine for our WW2 Study.  They do some simply amazing unit studies. My search continues for the immersive experience. I have found some more that intrigue me. 

home school in the woods

First off Why Unit Studies?

Well.. why NOT unit studies.   Look at the benefits of a unit study.

  • Focused attention.
  • Incorporates more than one field of study
  • Hands on elements
  • Involves more of the senses 
  • Caters to a variety of learning styles
  • Leads to rabbit trails which increases the learning potential
  • Fun and enjoyable.
John Lubbock quote

Totally Online interactive unit studies

Techie Homeschool Mom has wonderful online unit studies.  Beth has pulled together some great unit studies.  I (and my lad) have worked through a couple of them.   Good questions, interesting facts, with no need to print things out.   History, people, holidays, and more.  Prices for individual units run from $8-24, she also does some group deals.  I first ran into her units through the Homeschool Giveaways site, and then again through a conference I think…. Anyways, I’ve always been pleasantly surprised by their thoroughness, I suspect you will be too. 

Oh.. what grade are they good for?  I’d say grades 3-8. 

interactive unit studies

You get questions, projects (like the one below), videos, thought-provoking discussions, and more.  Give them a boo won’t you?

techie homeschool mom

Kristin Moon makes unit studies for older students.  I’ve looked at some of them for my rising 9th grader. 

From Kristin: The courses contain videos, hands-on activities, instructions for experiments, online quizzes, and links to sites for more information. The content is geared for upper middle school and high school. While I do plan to offer courses for middle school, it’s been my experience that moms can start feeling frightened about teaching science at the higher levels. In fact, that’s typically one reason why folks put their kids back in school in high school. My goal in creating these courses is to provide quality science resources for families who wish to continue to homeschool throughout high school.

Kristen Moon Science

Kristin currently has five online courses

  • Science of Autumn Leaves
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics and Heredity
  • Prokaryotes
  • DNA basics….
kristin moon science

Lisa Marie Fletcher of The Canadian Homeschooler has her mostly online Canadian History course.   The Canadian Time Capsule is rather neat series for up through middle school.   This is predominately done on-line with hands-on elements, reports to right, activities to do etc. 

canadian time capsule

Every month you get a new historical event to work through.  The capsules don’t come in chronological order.  Good books are suggested for various age ranges.   You should check them out if you have any interest in Canadian History (trust me, it’s WAY more interesting than you may think).

Canadian time capsule

Print off unit studies

Of course, you can follow the more traditional method of unit studies.   Down load them, print them off, and have a lovely book that you can show off to others.  Some of these unit studies will have hands on activities, and others will basically be workbooks. 

I was introduced recently to Love at Home Education which is looking to created multi-age unit studies for K-12.   In reviewing Natural Disasters I found them excellent for K-8.    You can learn about presidents of the United States, Penguins, Polar Bears and so much more. Have your whole family learn about the same thing together. 

Natural Disasters

Then of course there are Amanda Bennett’s unit studies.  I used to review these unit studies and we thoroughly enjoyed them.  We learned so much!   They aren’t geared for high school, bring primarily for elementary school.  You could do them as a family and supplement the material to make it suitable for your middle and high school students. 

Just so you know they’ll be having some sales this month if you are at all interested.

For August 12 – Animal Science DNG bundle 30% off the reduced bundle price
And August 19 – American History DNG bundle 30% off the reduced bundle price
August 26 – Kitchen Science DNG bundle 30% off the reduced bundle price
unit study

I know if you search on-line you can find lapbooks (which are like mini unit studies with visual elements) for free, and a whole host of small unit studies.  You can use them as a basis for a large study. 

Other Options

I was told to check out Google Classroom and that if I had trouble figuring out what to do, to watch pocketful of primary on YouTube. She apparently has posted a walk through of the basics on her channel for google classroom.  So that might be an option for doing up your own unit study, appropriate to your student. 

Interactive Unit Studies

In Conclusion

Finding interactive unit studies for high school students is harder then finding them for elementary students or middle school.  It is possible.  They tend to be more focused.  Give a look, use what you can, and help your students learn. 

The Truth about Hawks

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You may remember I wrote about The Truth of Crocodiles last week?  Today I have The Truth about Hawks to share with you.  Maxwell Eaton has again created a fascinating, humour-filled book. 

the truth about hawks

What I am Reviewing

The Truth About Hawks.
Maxwell Eaton III (author and illustrator)
Roaring Brook Press.
40 pages, ages 4-8, grades 1-2.
Picture book, hawks, birds, humour, children,
Series: The Truth about Your Favourite Animals.
Book Six.
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books.

Maxwell Eaton III’s The Truth About Hawks is part of his illustrated nonfiction series continuing to enlighten and delight readers. Filled with useful facts about hawks that will make you laugh so hard you won’t even realize you’re learning something!
Did you know that hawks can see four to eight times better than a human?
How about that some hawks even eat other types of birds?
Did you know that hawks use ultra-violet light to find their prey?
Discover these facts and more in this new addition to the popular series that combines raucous amounts of humor with a surprising amount of information on beloved animal friends.

the truth about hawks

The Details

Bright colourful images fill the pages of this picture book.   The natural colours of these magnificent birds are brought into sharp relief. 

the truth about hawks

Scattered throughout the pages is humour.  When we are told that golden eagles knock Dall sheep off mountain tops, and then we see Dall sheep taking parachutes off the cliff with looks and expressions of glee.   It’s funny!  (at least I know it would be for kids right?)  🙂

the truth about hawks

We are introduced to a variety of raptors some of which are golden eagle, vultures, snail kites, bald eagles, and red-tailed hawks.  We learn about mating habits, child rearing, food requirements, migration and threats to their existence.   Mr. Eaton lightly touches on all these areas and more. 

My Thoughts

As much as I like this book I am bothered by eagles, owls etc being called hawks.  They are birds of prey, and given the birds discussed in the book a better title would be “The Truth about Raptors”.   Even with littles, being more accurate is better than being less accurate. 

That said… would I want people to read this book?  YES!  Learning about these magnificent birds is important.  Helping to conserve them means learning about who they are, where they live, what threats they face and everything we can.   Maxwell Eaton does a marvellous job of doing that with a sense of style and well-played humour. 

disclosure

The Truth About Crocodiles

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The Truth about Crocodiles is a whirl-wind tour of all things crocodilian. Learn about their cousins, their lifestyle and how to stay safe.  With humour and excellent illustrations, Maxwell Eaton helps children learn about this amazing class of animals. 

The truth about Crocodiles

What I am Reviewing

The Truth About Crocodiles: Seriously Funny Facts about your Favorite Animals.
Maxwell Eaton III (author and illustrator)
Roaring Brook Press
4-8 years
Softcover picture book
Non-fiction, animals, nature study, crocodiles,

From writer/illustrator Maxwell Eaton III, The Truth About Crocodiles is the fifth installment in his hilarous series offering another lighthearted look filled with useful facts about crocodiles that will make you laugh so hard, you won’t even realize you’re learning something!
Did you know that crocs often keep rocks in their stomachs in order to stay underwater longer?
Did you know that baby crocs make sounds similar to kittens when they hatch?
Did you know that crocs have a lot of teeth, but don’t actually chew their food?
Discover these facts and more in this addition to the popular series that combines raucous amounts of humor with a surprising amount of information on beloved animal friends.

The truth about Crocodiles

The Details

As you can see, the fun starts from the time you open the book.   Bold illustrations bring excellent into play as you learn about a large, armoured predator, zipping through life with large teeth.

The truth about Crocodiles

We learn about the types of crocodilians, the food they eat, nesting habits, where they live and what threatens them.  We also learn how to stay safe when around them. 

The truth about Crocodiles

I love the brilliance in the illustrations, the humour… even though this book is geared to younger kids, made me laugh.   Like really… a coon with kitchen utensils coming to feast on crocodile eggs being threatened by mama.. turns away muttering “who put these in my hands?”   I snorted.

Should you Get it?

The truth about Crocodiles is a fun little book.  Full of quips and interesting facts about crocodilians.  If you are doing a study on crocodiles and want to meet their cousins this book will surely help.  The bright images and the humour contained within, while providing good facts… makes this book a winner.

Crocodilians live in a wide variety of locations, you might find this unit study to be a perfect go-along.

If you want to know more about Crocodiles and their cousins.  SchoolhouseTeachers.com has a course called the world of animals and one of their units focuses on this remarkable part of the animal kingdom. 

disclosure

Review: Creation Illustrated

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Three weeks ago I received the Pine Trees Unit Study ebook from Creation Illustrated. Since we have pine trees around our house I thought it would make for a nice little “time out from the normal” study with my lad. My thinking proved correct as my lad worked happily on the pine tree study rather than doing his normal course work, it’s good to have a break before Easter you know?  🙂  The Pine Trees study is part of the Creation Unit Studies that fit well with their magazine articles. 

Pine Trees by Creation Illustrated, a review

Who is Creation Illustrated?

Creation Illustrated is a company that focuses on showing God’s truth through nature.  They do this via a magazine format. They have chosen to help students expand their knowledge of a topic in their magazine using a unit study.   The unit study contains a link to the magazine.  So not only do you get to read the article that corresponds to the unit study, you also get a chance to see what a great job they do with the rest of the magazine. This magazine is for all ages. Below is the cover to the spring edition.

What do you get?

I received two unit studies, Pine Trees and Snow, though my son only worked through Pine Trees.  I thought though you would like to know if the unit studies are similar at all and they are!  They at not identical in their set up, as in subjects are in a different order, some sections are longer or shorter and such like.

Some of the units you will encounter are: 

  • List of resources
    Brief introduction to topic
    Vocabulary/Definitions/Spelling
    Bible study
    Geography/Science
    Hands on lesson
    Math
    Art Aspect
    Wordsearch

As you can see they do their best to make their unit studies well rounded.  Teacher answer key provided.

How did we use it?

Before starting the unit study the lad and I went for a walk looking for pine trees.  We found a variety in town, and a few on a favourite walk around the dam. I figured it would be a good thing to actually see the trees before we started so he’d already be able to spot differences in the trees before we started. 🙂   It was interesting to see the colour variations… some were light green, others dark, still others with a bluish tinge.  The needles didn’t all feel the same either and noting the differences in the bark texture surprised my lad. Pine Trees by Creation Illustrated

Each study encompasses several worksheets that the student fills out after reading and watching various resources provided.  My son commented that some of the line spacing is too small.  He’s still improving his cursive and struggles yet to make his writing fit narrow spacing.Pine Trees by Creation Illustrated, sample pagesOne issue we ran across in the Pine Trees study was the some of the bible verses provided didn’t seem to make any mention of Pine or fir Trees.  We didn’t find that to be a big deal as it was more fun to go out and measure a pine tree using a pencil!  🙂 But to alleviate this concern for other parents, it would be VERY easy to just include the bible verses in print form.  This unit study fit in well with the Fall 2017 Copy of the Creation Illustrated Magazine.  The unit study about snow goes along with the Winter 2018 magazine.   In that study you will, in part, learn how snowflakes are categorized and make some crystals. 

Anyways, back to our study, after we did our nature walk we worked on the worksheets of the ebook.  First I had my lad go through and see what he already knew.  Then we looked through the various resources in order to answer the questions.  My son choose to do all the easy worksheets one day and then write his essay the next. 

Pine Trees by Creation Illustrated, essayAll in all it took three days to complete the unit study.  We could have stretched it out over a week doing a little every day, or used the questions as a stepping stone to dig deeper.  Instead we enjoyed ourselves with a walk, took a partial day to learn about pine trees, and then worked on the finer details of writing an essay.  It fit into our week well and the lad found it helpful. 

Pine Trees by Creation Illustrated, cover page

Pine Trees
Creation Illustrated
Pricing: currently 30% off for the unit studies.
Series: Creation Unit Studies.
Unit studies are geared to grades 5-8.
New subscriptions to yearly membership to magazine are 25% off. 
Creation Illustrated. 
Creation, Nature, Magazine, Unit Study, all ages, faith based

60 families from the Homeschool Review Crew have reviewed The Snow and Pine Tree unit studies distributed by Creation Illustrated. Please check out their reviews here.

creation illustrated - sample pages of Pine tree unit
You can find Creation Illustrated on the following social media Platforms.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CreationIllustrated/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/creation_illustrated/ 
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/creationnature/pins/ 
Twitter – https://twitter.com/CreationMag 

The other unit reviewed was the Intricacies of Snow.

Creation Illustrated unit studies snow

Review: Animal Camouflage

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Every once in a while you get a book in your hands for reviewing and you just fall in love.  As soon as I saw this beautiful book “Animal Camouflage” I was like “Son, look at this book”, and talking to other people about it.  I just really, really like this book and thought it a very clever design. 

Now I have to admit that my 12 year wasn’t quite an enamoured as his mother was, but he thought it was pretty interesting, and had fun flipping through the pages and finding the more difficult animals to spot.  I am also concerned that I won’t be able to show you well the beauty and wonder that is contained within this book.

I’m trying to figure out just what I like so much about it.

First: It’s an unusual rendition of a camouflage book. It’s not animals hiding in their areas, with their colours and stripes and stops within a multi-coloured background.  It’s white with dark lines, so the animals are right there and can be seen, some easier than others.  But no colours to look for, just shapes and outlines, hidden with all the white and lines.  

Second: the information is presented in a clear format.  Do you see how each area has a colour?  That colour is used for the four pages it takes for each area.  This makes it easy to differentiate between areas.

Third: It’s a lovely book to hold.  Feels good in the hand.  It’s pretty to look at and to exclaim over.  I showed it to a friend and she agreed it was a nice book to hold in your hand, and loved the ways the animals/scenery was represented.  “It’s very clean”.

Fourth: It’s educational.  The text is brief, but more animals are covered than just a couple for each area.  I do wish that they talked about the TYPE of camouflage that each animal possessed, like the gazelle with a stripe down it’s belly.  The spots of a giraffe helping it blend into the browns of the savannah, and the brown pelt of the cottontail helping it hide in the underbrush. 

Fifth: I think that it’s perhaps less about the camouflage of animals, but more how they create a fun camouflage search and find to help children want to learn more about the different animals represented.    Honestly… it’s a FUN book to look through, to find the four reindeer or the 10ish wolves or can you find the anaconda slithering along the ground?

If you get stuck, or your child needs help, the answers are in back of the book.

Animal Camouflage: Search and find
Sarah Dennis & Sam Hutchinson
Princeton Architectural Press
Hardcover, ages 6-9
Animal, elementary, nature

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books.

Where can you Find it?   Amazon Link.