By Annette Oram
Port Moody Public Library
 
The arrival of spring, with its warmer weather and longer days, is a great time to get outside, get active, and reconnect with your family. Your neighborhood library is full of ideas for fun activities, outings, crafts and games for kids of all ages. So, lace up your sneakers and get ready to explore the city, the great outdoors – or even your own backyard!  Here are a few title suggestions to get you started:

A Drop of Water, by Gordon Morrison.  A lovely picture book following water’s journey from mountain rain to woodland pond, this is would be a great story to read to younger children before a walk through the Coquitlam River Park with its beaver and salmon ponds and its varied plant life.

Let’s Get Going!: The Step-By-Step Guide to Successful Outings With Children,  by Candace Weisner. Divided by age level and very easy to use, the author provides dozens of fun activities, games and craft ideas to liven up and enrich your next family day-trip, whether to the beach, the airport, or the local farmer’s market.

Family Fun Activity Book: Playtimes and Activities to Bring Children and Grownups Together, by Bob Keeshan (aka. Captain Kangaroo) and Unplugged Play, by Bobbi Conner both offer hundreds of ideas for games and activities, most using common items found around the house and many of which are perfect for the backyard or local park.

Garden Crafts for Kids: 50 Great Reasons to Get Your Hands Dirty, by Diane Rhoades. Ideas ranging from making fruit leather to making scarecrows are included in this title which has lots of useful information for younger, first time gardeners. Some of the projects are fairly ambitious and others will require some yard space but ideas suitable for apartment dwellers are also included.

Camp out!: The Ultimate Kids’ Guide, by Lynn Brunelle. This is a fantastic introduction to the wonders of camping – from s’mores to animal tracks and everything in between. Full of practical and fun information, activities, experiments and even some campfire songs, this book is a great resource to plan your next, or first, kids camping trip – even if it’s just in your own backyard.

In the same vein are the following books from Kids Can Press and authors Ann Love and Jane Drake: The Kids Book of the Night Sky, The Kids Cottage Book, and The Kids Campfire Book. Well illustrated and easy to follow, they’re all chock full of educational and entertaining activities, stories and crafts suitable for urban, suburban, and backwoods adventurers.

So, next warm evening or sunny spring day, why not head outdoors with the kids and rediscover the joys of the pre-electronic world? It’s free, fun and can provide a lifetime of happy family memories.