This is my out and about night explorer review. This book is perfect for the autumn and winter months when the nights get dark earlier. It’s a fantastic non-fiction book for kids. Find all the best children’s books here.
My children love exploring in the dark with a torch so much so we bought them a mini torch each. We thought they’d be good for our camping trips as well as fun for the dark winter nights. Armed with a torch, wrapped up warm and without and about night explorer to teach us, we’ve had lots of fun, short outdoor fun in that awkward slot between the evening meal and bedtime.
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Out and about night explorer is another fantastic collaboration between Nosy Crow and National Trust. We have many books published by this pair and they are some of my favourite nature books for kids. This one is no exception. It’s a small hardback book with a stretchy band to hold it in place. Perfect for putting in little explorers backpacks when you head off for an adventure.
We love the bright, bold colours and simple cute illustrations. The illustrations always capture the attention of my children who enjoy looking at the pictures and learning about the creatures and night sky. There’s enough information to teach us something every time we dip into it without being overwhelming for children.
The book starts with an introduction to exploring at night, what to expect, tips for seeking wildlife and how to prepare for going out at night. It also teaches children about using a torch including the alphabet and numbers 1-10 in Morse code and shadow puppetry.
* Out and about night explorers then has a large section on animals followed by shorter sections night time plants and the night sky.
We love the section on mammals. We’ve learnt so much about night time wildlife like hedgehogs, owls, bats and foxes. Some of the most beautiful, detailed illustrations in the book are of different moths. I really had no idea there are over 2500 species of moths in Britain. 18 of them are shown in these illustrations.
You could continue your learning with this Bat Unit Study.
My youngest loves mini beasts so she loved learning about them at night. We’ve seen most of these insects in the daytime too. We also enjoyed learning about nocturnal animals from around the world.
Winter is a great time for learning about the night sky. This book teaches children about the phases of the moon as well as stargazing with several pages of illustrations of constellations. It’s a great way to start their curiosity about the night sky off but if they become really interested in space, stargazing and the night sky you might want to look at a more detailed book (see below).
The book finishes with some really fun night time activities and games and a quiz to test your knowledge. There is a useful glossary at the end too.
Find more great Winter activities for kids over in this great post.
I can’t recommend this book strongly enough. It’s the perfect introduction to exploring nature after dark. It’s * available to buy now.
You might also like
- If you are looking for more detailed books on stargazing or space then see my post on space books for kids
- Another great after-dark activity for kids is making and using a DIY paper bag lantern.
- Find some great games to play after dark here – Outdoor night games for kids
- If you are looking for more ideas for getting kids outdoors then you’re sure to find something in my 100 things to do outside with kids post.
For more ideas and inspiration for getting kids outside, join the Facebook group – Wildling explorers. During January we’re sharing daily ideas for getting kids outside in winter.
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Disclosure – We were sent this book in exchange for this review. All thought, photos and opinions are my own.