Kids Spring Break Activity Books
Spring Break is a wonderful time of year. It means the blah from winter is ending and warmer weather is nearing. It also means kids get two whole weeks off from the bustle of their scholastic schedule. As spring break approaches, kids are eagerly planning some fun activities indoors and outdoors. While some families may take a vacation, most of us are staying home enjoying the free time to do things we enjoy.
Spring break affords kids the perfect opportunity to catch up on some reading and play some games. You’d be surprised how quiet it gets when you pull out a stack of new and older storybooks. Kids do love to read when they have some downtime. Here are a few new storybooks that just came out and I think kids will love.
Little Bear’s Big House
The cover of Little Bear’s Big House storybook immediately captures kids’ attention. The little bear and the forest scene are appealing and kids want to crack open these very large books. It’s a story about a grumpy little bear who is fed up with forest life and wants to do what little boys do. He longs for adventure and set out to explore what is on the other side of the forest. He is greeted by many of his friends as he stomps through the forest, but he basically ignores them and treks on. He soon comes to a clearing where right before his eyes he sees a beautiful house.
Little Bear recognizes that bears don’t live houses, but he’s acting like a little boy, so he can go inside. The house many rooms, several floors, lots of toys, and hundreds of stairs. What an exciting adventure! Little Bear gets into everything and leaves a huge mess behind him. Alas, it’s time for bed and suddenly he hears loud noises… Thump, Crash… and another thump. It must be monsters and Little Bear is very afraid. Oh my goodness, it’s a three-headed monster!! Oh no! No worries, his loving family is never too far away. The characters are so endearing that kids will naturally get attached to them. The illustrations are big, bold, colorful, interesting, and engaging. There are so many things in the forest for kids to find and explore. Ideal for ages 3 – 5.
Otto and Pio
Otto and Pio is a heartwarming story about a squirrel named Otto and a furry creature named Pio. One morning squirrel wakes up to a strange green ball on the branch in front of his door. He ignored it and set off on his daily rounds. Once home, it’s still there and he has to walk over it to get into his home. Suddenly Otto hears noises and the ball has cracked open. A very furry and very tiny creature was crying for its mommy. He took the little fuzzy creature inside for the night and was alarmed at how much it had grown overnight. He grows more each day and outgrows the treehouse.
Otto tried very hard to find Pio’s mother by asking his forest friends and making flyers. Pio though is a good cook and he even cleans the house. One day, Pio even saves Otto’s life. As it turns out, Otto never did find Pio’s family, but he developed a love for him and the two became good friends. This heartwarming story shows how you can find friends in the most unlikely situations. Ideal for ages 5- 8.
Bad Kitty Camp Daze
Bad Kitty is about a high strung cat that lives with a hyper dog and a very busy baby. Kitty is stressed and ends up getting hit in the head with her own food dish. When she recovers, she thinks she’s a dog. This naturally freaks out Puppy, so his family sends him to dog camp for stressed-out dogs. But, Kitty just happens to sneak along and feels right at home with the other dogs. But then, Uncle Murphy comes across a bear and Kitty comes to the rescue.
This adventurous book has a comic book influence and the images are all in black and white. The kids liked most of this book. They didn’t appreciate that kitty was exasperated and was allowed to be mistreated a lot. I agree that we don’t like reading about any animal being hurt or abused in any way. This book is recommended for kids aged 7 – 10.
Games On the Go
Games On The Go is great for those boring moments during spring break, at home or while traveling. The game comes with 40 easy to clean cards and a dry-erase pen inside a handy compact box. Of the 40 cards, four of them are actual games cards and the rest (36) are blank cards for playing various games. The game cards are Lost in the Rainforest, Skyline, Maze Race and Road Trip. Some of the games include bingo, wildlife watching, drawing your favorite meal, tic-tac-toe, and mazes. According to the Amazon write up it includes 40 different activities or games, but we couldn’t find or figure out where they were. Plus there is only one pen. But kids have great imaginations and can make up their own games too. Ideal for ages 9 – 12.
Disclosure: I received product to facilitate a review. All opinions are my own, yours may differ.