Summer is upon us and all kinds of family adventures await. When our kiddoes are young, we have to consider what will be realistically “fun” and what will be, well, just too much work! There are all kinds of manageable and enjoyable family outings and activities to engage in, and I offer the idea that a book can add so much learning for the entire family. Using books to prepare can open up meaningful conversations for the entire family during the event itself and can hold memories later on.

Trips to the zoo can be such a fun family experience. The books that we can select to read before going to the zoo are just endless. One that was given to Leo by his Auntie Haley and is just adorable is “Edward the Emu” by Sheena Knowles and Rod Clement. Honestly, the illustrations are fantastic and the story is clever. Another adorable board book that features zoo animals is I Love You Like No Otter by Rose Rossner. Before a trip to the zoo, you could select many different books to introduce your kids to the animals they are about to visit and learn about.

If you’re heading to the beach for the week, there are so many wonderful stories you could read before hitting the sun and waves: Llama, Llama, Sand, and Sun by Anna Dewdney, Explore the Beach by Alli Brydon, and An Ocean Full of Wonder by Anna Smithers are wonderful, or here’s a search link covering all kinds of beach idea books: Beach Books for Kids!

Maybe you’re going to Tweetsie Railroad and the mountains for the weekend. What a creative way to introduce The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper and talk about how some things are hard….but we can keep trying! A cute book that we bought in Yellowstone is Little Campers ABCs by Mariah Rupp and this would be great to use before a camping trip. This spring, I’ve found some books with fantastic facts and ideas about things to do in North Carolina, and these would be ideal to read before visiting certain landmarks. One I especially like is Goodnight, North Carolina by Adam Gamble and Anne Rosen.

There are cute books to use for fun and relaxing days at home as well. These two are about gardening for kids: Up and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner and Garden Time by Jill McDonald. Backyards Birds, A to Z by J.R. Grady teaches us all about the lovely birds we may find in our own yards.

The point is, we can find books for our littles that encourage reading and learning, and also make the hands-on experiences all the more meaningful. When our kids were little, I would buy a book everywhere we went, as a memento. Memories were revisited when we would ready Tammy Turtle by Suzanne Tate from Holden Beach or Baby Beluga (Raffi) after visiting Hilton Head. We also brought back a rock from each place we visited, which has turned out to be such a cool collection.

BOOKING TIME WITH OUR KIDS can enhance experiences and memories for years to come. I should be “transparent”, as they say now…..we bought a book about getting your first haircut, trying to prepare Leo for his first big haircut experience. Well, the book was precious, but was quickly forgotten as the chaos of clipping and shaving began. As we begin with books from now on, we’ll focus on nature and fun to create family memories!

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