The "I Spy" Books

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

12 Nov 2007 09:27 PM

We have a lot of books and games at our house. And we have a lot of "I Spy" books. These books are more like games than stories. They've gotten our family through many a doctor's appointment, road trip, and sick day.

The I Spy books are large, on each two spread there is a large photograph. The photographs show things like a collection of toys, or a sand castle covered with toys, or a ton of stuffed animals on a shelf. At the bottom of the page is a simple rhyme about what things you should look for on the page. When you've found everything, turn to the back of book for the bonus rhymes. These tell you to look for more things, but don't always tell you what page they are on. The books also have an item that shows up on every page.

These are not simple to find things. Sometimes the I Spy people are extremely tricky. Sometimes the item is hidden on a button, on a coin, or even in a shadow.

While finding the items can be a quiet and solitary activity, I think it's more fun to work together. Usually there are at least three of us clustered around the book, trying to find seven pine cones, or the word "Happy", a starfish, or a candy cane. We also like to challenge each other to find things that we have spotted on the page.

The other great thing about these books is that there are ones for so many occasions. The Christmas one has beautiful pages with snow, holly, and ornaments. The Halloween one has dark, spooky pages with haunted houses and spider webs. If the regular books get too easy, try the Gold Challenge or the Extreme Challenge. These are great books to have on your coffee table. Children have great fun sharing them with cousins and grandparents.

Also See:

Visual Brainstorms - Game Review

In a Pickle - Game Review

Sequence for Kids - Game Review

Ideas for Waiting

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

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