Today, I need to talk to you about I Spy books.
It all started with the book 1001 Bugs to Spot, which my husband found on the free table at our local transfer station. We still have that copy. It is worn and tattered and I will never be able to part with it because it holds such sweet memories.
We read that book over and over and over again, searching for dung beetles and grasshoppers and spiders.
Eventually, after many readings, it got a little … old.
I headed off to our favorite used bookstore and used my credit to purchase a variety of 1001 Things to Spot and I Spy books. And for the next year-plus, our son received these books from grandparents, aunts, and uncles (all of whom, I suspect, were also growing tired of dung beetle hunts).
Our son called these books Spot It books and he loved them dearly.
This was our very first book obsession. We have had many since, but this was the first. Our son would toddle around, with an oversized book under his arm, asking everyone and everyone:
Will you read a Spot It book with me?
It was the sweetest thing and then, just like that, it was over.
He’d moved on to other loves: Dinosaurumpus!, Byron Barton, Body Baddies… I could go on for ages.
Of course, he’d still pull these old favorites from time to time. Plus, I had two other kiddos who adored these old favorites, too.
My children are now 8, 6, and 4-years-old and those Spot It books have been collecting dust for quite some time…
… until last week.
Our oldest made his First Communion the other weekend and we had a family party that ran past my children’s bedtimes. After everyone had left, I found our little guy, tired from his big day, curled up on our family room couch with an old favorite.
He looked so peaceful, and there is something calming about those books. He took it to bed with him that night.
And the next morning, he arrived in the kitchen with another I Spy book tucked under his arm. With a big smile, he asked:
Do you remember when I used to read these all the time?
I smiled and together we reminisced about all his many book obsessions to date.
He was reflective during breakfast until he shouted,
I have the GREATEST IDEA!!
As soon as he’d cleared his dishes, he was off and running to the playroom.
Make Your Own I Spy Pages
His idea was pretty great and I thought I’d share it here today because I think it would make for a perfect last-minute, fun STEM activity. And we are always on the quest for those as homeschoolers, aren’t we?
Here’s what he did:
- Pick an I Spy book
- Open to a favorite page
- Attempt to recreate the scene
- Modify if need be
- Write down your clues
- Snap a photo
- Repeat
He has BIG plans to create his very own I Spy book and he is going to share it over on Leo’s Lounge when it is finished. I am only allowed to share one photo with you today and here it is:
Tell me: Do your kids love I Spy books? What cool project have your children worked on lately? Share here!
