NOTICING

It begins with three little discoveries: a pebble, a flower and a feather. Things that might seem ordinary until someone takes a closer look.

With a magnifying glass, discovery pouch and specimen stickers, your child can investigate their colours, shapes, textures and tiny details. Then the adventure can continue outdoors, where familiar places become full of interesting things to observe.

Perhaps you'll notice something your child missed. Perhaps they'll discover something you've never noticed before. And perhaps the most interesting part will be showing each other what you've found.

Tiny creatures have extraordinary details. Wings, legs, patterns, shapes and colours that become much more interesting when we take the time to look.

With four insect puzzles, children can explore these details through hands-on making and discovery. Then there's an opportunity to take that curiosity outdoors.

What might you recognise? What differences do you notice? What questions does your child ask that you hadn't considered?

The experience combines making, observation and the excitement of discovering something in the world around you.

A little planter. Some seeds. Something wonderful to begin.

Children can decorate their planter, prepare the growing medium and plant their seeds. And then comes the part that can't be hurried. Waiting. Wondering. Checking again.

Some days something might have changed. Other days, almost nothing seems different.

There's something lovely about creating something together and having a reason to keep returning to it. Watching what changes, caring for what is growing, and discovering that not everything happens on our timetable.

A collection of wooden pieces becomes a little birdhouse. There are shapes to understand, pieces to fit together and creative decisions to make.

Perhaps your child has a very clear idea of what it should look like. Perhaps you'll have completely different ideas. There are colours to choose, paint to mix, details to add and opportunities to make something together.

And sometimes, things don't turn out quite the way we imagined. That can be interesting, too.

When it's finished and completely dry, the little birdhouse becomes something to keep and enjoy — a reminder of what you've created together.