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Learning about Espionage, Geography & Politics with Lonely Planet Kids (& a Giveaway)

Kids' Corner, Learning

Hubby is a geographer and I am a linguist so I guess travelling came naturally to both of us. We explored a fair few countries together. In fact, we spent every spare penny on our adventures around the world before we had children, from Rwanda to Fiji to Iceland. Every time we went somewhere new, I would get a couple of travel books so we could learn more about the country we were about to discover.

When we were planning our round trip to the Highlands recently, I bought Lonely Planet’s Scotland’s Highlands & Islands to create the perfect holiday for our little family and get more from our trip. Those guides are reliable, full of tips and they are a must to find out what cannot be missed and where hidden treasures are, so when Lonely Planet asked us whether we wanted to review their range of books aimed at children, we were on board straight away.

We received our ‘Lonely Planet Kids’ books last week, when we got back from Inverness.

Lonely Planet Kids

Not surprisingly, the one that appealed the most to Beanie was You Rule. If my girl does not become a comedian, she will probably lead some country, or possibly create her own!

Although she is only five, my little lady knows what she wants in life and she requested we read a few pages that looked appealing to her. The language used was aimed at older children (I would say Year 4 onwards) but I simplified explanations for her and she was really interested in the whole process of finding unclaimed land, creating a country, setting boundaries, protecting the land, choosing laws etc.

 

I particularly liked Adventures Around the Globe, and when we go to France for Christmas, I will definitely take it along. It is packed with maps, activities, stickers, colouring pages and information. Even Jumpy, who is only 3, can take part in the fun, with the help of her older siblings and anything that keeps my children entertained and having fun together on the ferry to France is a winner in my eyes!

The book that has received the most interest at home is How to be an international SPY. With a seven year old boy at home, it is hardly surprising, especially since his dad loves pretending he is a spy himself (do not ask!).

As soon as he looked at the book, Crevette wanted to know more about spies. He has been reading (devouring) the book all week. He was intrigued as soon as he started finding out about espionage and what a spy was. He was really interested by the fact there can be ‘good’ and ‘bad’ spies, depending which side you are on. He has also been learning about spies in History.

He was fascinated by invisible ink, creating a fingerprinting kit and code breaking. Much Blu Tack was used to take prints of our teeth (as you do), coins, intricate designs on my necklaces, hairbrushes… My little man has turned into a spy!

We are definitely getting this book for our 10 year old nephew this Christmas!

The Travel Book promises “a journey through every country in the world.”

It is full of child-friendly information, brilliant visuals (photos and illustrations) as well as interesting and entertaining facts. One page (no more, no less) is dedicated to every country in the world. It is perfect for inquisitive children and parents alike. It does not tell you everything there is to know about each country, but again, it is aimed at children and the snippets they get will encourage them to learn more and carry out some research if they want to know more.

It is also brilliant to gather a few ice-breakers like this one: Did you know that the Congo was the deepest river in the world? “You could stack two statues of Liberty on top of one another and they’d still be submerged.”

Here is another good one: It was Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza (Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1662-85) “who introduced the habit of drinking tea to Britain.” Who knew!

“The Louvre is the largest museum in the world.”

Just one last one: There is an underwater post office in Vanuatu. From there, you can send waterproof postcards!

To find out more about Lonely Planet Kids, you can visit their Facebook page or watch my little man’s video:

You could win a selection of ‘Lonely Planet Kids’ books.

How to enter the giveaway:
Check the instructions in the form below. You can pick and choose a range of ways in which to enter. The only one you must click on to get into the draw is the one asking you to leave a blog post comment. You must also leave a comment for your entry to be valid.

Entries are open until 23.59 p.m. GMT time on 24 November 2015. Good luck!

A Selection of Lonely Planet Kids Books

Disclosure:
This is a sponsored post.
All opinions and photos / video (other than the Amazon ones) are my own.
I am part of the Amazon affiliates programme so if you click on the links for the books and purchase them; I will earn a small commission.

I have listed this giveaway on ThePrizeFinder, SuperLucky and Loquax.

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Comments

  13. Monica Gilbert says

    Australia would be the dream destination I’ve never been to. But it’s a dream of my husband and I to take our daughter to see where we lived in Japan when we met.

    Reply

    • Mel says

      It is a great place to visit. The people are incredibly friendly and welcoming, the sights breathtaking and the country is so unusual. I would definitely recommend spending a week there.

      Reply

  16. mazgoli says

    I’d love to revisit New Zealand and go to some of the places we missed last time. We took our family of six children for a three week holiday and explored the North Island. Wonderful memories!

    Reply

  25. Margaret Gallagher says

    Fancy going to iceland-intigued by the culture and scenery-heard it’s beautiful

    Reply

  32. Helen M says

    Nepal. I’ve went there many years ago and fell in love with it. I would love to take my son there.

    Reply

  74. alipally1 says

    I would love to go to Las vegas – just for a few days but I would also love to go and see the Northern lights theres many many places on my list though.

    Reply

  86. olivia280177 says

    I want to travel with the children all around the USA but I’m quite nervous about flying.

    Reply

  91. Rebecca Nisbet says

    iv always wanted to go to New Orleans and experience the music, i bet it would be amazing!

    Reply

  105. Vicki Violet Morris says

    Would love to go to California – San Francisco, LA and of course the original Disney!

    Reply

  108. Chloe M Bailey says

    My dream destination is the north pole! I would love to be able to say I’ve been!!!

    Reply

  136. Claire Jones says

    My children would love to visit the Amazon jungle – one is an intrepid explorer and the other a keen animal activist, I think we’d have a ball!

    Reply

  142. Stacey Leigh says

    I would absolutely love to go to New Orleans. Everything about it fascinates me, the food, the music, the history. It would be an amazing trip xx

    Reply

  150. Sally Collingwood says

    A deserted island – anywhere, except Lundy of course, so the saying be careful what you wish for!

    Reply