So, what about our ordinary, everyday things….the moments you treasure and the magic you make?  We live in a world obsessed with the mighty. The large. The barely achievable. Yet wondrous things happen all around us.  Extraordinary! is both a wake-up call and a love song to the quiet, everyday moments that remind us what an amazing thing it is to be alive in this world.

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Extraordinary!

Author – Penny Harrison
Illustrator – Katie Wilson

This gentle tale is about finding the extraordinary surrounding us.   It’s about celebrating the best moments in life, the ones we share with our friends and family. The text is clear and easy to read, accompanied by beautiful illustrations which capture the extraordinary within the ordinary things in life. Reading quietly, flying a kite, observing a full moon or ‘feeling the kiss of a cool breeze are activities adults generally take for granted, yet ones that children are fascinated by.

This soothing rhythmic story would be a great addition to your bedtime reading routine.  🙂

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This is a beautiful reading of Extraordinary! by the author, Penny Harrison.

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Things To Do Outdoors

 Encourage our children to experience the ever-changing natural world with all their senses, to notice the little things and to cherish these moments.

1.  Provide a simple nature table, where our youngest can store their collections of interesting rocks, feathers, leaves and foliage.

2. Grow some of your own food. All it takes is a flowerpot  or a small, sunny area for you to plant a few herbs and leafy greens.

3.  Take nature walks, during the day and, sometimes, at night, and then writing/drawing in our journals about everything we noticed, experienced and wondered.

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Start your own nature journal

Use your magnifying glass to zoom in on a flower or bug; then sketch it, and add color and label it. Include tracings/rubbings of leaves and drawings of the different flowers you find. Look for beetles, lizards, worms, or caterpillars to draw. Give them names and make up stories or poems about them. Go on a nature walk and record everything you notice.

Sit outside and make a map of your garden.

Draw in all the little details that mean something to you …………. a flower bed that butterflies love to visit, your vegetable garden, the best patch of grass for daydreaming/cloud gazing

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