Nature Anatomy
ISBN 9781612122311
Regular price $23.95 Sale price $22.00 Save 8%Nest shopowner's note: Julia Rothman's books are our favourite to curl up with when we're a little under the weather, or just in need of some quiet hour time.
See the world in a whole new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world. Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more. Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the world all around you.
Softcover, 224 pages.
Storey Publishing.
Printed in China.
About the Author:
Julia Rothman is an illustrator, pattern designer, and author. In addition to working for clients such as the New York Times, Target, and Ann Taylor, she has her own lines of wallpaper, stationery, fabric, and dishware. Rothman has authored, co-authored, and illustrated ten books including Food Anatomy, Nature Anatomy, and Farm Anatomy. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Stitch Camp
ISBN 9781612127507
Regular price $26.95 Sale price $25.50 Save 5%by Nicole Blum and Catherine Newman
In today’s thriving maker culture, kids are hungry for hands-on guidance in creating stylish wearables and practical objects, or hacking and customizing existing ones. Authors Nicole Blum and Catherine Newman get them started with complete instructions for mastering six favourite fibre crafts. Step-by-step photos teach kids ages 9–14 the basics of how to sew, knit, crochet, felt, embroider, and weave, plus how to make three projects for each craft. (In our experience, children as young as 6.5 or 7 years old can well manage and be inspired by several crafts from the book). From woven patches and a knitted backpack to embroidered merit badges and a crocheted bracelet, the fresh, kid-approved projects encourage creative variations and build confidence along with valuable life skills.
Softcover, 208 pages. 20.3 x 2.3 x 25.1 cm
Storey Publishing, 2017.
Ready, Set, Make!
Nicole Blum and Catherine Newman are the coauthors of Stitch Camp. They are longtime friends and cocreators who have been crafting for many years with each other, their families, and groups of kids at home camps and studio workshops. Blum is the coauthor of Improv Sewing. Newman edits ChopChop, a nonprofit family cooking magazine, and is the author of One Mixed-Up Night, Catastrophic Happiness, and Waiting for Birdy. Blum and Newman live in western Massachusetts.
Read more at the publisher's website.
Beanbag Hand Warmer
The project description below is an excerpt from “Stitch Camp” by Nicole Blum and Catherine Newman (Storey Publishing, 2017).
Toss them into a bucket and keep score — and they’re toys. Heat them in the microwave and pop them in your pockets — and they’re hand warmers. Either way, this is a project that comes together quickly, and it makes a great gift. Make your beanbag as big or small as you like, or vary the sizes for different projects.
What You Need
♦ Enough craft felt, polar fleece, or felted wool to cut a front and back piece
♦ Straight pins
♦ A small bowl (or a square cut from cardboard) for tracing (any size 3 to 5 inches is good)
♦ Chalk
♦ Scissors
♦ Embroidery floss or sturdy thread
♦ Sharp needle
♦ Rice or other grains, lentils or other small dried beans, or popcorn, for filling
♦ Kitchen funnel or a piece of paper or small spoon
How You Make It
1. Stack or fold the fabric so there are two layers and stick a pin through the middle to hold the layers together while you’re cutting. Trace the bowl or cardboard square onto the top layer with chalk. Keeping both pieces of fabric pinned together, carefully cut the shapes out. Taking your time here will make sewing easier, and you won’t have to fix rough edges later.
2. Measure an arm’s length of embroidery floss, thread your needle, and knot the end. Starting in between the two layers, push your needle up through the top piece of fabric and pull the thread through until the knot is snugly against the underside.
3. Stitch around the edge of both layers using a nice, even backstitch. It is important to make your stitches very close together so the filling won’t pop out, especially if you’re using rice.
4. When you have about 1 inch left open, stop sewing but don’t tie off your thread yet; just lay the needle and thread out of the way or push the needle into the fabric to keep it safe. Use the unstitched hole to fill the bag with rice, beans, or the filling of your choice. A kitchen funnel makes this easy, but you can roll up a piece of paper to make a funnel if you like, or just use a small spoon and some patience.
5. When the bag is full, finish stitching until you meet up with where you started, then tie off your thread and snip it close to the fabric. If it’s important to you to conceal the knot, you can push the needle between the two layers before knotting.
Tip: Materials for Hand Warmers
If you’re planning to offer your beanbags up (or use them yourself) as hand warmers, use wool felt for the outside. Synthetics can behave strangely in the microwave, which is where you’ll heat them up. Rice is our favorite choice for filling hand warmers (it smells good when you heat it.), but whatever you choose, don’t use popcorn.
Bird Watch
ISBN 9781635862515
Regular price $17.65The third book in the Backpack Explorer series from the Editors of Storey Publishing invites budding naturalists to head outside for a walk — in the woods, a park, or right in their backyard — to spot feathered friends. Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch leads kids aged 4 and up through the basics of birding, from identifying common birds to learning about habitat and migration and listening for bird songs.
The pages are packed with prompts and activities, including 12 interactive field guides (for common birds, nests, eggs, tracks, and more), sensory scavenger hunts, activities such as building a bird nest, matching games, and simple discovery zone pages about food chains and the life cycle of birds. Equipped with a real magnifying glass, stickers, and a birding log for recording sightings and encounters, this book is the perfect take-along for any nature adventure.
Also available in this series: Backpack Explorer: Beach Walk and Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail.
Recommended for ages 4 - 8 years.
Hardcover, 48 pages. 7.38 x 9.25".
Storey Publishing
Pony Play Games & Puzzles
ISBN 9781603420631
Regular price $12.95Get in the saddle and ride your way through a variety of pony-themed mazes, crosswords, quizzes, and word searches.
Jackie the Jack Russell terrier and Barney the barn owl guide children through a puzzle-packed tour around the horse farm. Their silly, horsey humor will bring laughs galore and keep kids engaged as they work their way through 100 fun brainteasers. Five chapters of zany activities progress in difficulty, encouraging children to stretch their abilities as they learn more about ponies.
Recommended for 6 - 10 years old (Grade 1 to grade 4).
144 pages.
Storey Publishing.
Rock Hunt
ISBN 9781635865530
Regular price $17.65 Sale price $16.99 Save 4%The latest addition to the best-selling Backpack Explorer series (455,000 copies in print) invites kids ages 4 and up to head outside and find, collect, and learn about rocks with this take-along activity book! Backpack Explorer: Rock Hunt is packed with prompts and activities, including: 12 interactive field guide pages introducing rock classifications (color, shape, size, texture); sensory scavenger hunts; hands-on outdoor creative activities; rock experiments; and discovery zone pages with facts about geology, landforms, igneous and metamorphic rocks, gems, fossils, and more. The book includes a real magnifying glass, stickers, and a log for recording rock finds, making it the perfect explorer guide for budding geologists, whether in a backyard, a city park, or a nature preserve.
Also available in this series: Backpack Explorer: Beach Walk and Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail.
Recommended by the publisher for ages 4 - 8 years; however, here at nest, we find that older children, and even many adults will find this a nifty little introductory handbook. The activities are geared towards young elementary children, but the information is a little rich and varied.
Hardcover, 48 pages. 7.38 x 9.25".
Storey Publishing
Nature Anatomy notebook
ISBN 9781635861785
Regular price $26.95 Sale price $25.00 Save 7%A Place to Track and Draw Your Daily Observations
Adults and children are irresistibly drawn to Julia Rothman’s best-selling illustrated guide to the natural world, Nature Anatomy, with its colorful drawings that awaken curiosity — and invite imitation.
With this companion volume, Rothman leads fans deeper into nature observation with her specially designed record pages for tracking daily nature sightings throughout the seasons. Her step-by-step technique tutorials for drawing a flower, a dragonfly, a robin, and much more, along with blank sketchbook pages, will inspire nature lovers and art enthusiasts of all ages to take up their own colored pencils or favorite pens and create their own unique Nature Anatomy Notebook.
Softcover, 176 pages.
Storey Publishing, 2019.
About the Author:
Julia Rothman is an illustrator, pattern designer, and author. In addition to working for clients such as the New York Times, Target, and Ann Taylor, she has her own lines of wallpaper, stationery, fabric, and dishware. Rothman has authored, co-authored, and illustrated ten books including Food Anatomy, Nature Anatomy, and Farm Anatomy. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Wildlife Ranger Action Guide
ISBN 9781635861068
Regular price $25.95 Sale price $23.50 Save 9%As concern for the welfare of species like honey bees and monarch butterflies grows alongside awareness of the impact of climate change, inspiring the next generation of citizen scientists is more important than ever. With Wildlife Ranger Action Guide, kids can make the world better for the animals and insects they love, starting right in their own backyards. Dozens of hands-on activities and habitat creation projects, such as making a frog pond from a kiddie pool, planting a pollinator garden for bees, painting a bat house, and building a lodge for lizards, encourage children to learn about and take an active role in protecting local wildlife. Lively photographic field guides covering 78 North American wildlife species teach kids about the habits and habitats of each and include tips for providing the plants and food needed for their survival.
Recommended for young adventurers 6-12 years of age.
Farm Fun Games & Puzzles
ISBN 9781635865226
Regular price $14.95Dig into this farm frenzy activity book and kids ages 6-10 will be playing games and solving puzzles until the cows come home!
From acclaimed puzzle creators Patrick Merrell and Helene Hovanec comes a barnyard full of fun farm-themed puzzles. From mazes and picture puzzles to brainteasers, word searches, jokes, riddles, and more, 200 puzzles will keep kids screen-free and entertained for hours:
Activities increase in difficulty throughout the book, keeping kids engaged as they learn more on the farm. Lively and humorous cartoons of favorite barnyard animals encourage farm-loving kids page after page and teach them about life on the farm – keeping your future farmer happy as a pig in the mud for hours on end!
Recommended by the publisher for 6 - 10 years old (Grade 1 to grade 5).
240 pages.
Storey Publishing.