Awesome Aussie Things to Do with Mum ill. by Simon Williams

Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9781742839950.
(Age: 7-11) This activity book is aimed at primary school children and has lots of things that could be done either with Mum or with other adults. There is a Contents page that gives a good overview of the activities and projects. It is organised into the following sections: In the backyard, Games, Home sweet home, Stuff to do on rainy days and Beach Daze. In the backyard gives ideas about pressing flowers, making a rock garden, planting plants to keep away bugs, keeping worms and making a bonsai plant. Games contains ideas about skipping rope, playing with elastics, making Cat's Cradle, knucklebones and hopscotch. Home sweet home has knitting and other craft. Stuff to do on rainy days includes making silhouettes, magic tricks, balloon shapes and a bedroom makeover. Beach Daze has ideas for sunhats, volleyball, sandcastles and other beach activities.
All the ideas are simply and humorously described and illustrated with step by step instructions. There is a clever emphasis on showing how wonderful Mum is and what she can do, and a few subtle hints that would help Mum out - like the feng shui bedroom makeover that involves giving away things that are not needed and tidying up!
The activities are all ones that could be done at home, albeit with the cooperation of an adult as supplies would need to be purchased and to be at hand.
This book would provide lots of ideas for time fillers for school holidays for parents, and ideas for grandparents when children come to stay with them and would be a useful book to have on hand for when children are bored.
Pat Pledger