Little Hands Learning | Nature Explorers box review

 “A monthly subscription box, inspired by the magic of books”

The highlight of our month is when the postman delivers Alfie his Little Hands Learning box. As soon as it arrives, he always wants to open it to find out the theme, the book and activities – and I always make him wait until I've taken a photo of the contents.

April’s box was the perfect theme, coinciding with spring and the bank holidays – it was Nature Explorers. The book ‘Hike’, illustrated by Peter Oswald, has minimal words and instead, ensures the focus is on the illustrations – which are truly stunning by the way. Muted tones of greens, blues, greys and browns portray the picturesque landscapes as a boy and his dad go on an adventure, in search of exploration. It also tells the story of their relationship. The best thing about this book?  You notice something different every time, and the narrative can change. We loved settling down together and making up an adventure.

The activities in this box were:

• Baking bread
• Going on a scavenger hunt
• Growing wild strawberries
• Cyanotype printing

On your marks, get set, bake

Baking is one of Alfie’s favourite activities. Every Friday, he and mum bake sweet treats – usually M&Ms cookies, flapjacks or cakes of some kind – so I knew he would love baking bread. The instructions were so easy to follow, and they didn't take long to make, although there were two rounds of proving. The bunny rolls in this Insta post were so cute, but we weren't feeling that creative. Instead, I scored two of the rolls with a knife and the other two, Alfie pinched… I guess you could say they’re hedgehog like! Once baked, he had to eat one straight away (well, once it cooled slightly) with jam, while the others we took on a picnic. A massive hit with the whole family – and we’ll definitely make more bread (or rolls!) together.

Let it grow

Another of Alfie’s hobbies, if you can call it that, is helping Ash in the garden. Not only does he often help water the garden, but he loves planting too. The beanstalk from the Rainbow Box was fun, but he loved planting the strawberries – possibly because of the mess involved. We sat on his picnic bench on our decking in the sunshine, and I found some small pots to plant the seeds in. Alfie did it all, even stirring the muddy mixture and spooned it into the pots. We have since transferred them to the windowsill, although they’re due to germinate while we're away… hopefully I won't miss the strawberries!

Making memories on paper

I'd never done cyanotype printing before. In fact, I had no idea what it was. We received two bits of paper to experiment with and decided to start with natural treasures, in the garden. Alfie picked up a piece of cane, a couple of leaves and some stones. I turned the leaves into a heart and the outcome was great. On the second print, we decided to try some of the small animals, but the finished print wasn't as good. The figures weren't sharp enough and I wonder if the sunlight had got underneath them. It was a shame, as I thought it was a really nice idea and perhaps we could have created a zoo scene. Lessons learned for next time.

We took the scavenger hunt cards on our Bank Holiday Monday walk, but unfortunately, didn’t spot any of the animals. We’re going to play a mini version of Top Trumps this weekend though.

If you're interested in purchasing a one-off box or even subscribing, visit the website. And if you're looking for a discount on a future box or anything in the shop, use code: LUCYLOCKET – and in the notes, mention that I sent you.

For sneak peeks of future boxes, as well as other crafty and educational ideas, follow Little Hands Learning on Instagram.

Love, Lucy xx