As we have started to redo the boy’s room and combine them there have been a few growing pains. Mainly that we sold the big bed before we bought new beds for the boys. No need to worry, it’s time to camp out. Turn lemons into lemonade right?

So once the other bed was taken apart and picked up by the seller up went the tent. In all honesty, it’s only been used once time outside… and a whole bunch of times in the living room.

Forgive the bed head, but he was super excited when he found out he was going to “camp out” in his room… at least for a few days.

I saw this as a great time to bring out some adventure books too since we were having our own camping adventures. Enter – Explorer Academy and Nat Geo Kids Almanac 2019.

I get asked a lot about our bedtime reading so I wanted to point out how great higher level books can be for little ones and how using their imagination can create great readers.

H is in Kindergarten and currently learning his sight words. When he is at school he has a chance to read books that are on his level… but books like this are something his classroom wouldn’t normally have.

We have created a routine to expose him to new books that challenge him as a reader. He loves going through the pages before I read them to find some of the words he knows. I also read out loud until I get to one. That’s when he is able to chime in and read the next word. It keeps him involved in the story and also keeps him accountable for new words as he is learning. I also stop at any CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant) and let him sound them out.

Something that I love about Explorer Academy is that it is a chapter book with awesome illustrations. These are perfect for asking your kids, what they think will happen next based on what they see. Great readers make “movies in their mind” while they are reading… do the illustrations look the same as what they see in their mind? Then talk about what is the same and what is different.

My son loves looking in depth at the illustrations because they aren’t on every page. When we get to one he dissects it and looks at every part. It’s also great for helping him understand new vocabulary he may have never heard before.

Confession. My all-time favorite feature a book can have is a map. I’ve always loved to look at them and imagine traveling the same path as the character. I still do it to this day. If you want me to buy a book… put a map in it. I’ll take it home.

Am I the only one?

Non-fiction books are also amazing. Each night we find something new to learn about and it doesn’t take too terribly long. It is something that you could easily incorporate into bedtime reading or dinner conversation. I also love bringing up what we read about the night before on our way to school the next day.

Subjects that are high interest and easy to chat about. It leads to conversations about what they already know about “rain-forests” and more interesting facts they can tell someone the next day.

The pictures in National Geographic Kids Almanac are awesome too. I mean I was lost in this one of the ice cream… that isn’t really ice cream. They have fantastic trivia for kids and adults. It might just help you next time you have game night and someone brings Trivial Pursuit.

No matter what books you have… the conversation is the most important part. Find books your kids will love and that YOU will love too.

To celebrate the launch of Explorer Academy, one lucky family will experience a spectacular ship-based expedition, just like the students at Explorer Academy. The grand prize is a family trip for four to Alaska’s Inside Passage from National Geographic Expeditions. Enter the sweepstakes at exploreracademytrip.com .

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from Moms Meet to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.