A good way for children (especially budding young writers) to practice their language skills and put their vocabulary into action is by describing a scene that includes a lot of detail and activity. What could be better than using one of Walter Wick's photographs! For some great scenes with people, action, and interesting objects, open up the latest I Spy book, I Spy Treasure Hunt. Pages 10–11 feature a town square filled with people taking pictures, in-line skating, riding bikes, and walking on the sidewalk. Make sure your children focus on the details, and use lots of new vocabulary words to describe what they see.

Of course, a great story might come out of these descriptions as well! I Spy photos are great story starters. As you page through I Spy Treasure Hunt, you will notice that the pictures and riddle rhymes tell a story about a search for buried treasure. Similarly, the pages of I Spy Spooky Night describe a visit to a creepy old house, complete with secret doors, missing keys, and a tricky skeleton! Walter Wick has told these stories using pictures. Now have your kids tell the stories in words.

In the I Spy School Days book and the you can find a city constructed of wood blocks, pencils, and other items. Not only is it a lot of fun to create a similar city in your classroom or play area, but a three-dimensional "map" like this can be a very useful tool for developing a young child's sense of perspective. Build your city on a desk or small table, where children can easily move around and see it from different angles. Make sure to include lots of little items and details — people too! Then play I Spy! Children will have to move around to different sides of the city in order to find certain items. As a further challenge, pick a toy person, place it in the city, and have the children play I Spy from the toy person's perspective. What items can the toy see? What items can't it see? Where would the toy have to go to be able to see certain items?

To get lots of use out of your wood block city, have your children make maps of it on paper, including all the landmarks, the streets, people's houses, etc. Teach them how to give directions to a toy person trying to get from one part of the city to another.

Next, turn to pages 20–21. Ask your children what is going on in this picture. Then discuss setting: where is this taking place, and when? Have your children point out the objects in the photo that don't quite fit with their description of the setting. Does the surfer girl fit? What about the bulldozer? Why or why not? (It will be interesting to see how your children CAN make the items fit, using their imagination!)

There are at least two stories going on in the photo on pages 32–33: a story within a story. First, there is the story of the child who built this diorama in his/her room. (Is it a school project? Is the child a budding artist?) Within that story, there is the story in the diorama itself: Who is on that train? Where are they going? What about the people on the cliffs? Can your children find other examples of a "story within a story" in other I Spy pictures, or in their favourite books?

Finally, you can establish the distinction between nonfiction and fiction by asking older children to write a story inspired by one of the pictures in the book, AND to write an essay about the book (what it made them think or feel; how it was done). Ask them to explain the difference between the two assignments. What did they do differently? Which one did they prefer?

Looking at pages from one of the I Spy books, children might think there are a million objects in the pictures. Are there a million? Have the children count the objects in a picture, then count the pictures in each book. How many I Spy books would it take to reach one million objects?

Take this idea further by asking children whether there are a million objects in your classroom or play area. Are there a million objects in the school/home? How many schools or houses would you need to find a million things? How many apples would you have to eat every day to eat a million in 10 years? Are there a million children in the school? How many schools would you need to bring together in order to get a million kids? This is a great way to exercise basic math skills, and introduce new ones!

For more ideas on how to teach "a million," see The Magic of a Million Activity Book, by David M. Schwartz and David J. Whitin, published by Scholastic Professional Books.

Spend your days outside and enjoy the weather, by making your I Spy pictures outdoors, using themes such as nature or sports. Here are some ideas:

Nature I Spy Take your kids on a hike in a park or forest. Make it their "mission" to find objects on a predetermined nature theme. (This is a good activity for an introductory botany or ecology unit.) They can gather objects, or just call out their riddles, using everything they see as their "picture."

Playground I Spy When recess rolls around, use the blacktop, sporting equipment, and some chalk to make a picture riddle like the one in I Spy School Days (P. 22–23).

Beach I Spy Make your own beach picture. Collect shells, seaweed, beach toys, driftwood, whatever you find around the beach. The sand is a perfect backdrop to a fun-in-the-sun picture riddle.

Aqua I Spy Here's a fun one. Find things that float (and won't get ruined by water). Use a sink, bathtub, or kiddie pool as your "canvas." Here you will face some fun and interesting challenges as you try to get your picture just right. The results will be well worth it!

Street I Spy For a lot of us, "going outside" means hitting the streets. If this is the case for your kids, use chalk, and objects like bottlecaps, coins, and rocks to make a great I Spy on your street or sidewalk.

Of course, to keep these wonderful creations forever, you will need to bring along a camera. Make sure there's a lot of light, and try to get the camera as far above the "picture" as you can. But the fun is really in the creating, so a camera isn't required. Whatever you do, enjoy the fun and fresh air!