Alice James (Author) Alice James joined Usborne after working in primary schools for a while. She absolutely loves science, and over the years has lived with chimps, spent a month in the rainforest, studied Biology at Oxford University, and grown 200 carnivorous plants (not necessarily in that order). Whilst at Usborne Alice has worked on books on all kinds of science topics, from space to energy to the periodic table.Lara Bryan (Author) Lara has loved books since the days of being read bedtime stories by her Irish dad and French mum. At school she set up a secondhand bookshop called Books Change Lives, and went on to study English and Italian at Oxford University. After teaching in Italy and Myanmar, she got her dream job as a writer for Usborne Publishing. From explaining how economics works, to inventing boredom-busting activities, to telling a good dragon yarn, she's enjoyed every minute of the job.Darran Stobbart (Author) Darran spent a decade as children's bookseller in Durham. They studied crime scene and forensic science at university. It's handier than you'd expect. They collect useless facts, and write about lots of subjects - especially science. They are passionate about stories, music, and will talk about octopuses at great length.

Make the most of quiet times and get the kids to unwind with these relaxing activities.