Learning with Nature: A how-to guide to inspiring children through outdoor games and activities

By my bed, I have a pile of books I dip into now and then for a bit of inspiration. This book is now top of my pile; a must-have resource for outdoor fun.


*Learning with Nature* is full of activities, and games to get children outside, keep them motivated and, most importantly, have fun.


> games, nature activities, seasonal activities and survival skills

The book is split up into sections covering games, nature activities, seasonal activities and survival skills.


The book is straightforward to navigate and gets the right balance of pictures and text, which can often be overlooked in books. This book gets in just right.


The information is uncomplicated and easy to digest, with top tips and interesting facts throughout the book.


<MediaImage url="/uploads/2014/11/Learning-with-Nature-Book.jpg" height="392" width="590" alt="Learning with Nature Book" />

The activities are well structured, though some of the activities work best with groups, but can be adapted for the family.


I like the extra information provided on what's being learnt and provides some inspiration on questions you can ask your child to enhance their learning. We decided to try out a few of the activities.


> We had great fun trying out these activities

We had great fun trying out these activities on a woodland walk and enhanced a walk into something much more exciting and educational for the children. 


<TipMessage title="Inspiration">

### Activities inspired by 'Learning with Nature'

Are you going near a stream or lake? Then you might want to give this a go.

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Tag, but not as you know it. This was a fun twist on a classic game and ideal for the next time you get the family outdoors.


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Here's a simple challenge you can do with a stick when you're next out with your family.


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</TipMessage>

This book is an inspiring, valuable resource for families, outdoor groups and anyone looking to engage children with nature.

Learning with Nature is a fantastic new book for helping you get your kids outside, have fun, and learn at the same time.

Learning with Nature Book Review

Waterstones

100 Great Walks with Kids: Fantastic stomps around Great Britain

Bloomsbury

100 Great Walks With Kids

Dovedale Walk

Leigh Woods Walk

100 Great Walks With Kids Contents

Needles Walk

Parents, GOWTK friends, and family adventurers <Link href="/members/jenbenson/">Jen and Sim Benson</Link> have just published a brand new book: 100 Great Walks with Kids.


This book is packed full of walking routes, and filled with Jen and Sim's family doing the walks.  These walks are tried and tested and family-approved :-)


<MediaImage url="/uploads/2021/03/Leigh-Woods-Walk.jpg" alt="Leigh Woods Walk" width="2048" height="1470" caption="Leigh Woods Walk (Image Credit: Bloomsbury)" />


Each route has a map and step-by-step instructions so you don't get lost, starting and endpoints, distance and how difficult it is, as well as some information about the area and places nearby.  Enough to keep your family busy on a day out on two legs.


<MediaImage url="/uploads/2021/03/100-Great-Walks-With-Kids-Contents.jpg" alt="100 Great Walks With Kids Contents" width="2048" height="1470" caption="Have a browse of the book's contents (Image Credit: Bloomsbury)" />


There's also information on if the walk is buggy friendly, dog-friendly, toilets, and refreshments.

The walks range from 1 to 5.5 miles, so very doable for most kids.

Looking for kid-friendly walks around the UK? Check out 1000 Great Walks with Kids by Jen and Sim Benson.


This is a great book to help explore your local area or to help plan a family adventure somewhere new. 

Get Your Boots On

Get Your Boots On Book

Alex White

Book Back Cover

Inside the Book

I've written before about how photography can help engage kids with getting outside, especially as they get older.
It certainly has for our kids, and photography has a major impact on teenager Alex White, who has turned his skill and passion for wildlife photography into the book **Get Your Boots On** to encourage other teenagers to get outside and appreciate nature.
This is a fantastic achievement and even has the foreword written by Chris Packham.
<MediaImage url="/uploads/2020/02/Alex-scaled.jpeg" alt="Alex White" width="2048" height="1536" caption="Alex White, the author of Get Your Boots On" />
The book is not too big to put teenagers off and contains excellent wildlife photos.
It covers a wide variety of topics, from what to see and when, where to go, what gear to take, and even where to meet other teenagers that share the same interests in nature.
As well as lots of practical advice, the book contains contributions from many people involved with UK wildlife, from both older people and those of Alex's generation. Plus, running through the book, is Alex's blog extracts, which gives a personal narrative to his journey.
<MediaImage url="/uploads/2020/02/Inside-the-Book-scaled.jpeg" height="1536" width="2048" alt="Inside the Book" />

This book is ideal if you have teenagers - especially if they enjoy nature, animals, the outdoors, or photography.
However, it's a very accessible book whatever your age, so if the above applies to you too, then it's well worth a read :-)

<MediaImage url="/uploads/2020/02/Book-Back-Cover-scaled.jpeg" height="1536" width="2048" alt="Book Back Cover" />

**Get Your Boots On** was written by a teenager for teenagers, with lots of ideas to help get outside and closer to nature.

Get Your Boots On, by Alex White

The Book Depository

Amazing Family Adventures: Fun days out and action-packed weekends

Harper Collins

Family Adventures Book

Family Adventures Contents 1

Family Adventures Contents 4

Family Adventures Contents 2

Family Adventures Contents 3

This book, written by <Link href="/members/jenbenson/posts/">GOWTK Contributors Jen and Sim Benson</Link>, will inspire you with tips and family adventures that you can have with the National Trust. Just perfect, if you have <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/join-us?intcmp=Join_Central_winter19_JAGI_noimage#membership-family" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a Family National Trust Membership</a>, as we have.
National Trust places aren't all about big historic houses. NT manages a lot of landscape too.
This book contains ideas for exploring and doing outdoor activities, from fossil hunting to wild swimming. Great for an afternoon outwith the kids or for planning activities for family holidays.

If you have a National Trust Family Membership, this book is a great companion to exploring the many places with your family.

The Family Adventures Book

World of Books

My Midsummer Morning: Rediscovering a Life of Adventure

I’ve recently been listening <a href="https://amzn.to/31IXMua" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to the audiobook version of ‘My Midsummer Morning’</a> by <a href="https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alastair Humphreys</a>.

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Al Humphreys is an adventurer: <a href="https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/roundtheworldbybike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">he cycled around the world</a> after leaving university, <a href="https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/rowing-atlantic-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rowed the Atlantic</a>, <a href="https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/empty-quarter-desert/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trekked across the Empty Quarter desert</a>, trekked across India, and a bunch of other adventures.
So, apart from perhaps inspiring our own small adventures and fueling wanderlust, why is this of interest to the parents trying to spend more time outside with their kids?

## Microadventures?

Well, a big thing Al is known for is his <a href="https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/microadventures-landing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Microadventures</a>. These are small adventures that can be fit in around everyday life, including when you are a parent.
This has always struck a chord with us, and very much part of our own philosophy of trying to get outside, even when we all have ‘normal’ lives and are not full-time adventurers.
However, My Midsummer Morning is not about Microadventures.

## Trekking unsupported...and with next to money

Instead, it is about when <a href="https://www.alastairhumphreys.com/adventures/as-i-walked-one-midsummer-morning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Al trekked across Spain with just a sleeping bag and violin</a>, and no money, trying to busk to earn enough for food. The twist: he only just learnt to play some basic tunes before setting off.
So again, why is this relevant to parents?
Well, Alastair has a family. Through his newsletter, website, and books, his family doesn’t feature. It’s been very much a solo venture. I know I’ve asked him in the past how on earth does he make the time to do these trips with a family?

## Family vs. Adventure

My Midsummer Morning is not just about his busking across Spain, but also part biography, with some brutally honest revelations of just how his desire for adventure put a strain on his marriage and also made him feel torn between staying at home and loving his kids and doing adventures – something he eventually broke down with and ended up having therapy. Yes, it is brutally honest.
Although I often look on the expeditions professional adventurers like Alastair do with a bit of awe and envy, I like to think that we’ve tried to create a better balance of doing things with our kids, and bringing up a new generation of people who like and appreciate the outdoors. So it’s a relief (if not unexpected) to see that professional adventurers have similar pressures as the rest of us, and it’s not all roses.
We’ve met a few other professional adventurers <a href="https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/filter/?ambassadors=get-out-with-the-kids" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">while being Ordnance Survey #GetOutside champions</a>, including people most people know, like Ben Fogle. We can confirm: they’re all human!
So, if you know of Alastair, or want to be inspired by travel and hear about the tensions it can create with your family (and perhaps how to resolve them), then get My Midsummer Morning.

This covers Al's amazing busking trek across Spain and a biography with a brutally honest account of balancing family life with undertaking adventures.


Books Reviews

Learning with Nature Book Review

Lots of inspiration for family hikes

Get Your Boots On, by Alex White

The Family Adventures Book

My Midsummer Morning by Alastair Humphreys

We gave this the Thumbs Up awardLearning with Nature Book Review

Lots of inspiration for family hikes

We gave this the Thumbs Up awardGet Your Boots On, by Alex White

We gave this the Thumbs Up awardThe Family Adventures Book

My Midsummer Morning by Alastair Humphreys

Learning with Nature Book Review

Get Your Boots On, by Alex White

The Family Adventures Book