Product Description

'Utterly joyful!and full of fun', said The Countryman of Nature's Playground. Following that book's success the authors have written a second book that encourages children to enjoy and learn from the natural world through fun - this time for slightly older children. Go Wild describes a range of outdoor adventures for families to share, including foraging for wild food, the magical excitement of making fires, cooking over the hot coals, making your own shelter and tracking animals. For eight-year-olds through to young teenagers there are tempting alternatives to computers and hanging out: brilliant ideas for having fun that will also help them to learn new skills and give them independence and confidence. From making a catapult to catching crayfish, creating fire without matches to constructing a tepee, Go Wild is all about thrilling activities, amazing discoveries and kids having the time of their lives in the great outdoors.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7024 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Fiona Danks did a degree in Ecology at Edinburgh University followed by a PGCE in Rural and Environmental Science at Bath College of Higher Education. She worked in environmental education for a number of years, first for the Shropshire Wildlife Trust and then for the Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, organizing training for teachers and taking groups of children out to nature reserves and other wild sites. She then went on to write books about the Chiltern Hills and the Cotswold Hills while working part-time running activities in a pre-school nursery. She currently runs the Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment, a non-profit making company providing grants for a wide range of community and environmental projects across Oxfordshire. Through their website www.goingwild.net Jo and Fiona provide more ideas for outdoor activities and an opportunity for debate on the importance of real world adventures for all young people. For more information on how to encourage children to go outdoors, visit Fiona and Jo's website click here Jo Schofield gained a degree in psychology from Exeter University and began her career working for an educational psychologist in London. After getting involved in the production of a film, she went on to work in the creative department of a TV advertising agency where she began taking still photographs. This led on to her becoming a commercial photographer in Australia and then London. She worked mainly for national editorial magazines such as Country Living. When her children were small she worked in Watlington Primary School and the Dragon school in Oxford, applying her creative knowledge to the classroom with children aged 6-9 years. More recently she has been focusing on writing and photographing for a series of books with co-author Fiona Danks. Through their website www.goingwild.net Jo and Fiona provide more ideas for outdoor activities and an opportunity for debate on the importance of real world adventures for all young people.

Customer Reviews

Wild, Wonderful and Wicked
When I entered the bookshop, this book jumped off the shelf at me. It is a coffee table book full of beautiful photos of teenagers being outdoors building shelters, hanging around camp fires, making weapons and exploring the local areas. For any parents wanting to get their older children off the couch and away from a screen then this is an inspirational introduction.

However, this book really is only an introduction. If you have been a scout or girl guide then you may well be familiar with most of the activities covered here. Bushcraft experts and outdoor enthusiasts should stay with Ray Mears and Tom Brown's books. You may also argue some of the specifics of the advice given in some chapters.

I think if you are in the process of becoming a forest school leader or thinking about becoming one, then this book would be a useful starting point for ideas and activities. The safety aspects are discussed in a reassuring way which is helpful.

I hope this book will be the one of many more to come, which allow more young people to experience the joys of being outside in a natural environment.

A grannies view
This book was a real lifesaver when my grandchildren ranging from 9 to 14 came to stay this summer. It kept them busy in our garden and away from my television and computer. Lots of inspiring ideas made it easier to get them outdoors doing the kind of activities I remember from my childhood, and they still referred to Natures Playground as well, a creative book I bought them last year from the same authors.Excellent.

GO WILD
A lovely publication for anybody involved with children playing in a rural environment. Lots of common sense regarding camping, bonfires, dens and so much more! Reminiscences of a very happy childhood with so much freedom and a little sensible risk.