Go Out and Play!: Favorite Outdoor Games from KaBOOM! [Paperback]

KaBOOM! (Author), Julianna Rose (Illustrator), Darell Hammond (Introduction)

Book Description

Release date: March 13, 2012 | Age Range: 5 - 9 years

Go outside and play! Here, at your fingertips, are how to's for more than seventy best-loved games, all set to spread the fun of active play to kids of all ages.

Do you know how to draw a hopscotch grid? What’s the silliest challenge in the game of sardines? How do you keep from being "out" in SPUD? Is there any way to escape the blob? This lively, infectious guide to games runs the gamut from classic to contemporary: kick the can, freeze tag, blindman’s bluff, red light green light, four square, duck duck goose, and so many more. It’s all sparked by KaBOOM!, a nonprofit with a passion for creating outdoor play spaces nationally and around the world.

For KaBOOM!, play is serious business! So this guide also includes tips for adults on how to encourage and facilitate outdoor play as well as a wealth of resources on how to help create more play spaces in your own community.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This top-notch compilation makes a great resource for children and their friends, as well as families and adults who work with youth.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Nonprofit organization KaBOOM’s goal is to encourage children to engage in outdoor play, and this collection of 69 group games will give both adults and children a wide variety of answers to the question, "What should we do?"...A great resource for organizations that work with children and families alike.
—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit dedicated to saving play for America’s children. The group’s mission is to create great play spaces through the participation and leadership of communities. Ultimately, they envision a place to play within walking distance of every child in America.

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 9 years
  
• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; Original edition (March 13, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763655309
• ISBN-13: 978-0763655303
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 0.3 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #510,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Camping

More About the Author

Darell Hammond is the founder and CEO of KaBOOM!, an innovative nonprofit based in Washington, DC, that is saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Founded out of Hammond's apartment in 1996, KaBOOM! has raised $200 million, rallied a million volunteers, led the hands-on construction of 2,000 playgrounds, and inspired a movement for the child's right to play.

Hammond was raised at Mooseheart, The Child City and School outside of Chicago. Part foster care, part family assistance, Mooseheart raised Hammond and his seven brothers and sisters while also helping his mother to have an active role in their lives. The lessons and kindness he received there laid the foundation for his life of philanthropy, community service, and social justice.

Darell and his wife, Kate, reside in Washington, DC.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book! March 19, 2012

By Dad of Divas TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Filled with great outdoor activities that are easy to set up and easy to implement, this book is a must have for any parent or teacher. Even better though is the fun that will be had by all in these games. I tried a number of these with my own girls and we had a blast. While I had seen and tried out a number of these games before, there were still quite a few that I had never heard of which was great! On top of this, the book was very colorful with great images and it was so easy to follow. Anyone that has children, works with children or is an advocate for children will gain so much insight from reading this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Give Your Kids a Glimpse of Your Own Childhood August 24, 2012

By Debbie S. Glade

Format:Paperback

You know you're dating yourself when you say, "When I was your age, we did not have electronic toys. We went outside and made up games, playing and running around all day long." Frankly, I thought those days were over until I read Go Out an Play: Favorite Outdoor Games from KaBOOM. KaBOOM (nonprofit) was created by Darell Hammond with the mission to keep children active and playing, while using their imaginations. What a stellar idea that was and what a big hit KaBoom has been!

Go Out and Play is simple, yet delightful. Page after page, you will find indoor and outdoor tag, hide and seek, ball, team, sidewalk, circle, race and other games to keep your little ones active and busy all day, just like you did when you were a kid. Remember Marco Polo, Mother May I?, Egg and Spoon Race and Red Rover? There are plenty of games like these in the book, plus some new ones your kids will want to try. There's an intro from Darrell Hammond as well as information in the back of the book about getting and keeping kids active with a call to action.

In this age of sedentary living, computers, iPads and video games, any book, toy or product that encourages kids to get up, get out and play is a winner. There's nothing like seeing children engaged in old-fashioned good fun, burning up energy and staying fit while having a ball. And perhaps just as wonderful is the fact that these activities don't cost a dime!

Reading this book reminded me of a sidewalk game with chalk and a ball my older sister and I played for years called Rolly Polly. I remember winning much more often that she did, but she insists I've got that all wrong.

Now I'm in the mood for playing Follow the Leader. I'm the leader. Are you in?

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Resource For "Unplugged" Play February 15, 2013

By KimPor

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Childhood obesity is a real hot button topic and as a preschool teacher, I want to help combat that problem with my preschoolers and me, so I had been looking for a resource with tha outdoor games that my friends and I grew up with in the days of Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room, so when I came across this book in the magazine, "Family Fun", I took time to read the description. When the description said that it featured classic children's games, I was thinking it was full of the "old school" games that my generation grew up on, like "Red Rover", Tag, etc, the good old games that kept us busy for hours on Saturdays and summer days, but it wasn't. Instead, it has games that I've never heard of, but am anxious to use with my 4s and 5s. I don't have the time to sit down and go through all of these games like I want to, so I'm going to do it over the summer.