Nature's Playground: Activities, Crafts and Games to Encourage Children to Get Outdoors [Hardcover]

Fiona Danks (Author), Jo Schofield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

This delightful illustrated book is a guide to introducing children to the great outdoors through fun activities in nature. Designed for use by families, carers, play workers and teachers, the book sets out guidelines for safe and engaging play outdoors, with useful tips on how to hold children's attention on longer excursions. The book is divided into seasons, with activities appropriate to each. For example, in spring, children can explore aquatic life in ponds and streams, collect material to make birds' nests or look out for growing bulbs; in autumn they can collect berries or make collages with fallen leaves. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on helping children gain an appreciation of nature's patterns, giving them confidence in the outdoor environment in a way that is educational, safe and, above all, fun. The authors, Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield, have produced some outdoor activity sheets in conjuction with the Cub and Scout Naturalist Activity Badge, sponsered by Natural England. To view these acitivity sheets, click here. For more information on Natural England, click the logo on the left.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Here is a book that was crying out to be written ... absolutely inspirational and immediately made me want to go outside and play! A must have book Haith's Website This inspiring book will have you wanting to get out in all weathers ... a popular addition to your staff-room library Teacher A lovely book, beautifully produced and illustrated and full of fun. Countryman

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. Fiona lives in Watlington in 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. Jo lives near Watlington in 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 Jo and Fiona's website click here

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0711224919
• ISBN-13: 978-0711224919
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,581,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)