Books

This is not a treatise to get children into the outdoors – that is acknowledged as read. This is a book which considers the following: (i) Different approaches educators can take to working with children in outdoor environments (ii) The benefits of each approach, favouring those which are more child-led. (iii) The book will examine how practice in the woodland can influence educators and how they can support children’s learning outdoors and indoors.

“This book is a must” Michael Morpurgo I love my World is a new guidebook to rekindle the naturally playful spirit and develop a deep connection with nature from an early age. Full of bushcraft, environmental art, nature awareness and outdoor play activities, as well as mentoring tips and beautiful images, this book will make you want to pack your bags, step out and celebrate our wonderful world. It’s for parents, outdoor educators, play rangers, forest school leaders, teachers, aunties, uncles…in fact anyone with a love of our world who spends time outdoors and enjoys sharing it with other people.

Forest School is now implemented across a wide range of settings both nationally and internationally, and this book explores the global similarities between the Forest School approach and how natural spaces are being used all over the world.

This huge international bestseller, fully revised for non-American readers, is now in ebook. Last Child in the Woods shows how our children have become increasingly alienated and distant from nature, why this matters, and what we can do to make a difference. It is unsentimental, rigorous and utterly original.

The newly published The National Curriculum Outdoors series for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 supports teachers in linking curriculum objectives to outdoor lesson plans for every subject and year group, providing a structure for children to learn, create and have fun outdoors.

Learning outside the classroom is a key part of early years and primary practice and is on the rise in settings across the world. This book centres on outstanding outdoor practice and how children can learn and develop in natural environments.

Learning with Nature is full of fun activities and games to get your children outdoors, to explore, have fun, make things and learn about nature and help them grow up happy and healthy. Suitable for groups of children aged between 3 and 16, the graded activities help children develop: * Key practical and social skills * Awareness of their place in the world * Respect for the natural world All while enjoying the great outdoors.

In Messy Maths: A Playful, Outdoor Approach for Early Years, Juliet Robertson offers a rich resource of ideas that will inspire you to tap into the endless supply of patterns, textures, colours and quantities of the outdoors and deepen children’s understanding of maths through hands-on experience.

Take an inspirational journey through the seasons with this updated edition of Nature Month-by-Month: A Children’s Almanac.

The perfect introduction to birdwatching for children!

The perfect introduction to minibeasts for children aged 8-12!

A gorgeous gift book filled with 52 seasonal activities that families and friends can enjoy together, published in collaboration with the National Trust.

An exploration on naturalistic learning within Nature Kindergartens and Forest Schools. This 2nd revised edition provides a balance of academic research and case studies of children’s voices, to explore all the facets of setting up and co-ordinating a Nature Kindergarten and Forest School wherever you are based in the world.

Environmental education expert David Sobel joins with a variety of colleagues to share their experiences and steps for creating a successful forest kindergarten program. Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens walks you through the European roots of the concept to the recent resurgence of these kinds of programs in North America.

Going well beyond a history lesson, these experts provide the framework to understand the concepts and build a learning community that stimulates curiosity and inquisitiveness in a natural environment. This helpful guide provides the curriculum, ideas, and guidance needed to foster special gifts in children. It also gives you the nuts and bolts of running a successful nature preschool business, such as potential obstacles, staff and curriculum design, best practices for success, site and facility management, and business planning.

Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens provides the mentorship and guidance to become a leader in nature-based education.

This title is packed full of cross-curricular activities that take place outdoors, many using the school site all year and proving to teachers that it is possible to extend their classrooms on a daily basis. The activities are fun and engaging, while also providing a focus on valuable aspects of teaching and learning.

The Outdoor Classroom in Practice, Ages 3-7 offers guidance on how the outdoors can be used to teach and challenge children across a range of settings by drawing on forest school practice. Following a month-by-month format, it explores theme-related play experiences, planning, evaluations of how the ideas described were carried out and what impact they had on children’s learning and development.

Outdoor space must be considered a necessary part of an early years environment, be well thought through and well organised to maximise its value and usability by children and adults, and design and planning must support developmentally appropriate practice, being driven by children’s interests and needs.

Forest School is founded on a philosophy of nature-based play and learning that encourages children to develop confidence and self-esteem. This book will get your kids outside, making and building in the real world (instead of on a computer screen!).

Fully updated to reflect the current status and understandings regarding outdoor provision within early childhood education frameworks across the UK, this new edition shows early years practitioners how to get the very best from outdoor play and learning for the enjoyment, health and education of young children up to age seven.

Wet weather doesn’t mean your children have to stay inside in front of a screen. This amazing book is packed with outdoor games and activities that can be played in the wind, rain and snow!

Do you want to create exciting outdoor experiences for children? Are you looking for guidance on how to incorporate the wilder and riskier elements of outdoor play into your planning?

What is the difference between ‘risk’ and ‘danger’? What can children learn from taking risks? How can you provide key experiences for children and ensure their safety outdoors?

Young children will naturally seek out challenges and take risks and this is crucial to their overall development. This book clearly explains why children should be given the freedom to take risks and provides practical guidance on how to offer stimulating and challenging outdoor experiences that will extend all areas of children’s learning.

Songs for Nature’s Playground is written by Emily Ifsits, teacher, Forest School leader and mum of two. Her colourful and joyful book invites you to sing about the classic play and exploration that children enjoy during Forest School sessions and all woodland adventures. There are also songs for quiet times, encouraging children to think about on the beauty of the world around them and their relationship to it. The melodies are taken from classic nursery rhymes and traditional songs that make them immediately appealing and easy to pick up. There are QR codes linking to an audio recordings of each song and tips for exploring rhythm, dance and improvisation in the woodland.

Professional reviews:
“This delightful book provides alternative words to well known songs and nursery rhymes to help develop awareness of a setting and nature connection. The book offers links to Forest School principles, an introductory song then songs for four distinct areas: mud and leaves, trees, logs and sticks, woodland creatures and quiet times and a section on playful musical exploration and performance in your own setting. The songs can be listened to by scannng QR codes for those unfamiliar with the tune or to provide a ‘backing track’ to sing along to. As well as being easy to learn, the modelling of the innovation of familiar songs will also provide a stimulus for children and adults alike to create their own rhymes and songs (and artwork) based on what they see, hear, feel and do. Wake up our senses, one by one and join in the fun!”

Research evidence consistently shows that an outdoor learning environment can improve behaviour, engagement and encourage more active participation in learning. So why keep learning in a classroom? In reality, we know the challenges teachers face. We know the barriers that get in the way of taking learning outside. Learning through Landscapes has three decades of experience supporting teachers with the everyday challenges of teaching outdoors.

You don’t need to live right on the water’s edge to have fun at the beach! The Beach Book is all about finding wild places at the seaside, as well as by lakes and rivers and making the most of opportunities to explore and enjoy all these places have to offer. You can have fun: *