Forest School Adventure – Book Review

Author : Naomi Walmsley & Dan Westall
ISBN13 : 9781784944032
Binding : PB with flaps
Pages : 176
Photographs : 250 photographs
Quick Find Code : 28384

The Blurb

Learn how to light a fire without matches, build a shelter to sleep in, cook on a fire, hunt for bugs and much more. From essential bushcraft basics and Stone Age survival skill to joyful outdoor play, this book is packed with ideas to bring children close to nature an all its magical offerings.

Young children will be immersed in imaginative, gloriously mess play and crafts, while older ones can get to grips with more complex activities like stone tool making and sourcing water.

The book is split into four main sections, Nature Awareness, Bushcraft, Wild Food and Games. Entertaining stories from the authors’ own experience of surviving int eh wild can be read aloud to children, bringing to life the thrilling reality of sleeping in a cave or savouring your first ever foraged meal.

Whether in an organized setting, a group of friends or a family outing, the fun-filled exercises, crafts and games will build confidence and result in happy and energized children.

First Impressions

This is a lovely book jam packed with lots of fantastic photography. It’s printed on thick paper and the pages turn easy. It’s a good quality book that would last being taken on an outdoor adventure.

The book is divided into sections which are easy to find. And there is so much to discover inside.

The authors are from Shropshire, UK and specialise in bushcraft and Stone Age Skills. They provide unique experience for school children and teach them how to connect to nature. Together they undertook a five month Stone Age immersion experience in the US, living in the wilderness without any modern equipment, which has profoundly influenced their lives and teaching. You can read more about them on their website www.outback2basics.co.uk

My Review

This book is for anyone who wants to teach their children about the great outdoors and nature. The first section is split in two. Nature Awareness begins with lots of crafts like building a bug hotel, leaf collages, goblin villages, nests and leaf printing. Skills and Learning helps your child learn about nature and how to detect and observe our natural surrounding.

The Second section is Bushcraft and has many chapters which include making nots, building dens, making fire, collecting water and many primitive schools. By the time you have worked through this section your child will certainly know how to survive in the wild.

The third sections is all about food. You can teach your child how to forage for food and medicinal plants. It begins with the laws and considerations which everyone should follow, then there is a detailed photographic section on things that should be easy to forage and finally a recipe guide. It also shows you how to teach your children to cook outside.

The last section is all about games which are claimed to be excellent ways for children to start moving their bodies, get their senses tuned in and get in touch with the environment. As well as being a perfect excuse to be silly and have some fun. You can learn how to play Ninja Stick, Blind Fetch, Tail Grab and Hunt the Humless to name a few. I’ve not heard of most of these games before so it’s a thrill to find new ones to play.

Conclusion

We all know how important it is for children to play outside. When I was a child we would often spend hours in the local hills or over the fields. My favourite place was the Bluebell woods where we would build dens and swings and play for hours.

This book is a great encouragement to get outside and try some of the activities. It’s time to drag the kids away from their screens and get them out to discover all that nature has to offer.

From bushcraft and survival skills, to making primitive tools and learning about what is edible, this book has it all. Presented in an easy to understand text with plenty of photographic directions. And for those days when venturing far is not going to happen then the kids can get stuck in to making the crafts, most of the stuff for these can be found in a back garden or park.

If you are ever stuck outside with a load of kids you can get them to join in the fun games. Kids love playing together and these games are lots of fun while learning about thier surroundings.

I’ve come to love this book and I think it will be a useful resource for a long time.

For more fun outside you can find lots of information on Thimble and Twig.

And on Crunchy Family you can find a fab Forest School Popcorn maker.

You can buy this book here (affiliate link)

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review for free. All thoughts and opinions are my own.