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kids book

Urban Forest School by Naomi Walmsley and Dan Westall

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More than a book review

This June GMC Publications are delighted to bring out a new outdoor activity and green crafting book for families and children. Urban Forest School authors Naomi Walmsley and Dan Westall are bushcraft experts, forest school teachers and authors of the bestselling Forest School Adventure. Their first book focused on Forest School education in forests but this new book brings the action to towns and cities and shows it doesn’t matter where you live so long as there are gardens, parks, trees and green spaces there will be a way to share and enjoy the natural world with you children.

Both Dan and Naomi are parents and have a wealth of experience when it comes to educating children and parents about how to make the most of the great outdoors whether you live in the countryside, suburbs or a city.? You don’t need a woodland to be able to hunt for bugs. You don’t need a garden to make mud pies, you don’t need a vast green space to play games and you don’t need fields and meadows to look for plants and wildlife. You can create your own nature space or, even better, spend some time searching it out. You may be surprised by what you see around you.

Additionally during this lockdown period the Naomi and Dan have been live streaming forest school/ bush craft lessons from YouTube and Facebook, please check them out here to see past episodes or tune in on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10am to see new ones

Forest School Adventures Facebook Videos

Urban Forest School Adventure

Urban forest school adventure
Publisher: Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd 
ISBN: 9781784945633 
Number of pages: 160 
Dimensions: 260 x 215 mm

The new book will be available very soon for £16.99.

Kids love this kind of thing and it’s a great way of encouraging them to get off their screens and get outside. With many of us being unable to venture out further because of COVID19 restrictions, taking the lessons to your own back garden or local area is a big bonus.

The book shows that there is so much to do in your own back garden as well as in parks or even around the city. There is wildlife everywhere! The book also includes craft activities like leaf printing and things to do with conkers. It also has recipes from foraging for example, dandelion cookies, which we made recently. (so sad I didn’t photograph them now.)

Do take a look at the Outback2Basics Facebook page and check out their videos. It might be just what you need for inspiration for the kids while they are stuck at home.

Plant, Sow Make and Grow – book review

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Author : Esther Coombs

Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Button Books (7 Mar. 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1787080242
ISBN-13: 978-1787080249
Product Dimensions: 15 x 2.2 x 21 cm

The Blurb

Plant, Sow, Make and Grow is a book to get people gardening – especially those with children in their care who they want to be gardening with. It’s full of down-to-earth realistic activities with tips, tricks and short cuts to make sure all the projects are doable for all ages. It’s cheap to garden and this book tries to be as cheap as chips, with tools made from recycled rubbish and lots of other innovative ideas. Get the little gardeners growing with this low-stress approach to producing yummy fruit, veggies and bug friendly flowers. You’ll find plenty of handy gardening information to get you stated plus tips about what wildlife you may see, raid your recycling box to make some useful gardening accessories and other craft activities. So grab some seeds and have a go!

pages from book

Our Review

The first thing we noticed about this book was the gorgeous illustrations, they really bring the book to life.

The book is split into Seasons, and it tells you how to get started and how to make a plan. Don’t have the tools? There are instructions on how to make a trowel, watering can and planting pots.

As well as giving the best examples of things to plant in each of the seasons there are also lots of information about insects and how to make a bug house. You can also learn how to press flowers and make an Autumn wreath and many more activities.

pages from book

We can’t grow in our garden, the soil is rubbish (I would really like some raised beds.) But, that’s not a problem, all we need to do is get some planting pots (or recycle the ones we have with dead flowers in) and get planting. I would certainly like to plant some strawberries, carrots and beetroot. I’m also planning a wild flower patch and a herb garden. With this book I’m hoping my kids will be inspired enough to help me. They used to love gardening when we lived in our last house.

You can purchase Plant, Sow, Make and Grow from Amazon for £12.99

This post contains affiliate links

Discover Our Solar System

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Author: Colin Stuart
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Button Books (7 Oct. 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1787080164
Product Dimensions: 24.8 x 1.1 x 24.8 cm

The Blurb

Sit back, buckle up and get ready to enjoy a cosmic tour of our amazing solar system! Inside this illustrated guide you’ll discover the incredible things that make up the solar system and how it came into existence. While you marvel at the beauty of the planets and our Sun and Moon, you can  learn astonishing facts about them. You’ll also find out exactly what dwarf planets are, and the differences between asteroids, comets, meteors, meteoroids and meteorites. Plus you can delve into the fascinating history of space and travel and glimpse what the future may hold. With all this and much more, you’re sure to come away from your journey with an even greater sense of awe at the wonders above us.

inside the book, Discover our solar system.

Our Verdict

The Little Man, aged 8 years, is currently obsessed with outer space. He loves reading anything to do with the solar system so this book was greatly received. 

The hardback book is very resilient with thick paper pages. The illustrations are colourful and details and the text provided in short paragraphs which are easy to digest but full of interesting information.You can learn about the Space race with a detailed timeline of the discovery of rockets, to the first space walk and up to current technology launching a sports car into space. There are also details about how rockets are built and how they work once launched.The main purpose of the book though, is to teach everything a child needs to know about the solar system, each of the planets is described along with dwarf planets. You can also find out what Asteroids, comets and meteorites are. The Little Man really enjoyed reading through this book and I’m sure he will pick it up again and again. 

Disclosure: This book was sent to me for the purpose of this review, all my thoughts and opinions are honest and entirely my own.

Linking up to Talk of the Town with Jera’s Jamboree and Bookboodle

Teach Your Child Meditation

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Teach Your Child Meditation, by Lisa Roberts. Book review.

Front cover - Teach Your Child Meditation

The Blurb

Even Children need to learn ways to calm and centre themselves. With its hands-on exercises, Teach Your Child Meditation gives kids ages 5-12 important tools to relieve anxiety, cultivate mindfulness, and gain confidence. More than 70 illustrated exercises, which all have fun names like ‘Funny Bunny Breath’ and Elephant Shower’, are organised to highlight their special benefits: Choose from such categories as ‘Hocus Pocus, I Can Focus,’ ‘The Chill Zone,’ Stress Busters’ or a sections with group exercises that teachers and parents alike can use.

Whether the goal is for a child to sleep better, concentrate before a big test of game, or enjoy some much-needed relaxation, this guide helps anyone who loves an plays with children to introduce them to the many benefits of meditation.

About the Author

Lisa Roberts is a registered yoga teacher and a registered children’s yoga teacher, and holds a certificate in children’s yoga therapy. She has worked in the paediatric wellness field since 2006 and currently runs the inpatient yoga program at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Lisa offers professional training teaching kids Adaptive and Accessible yoga for paediatric professionals, parents and yoga teachers. In addition to Teach Your Child meditation, she has developed a line of teaching tools for paediatric yoga teachers, parents, and kids.

Why We Love This Book

I started teaching my older kids meditation when they were young to help them sleep and release their stresses. It was natural for me to continue this with my younger kids  years later.

I truly believe that all children should learn at least a few mediation techniques as it is a really useful tool to have at all times in life.

What I loved about this book is it’s simplicity. Each Section gives you the focus of the meditations and why they should be done. For example, breathing, focus, chilling, energy equalising, connecting and stress busting meditations. Then the exercises are set out in a real simple format spread over only two pages. It makes it so easy to just get stuck in.

Balloon Breath: What is balloon breath? How does it help? Simple Steps for kids.
Balloon Breath

Balloon Breath

What is Balloon Breath?

Balloon Breath is a breathing technique that slows down the breath while encouraging full and deep inhales and exhales to cam the mind and body.

How Does it Help?

Balloon Breath is great to use as a quick exercise to centre and calm oneself during activities or to refocus before or during class. Linking physical movement to the breath encourages mind-body concentration and self -regulation. The physical movement of raising the arms up overhead in this exercise allows more space in the torso to accommodate fuller and deeper breaths

Simple Steps for Kids

  • Begin sitting comfortably, either on a chair or on the floor with the hands resting on the thighs. Relax the shoulders, arms and face.
  • Or, begin standing, feet hip-width distance apart, arms resting by the torso, shoulders and face relaxed.
  • Begin to breathe in and out through the nose
  • Inhale, sweeping your arms up overhead. imagine you are filling up a giant balloon.
  • Exhale, slowly lowering your arms to resting your lap or by your side.
  • Repeat for several rounds.
  • Get creative: Imagine the colour of your balloon as you inflate it.Does thinking of a certain colour make you feel more relaxed? Visualise releasing your balloon into the sky as you exhale. Where does your balloon go?

Meditation and mindfulness is very popular these days and if you are thinking that it’s something that your child would never do then this book will teach you otherwise. In just five minutes you can make your child more relaxed or less stressed with these simple exercises that any child would find easy to acheive.

The book contains 70 of these fun and so simple ways to help teach your child the basics of meditation. They will learn how to control their breathing in stressful situations and how to relax when worked up, plus much more. 

Teach Your Child Meditation is dedicated to those who dare to teach beyond the mind and awaken the soul. 

Lucy At Home UK parenting blogger

Disclosure: I was very kindly sent a copy of this book to review, which I have done honestly. This post may also contain affiliate links.

Forest School Adventure – Book Review

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Forest School Adventure cover art

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.

pages from the book showing how to make leaf print pictures

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.

pages from the book showing how to collect water

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.

pages from the book showing how to make syrup from dandelions

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.

pages from the book showing games for children.

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.

You can buy this book for £16.99 here

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

 

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