LEARNING WITH NATURE
We are thrilled at our latest book reviews, thank you to Get Out with the Kids, Ellan Haas and Andy Naylor!
“First, the book. Oh my, it is exactly what we need. The layout is elegant and luscious. I love the feel of the paper, the photos faded down from the top, the balance of text and photos and white space, the playful and clear font, the background silhouettes that vary and repeat, the little icon-graphics that help sort, the coloured margins that show up on the edges. I’m astonished that you were able to capture so many photos that show what the games are about, the facial and body expressions they elicit, the animals, with Latin names. It is elegantly produced.
I am much charmed by the British language evidence, a certain gentility in how you explain, a spattering of colloquialisms (have a go at..), and different spellings that catch my attention. I know what it takes to make words fit into a page, and know how much work it took to get everything crunched to perfect length. The wordsmithing is a lovely combination of graceful and succinct.
I love how you’ve organized the games and activities into an introductory section, then for each a gist, a how-to, variations, and then the invisible learning. I love the way you’ve managed to simplify game directions (no easy task), and chosen to highlight just a few variations and invisible learning. Games could just be games with animal names, but you’ve focused on how they actually teach stuff about nature. Activities could be monumentally explained, but your photos are specific and greatly helpful for reducing the need for words. Many of your activities are new to me yet I feel that I could do them with just your explanations and pictures.
Your Beginning, the acknowledgements, foreword, introduction, few pages of Looking After nature, afterword, bios, and resources are amazing– cogent, sized to page length. I love your TV presenter’s straightforward argument – “kids are fat and bored..” I am informed by your choice of what to put in the introduction, where you summarize all of Coyote Mentoring with just a few main points. The Looking After points tackle the sticky problem of Coyote Mentoring’s potential invasiveness adeptly. Love that you’ve devoted a whole section but only two pages to Wandering! I love the bookending of your three authors’ acknowledgments and biographies, and the end-endorsement by the Chair of the Forest School Association.
Your choice of activities and classifications of activities are intriguing. There are so many ways that can be done, how do you pick the groups and sequences, how do you pick the two- or three-word titles? I like your choices.
This book is extremely professional and lively and beautiful. I think it will become an electrifying resource. Thank you for doing this!!”
Ellan Haas (co-author of coyote’s guide)
“This wonderful new book aims to connect children with nature. Through a broad range of outdoor activities and games, young people are encouraged to engage their senses and interact with nature. This not only leads to a better understanding of the natural world but can also contribute to much broader agendas such as personal and social development. Most importantly, the activities are fun. It is through enjoyment and understanding that people will want to conserve and care for their environment and so I encourage everyone to give the book a try.”
Andy Naylor, John Muir Award England Manager
“By my bed I have a pile of books I dip into every now and then for a bit of inspiration. This book is now top of my pile; a must have resource for outdoor fun. Learning with Nature is full of activities, games to get children outside, keep them motivated and most importantly of all having fun.
The book is split up into sections covering games, nature activities, seasonal activities and survival skills. It is straightforward to navigate and gets the right balance of pictures and text, which can be all too often overlooked in books.This book gets in just right.
The information is uncomplicated to follow and easy to digest, with top tips and interesting facts throughout the book. The activities are well structured, though some of the activities work best with groups, but can be adapted for the family.
I like the extra information provided on what’s being learnt and provides some inspiration on questions you can ask your child to enhance their learning.
We had a great fun trying out the activities on a woodland walk and enhanced a walk into something much more exciting and educational for the children.”
Shell, Get Out with the Kids
Copies are available to purchase from our website.
