Go Wild!: 101 Things To Do Outdoors Before You Grow Up - Softcover

Danks, Fiona; Schofield, Jo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0711229392 ISBN 13: 9780711229396

Publisher: Frances Lincoln, 2009

Synopsis

Young people these days are often homebound, entertaining themselves with the Internet, television, video games, and text messages, but completely disconnected from the reality of the great outdoors. Many have never experienced simple pleasures such as telling stories around a warm campfire, camping outdoors, or whittling a stick. Go Wild! is the perfect book for families with children ages 10 to 14 wanting to get in touch with the natural world. The authors describe a range of wild and fun adventures for families to share. Readers learn potentially life-saving skills that give them confidence, independence, and a sense of environmental awareness. Topics include building shelter, building a fire, foraging for food, cooking outdoors, tools and weapons, bushcraft skills, water and keeping clean, and safety. From making a catapult to catching crayfish, creating fire without matches to constructing a tepee, Go Wild! is all about thrilling activities, amazing discoveries, and young people having the time of their lives in the great outdoors.

About this title

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

Review

With step-by-step guidelines, stunning photos and sensible advice, the book describes a range of outdoor adventures for families to share, offering tempting alternatives to screen-based entertainment. Sue Palmer ... says 'Go Wild! Is just what families need to escape from virtual worlds and rediscover the wonders of the real one. It provides the perfect recipe for transforming cotton wool into confident, independent, resilient young people. Every family should have a copy.

Real kids doing real stuff! This fantastic book is aimed squarely at the age group most often accused by society of spending too much time indoors... Written in a style that implicitly trusts young people's capabilities, and is illustrated with great photos of kids enjoying the outdoors. I've had to wrestle it away from my eight year old just to get a look!

About this edition

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0711229392
• ISBN 13: 9780711229396
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160