My kids love being outdoors, whether it is messing around in our garden or going to the local woodland area they love it.  So when I saw the Forest School Adventure book I was intrigued and when I started reading it I was blown away.  This book is a GEM.  Honestly Wow.  They have packed it fill of outdoor activities for the kids to do (could be used in a group setting or for a family) and they have included fascinating facts.  I honestly learnt so much by just reading through this book.

The authors – Dan Westall and Naomi Walmsely work as buschcraft educators in the woodlands in Shropshire and they also took part in a 5 month stone age immersion experience in the US, where they lived in the wilderness learning lots of interesting skills.  Their experience really does come through in the book.  (They have a website – Outback2Basics )

The book is divided into 4 broad categories – Nature awareness, Bushcraft, Wild Food and Games.  Each category is filled with activity ideas to do with kids and for each activity they have included an age suggestion, time, tools requires and materials needed.  They also include step by step instructions and lots of photographs showing the activity or idea unfolding.

The ideas are wide-ranging, some I have heard of before but even the ones that I have heard of they put a more wild spin on it.  And lots were totally new.  I loved the idea of the 3D map – so simple, one of those why did we never do this moments ? And Camouflage hands – brilliant.

And the information that they have included.  Packed fill.  From step by step instructions on how to tie different knots (my kids love this we have already been trying out a few),

to the different ways to build fires – this made so much sense but I never realized all the different ways until I read it.

And when they talk about something like fires they don’t just list the different ways to build a fire, they also talk about fire safety, about which types of wood burn differently (another bit I absolutely loved), different sources of tinder and how to make some charcoal.

Oh and the water section, so interesting I never knew about Birch Tapping.

This is what makes this book such a Gem for me.  They don’t just list a bunch of activities and move on.  They include information about the materials used, they include other activities that extend around the idea and they also include their own real-life stories.  You can tell when you read the book that they truly know their topic but more than just know it they are living it and are passionate about kids playing and exploring the outdoors and learning basic skills (but also learning the skills safety and in the proper manner, knowing certain rules about nature).

There are so many brilliant parts to this book – oh the clay – another why have we not been doing this moment – using clay for kids art and craft – loved the tips on how to use natural clay instead of store-bought products.  We are going to be experimenting with this over our summer (just need to stock up on some Vanish to help clean the kids clothes).

The book also includes a great section on eating wild and some yummy looking recipe ideas – my daughter has already earmarked four that she wants to try.

You kind of wonder how they managed to pack so much into this book.

The Book Distributors have actually got a little clip of the authors talking about their book on the GMC YouTube channel – Forest School Adventure Book Trailer.

I was so impressed with this book that I contacted GMC Publications and asked if they would be interested in doing a Giveaway and they said YES – So we have 3 copies of this stunning book to Giveaway.  Please comment below this post or on our facebook page and I will draw the winner on Wednesday the 27th June (giveaway for UK residents only). The Giveaway is now Finished and all three winners have been notified via our facebook page.

You can also find the book on the GMC website – Forest School Adventure

Or on Amazon – Forest School Adventure: Outdoor Skills and Play for Children

I do include Affiliate links. If you follow an affiliate link and go on to purchase that product, I will be paid a very small commission, however your cost will remain the same. I only include affiliate links for products that we use and love.