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Throughout Coronavirus isolation & lockdown we’ve been doing a lot of kids reading at home, (between battles to complete schoolwork, stay sane, keep healthy, attempt to remain fit and most of all trying to have lots of fun!)
You Can Have an Outdoor Adventure is a fun children’s book ideal for lockdown reading and beyond, that will inspire children to try new things outdoors as we move towards more freedom in the coming weeks.
A Must-Have Kids Book
With everything from wildlife spotting to drawing creepy crawlies, fishing to planet facts, and bird feeding to outdoor cooking, this book really is a must-have in any child’s library, and from my perspective, the younger they get hold of it, the sooner they will be inspired to get outside and have life-changing adventures outdoors.
I jumped at the chance to review this book as it sums up a large part of my Kids of the Wild ethos of outdoor family fun.
At the end of lockdown, it’s a timely and excellently produced series for kids, released in early June 2020.
You Can Have an Outdoor Adventure by Alex Gregory
You Can Have an Outdoor Adventure is written by British rowing ace Alex Gregory MBE, 2 x Olympic gold medallist, 5 x world champion and world record holder for the GB Men’s Rowing Team, author, speaker and patron of the British Exploring Society – and I believe he also went to school with my sister!
Who is this For?
You Can Have an Outdoor Adventure offers a selection of basic and interesting suggestions and projects that kids of all ages will enjoy, starting with outdoor activities in the back garden and heading further afield to streams, rivers, woods and the beach.
Child-friendly Layout
It is a handy sized paperback book in a new series of six ‘You Can’ books published by Collins (more info below), aimed at inspiring curious children to learn new skills and be who they want to be.
Highlights include: –
- simple format
- child-friendly contents page
- 46 simple and safe outdoor activities
- each topic or project takes up a double page spread
- single colour background per topic
- photographs and drawn illustrations
- space to sketch or write notes
What Your Kids Will Love
They’ll love that it gets them outdoors!
As with all the books in the series, You Can have an Outdoor Adventure is a brightly coloured paperback that’s easy for children to hold and flick through.
The book’s clever design includes space for writing notes and sketching things out, so kids can really make the book their own.
Caroline says the instructions are easy to follow and make sense, and you know when you need to ask and adult for input – an excellent plus-point, Wild Parents!
Favourite Adventure Projects
Caroline’s favourite projects are making your own bow and arrow (& what type of wood to use), making a raft, Bat facts and animal tracking using droppings/footprints.
I like that the projects are educational as well as fun. Some follow themes which escalate in interest and excitement – for example there is a natural history piece on trees, followed by how to grow a tree, how to climb a tree and then how to take leaf prints. Children can choose a project and follow it through with different related adventures, gaining a real sense of achievement with each one.
My favourite project has to be the section on natural navigation, which elsewhere I’ve seen made very complicated – Alex gets this just right for the age group.
What Parents will Love
Basic adventures – this is a starter book for people looking to get outside more, which will inspire and excite children to choose adventures they’d like to try, with the info they need to get going. It may seem a little basic for older kids or those who’ve done a lot of scouting/guiding or outdoor education already but in the hands of an inquisitive child it will provide hours of inspiration to try new things.
Safety first – with activities from fire-lighting to moon-gazing there is plenty of potential for adventure and excitement, and Alex takes care to ensure that safety issues are mentioned and covered, with parental involvement recommended where necessary.
Age 5-12 – Caroline feels You Can have an Outdoor Adventure is aimed at age 5-12, with supervision on some activities at the younger end (and I concur)!
Bold & eye-catching – some children’s books can be over-illustrated whereas the colours in Outdoor Adventure are bright and enticing without being overwhelming. With bold headings and eye-catching photos, it’s easy to flick through and choose a project that looks fun and interesting.
Eco-friendly – printed on responsibly sourced paper using soy ink.
More in the ‘You Can’ Series
I love these books as they all encompass Kids of the Wild’s ethos – family fun, the outdoors, writing, art, gardening, the environment and healthy eating. Great job Collins publishing!
The other titles in the series are: –
- You Can have an outdoor adventure
- You Can grow your own food
- You Can draw brilliant pictures
- You Can take amazing photos
- You Can save the planet
- You Can write awesome stories
Caroline skimmed through the You Can draw book and immediately sat down and genuinely improved her sketching using the simple techniques she’d picked up so we can highly recommend the entire series.
For families and carers of children looking to get outdoors more, You Can Have an Outdoor Adventure provides an excellent springboard into the great outdoors.
For a chance to win a copy, sign up to Kids of the Wild below and make sure you don’t miss out.
Your children can also earn a copy of a book of their choice from the series in our great new partnership with Collins, simply by sending in a piece of writing for us to publish – watch this space for more information!
Wild wishes for fantastic family adventures & for learning new skills along the way!
Buy the Book and more in the series
You Can Have an Outdoor Adventure by Alex Gregory
You can Take Amazing Photos by Lillian Spibey
You can Write Awesome Stories by Joanne Owen
You can Grow Your Own Food by Annabelle Padwick
You can Save the Planet by Lucy Bell
For more books and outdoor gear reviews browse Kids of the Wild’s reviews section
Join our Kids of the Wild clan
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NB Kids of the Wild received a copy of these books for the purposes of review. All views and observations are my own (and Caroline’s, aged 10).
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