Naomi Walmsley – författare

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 skills to joyful outdoor play, this book is packed with ideas to bring your little ones closer to nature and all its magical offerings.Young children will be immersed in imaginative, gloriously messy play and crafts, whilst older ones can get to grips with more complex activities like stone tool making and sourcing water. Whether in an organised setting, a group of friends or a family outing, the fun-filled games will build confidence, bonding and result in happy and energised children. Entertaining anecdotes from the authors’ own experience of surviving in the 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.

Is the view from your window more concrete than countryside and are you more familiar with graffiti than green grass? Just because you live in a town or city, it doesn't mean that learning about wildlife, nature and the great outdoors isn't for you.This activity-packed book helps you to make the most of your local patch and discover the hidden things you don't see when travelling around by car. Urban gardens, allotments, parks, cemeteries, playgrounds and more provide green havens and opportunities for some magical forest-school fun. Whether it be collecting sticks in playgrounds or foraging for nettles in a nearby park, there is so much to explore and learn about. Venture out to your local green space or just into your back garden, if you have one, and have a go at the amazing array of outdoor activities described here: from building a hidden sheet den to creating watering stations for bees. While you are there, scavenge and forage for raw materials and then extend the fun with creative makes and recipes to do back at home such as leaf printing, stick boats and stinging nettle crisps (if you dare!).Contents include:In the park or gardenAround the city or townHome craftsRecipesGet to know the wild parts of your city or town with handy bug, plant and tree ID sections, plus a scavenger hunt and cloud-spotting game that can be done when out and about. Games to play with organised groups or with your family and friends add another dimension to this book that is bursting with ideas for urban outdoor adventures.

Forest School Handbook is lively collection of activities, crafts, bushcraft skills and nature-based play which will inspire kids to thrive outside.Whether just popping out for a walk, going camping or exploring in the woods, this handy-sized book will be your essential guide for connecting with the natural world. Packed with ideas and activities for children of all ages, there are bushcraft basics, survival skills, nature crafts and ideas for both energising and peaceful outdoor play. Encouraging controlled risk taking, boosting social skills, wellbeing and a healthy resilience, this is the ultimate way to avoid battles over screen time and classroom-induced fatigue. Build a shelter from what you find around you, design a natural collage, tie useful knots, get to know a tree, light a fire, filter dirty water, make charcoal, go on a night walk, make a bug hotel, create a mini village, whittle a stick and much more.Aimed at parents, outdoor teachers or anyone passionate about getting back to basicsGrab-and-go size makes it easy to pack in your outdoor kit bagWritten by award-winning outdoor specialists, with detailed knowledge of Forest School practices and who are experienced leading school groups either as a thrilling woodland class outing or onlineIncludes traditional Forest School activities and beyond. Catering for older children who are ready to explore more involved primitive skills and bushcraftPlaying and learning outside in nature has been shown to benefit children in many ways, such as improved moods, concentration, confidence and self-esteemForest School Adventure has sold c.35,000 copies and been translated into French, German, Czech and Italian

If you imagined that all Stone Age people lived in caves, were not very clever, not very clean and said “Ugg” a lot, then think again. Marking the start of all human history, the Stone Age lasted around 3.5 million years (the last part of that was only 71 grandparents ago!). Delve into that incredible time with this book packed full of amazing facts, information, crafts, storytelling and myth debunking to find out what it was really like to live as a hunter gatherer.Many of our Stone Age ancestors’ everyday needs were similar to ours – how to keep warm, where to sleep and what to eat and drink. We find out how they met those needs, what a typical day was like, what medicine they used and even how they had fun – all brought to life with beautifully detailed illustrations. Dotted through the book are step-by-step craft activities and recipes that give you first-hand experience of some vital Stone Age skills – making a Mesolithic shelter, fat lamps, a digging stick, creating cave art, making a bow and arrow and a fishing hook are just a few.A fictional tribe member pops up throughout the book to tell us about her life, describing the sights, sounds, smells and emotions she experiences. The safety of a warm cave with flickering firelight and other tribe members nearby, the gnawing feeling of hunger when food is scarce and the excited relief when a deer is hunted.

100 Forest School Activities is a bumper book that teaches kids how to thrive outside, through outdoor crafts, bushcraft skills and nature-based play.This lively collection of outdoor activities is an essential guide for connecting with the natural world, whatever the weather. Packed with ideas for primary schoolers to teens, there are projects for rainy days, imaginative outdoor games, bushcraft basics, gloriously messy crafts and activities to increase children’s awareness of nature. Forest School encourages children to get up close to nature in a fun yet informative way. Through controlled risk taking in a natural environment, it improves children’s confidence and self-esteem while boosting their social skills and resilience. It’s also the perfect antidote to too much screen time and classroom-induced fatigue.Activities include things to do on a rainy day, outdoor play, bushcraft skills, nature-based crafts, and pastimes that increase awareness of the natural world.

Children can learn fantastic practical survival skills in this compact but comprehensive handbook. Ranging from basic first aid, lighting a fire and foraging to making soap, a survival bed and a shelter, this is a valuable aid for helping kids to be independent and resourceful, whether they set up camp in the backyard or in the wilderness.