I love this book, it completely fits with my ethos of early years education and the child centred approach.
I will be using it for my little students!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

Growing up I was always outside. Of course we didn’t have the gadgets that children have at their disposal today either. This book Nature Play Workshop for Families is a wonderful resource for getting the kids out in nature and discovering what is there. There is seasonal nature play based on the seasons (summer, autumn, winter and spring) as well as year-round nature play and templates to help guide you along on your journey to teaching yourself as well as your child the wonders of nature. I highly recommend this book to all families.

The title has a nice variety of STEM activities and would be very useful in a parent-teacher section in a public library setting.

I am not particularly "outdoorsy." However, my husband and son are, and with social distancing, it's become increasingly necessary to find outdoor things to do that can help with social distancing. In addition, I've started foraging for various plants to use in herbal salves and oils, and my 4-year-old finds this very intriguing. This book has really helped a lot with finding various activities that are kid appropriate. It's not just about learning, but about learning by playing, and incorporates observations, building, and cooking. It's also separated by season, which I think is the most helpful way to organize this type of book. I recommend this for anyone looking for creative ideas for outdoor activities with their kids.

Lots of lovely ideas here for things to do with your family. I think getting children outdoors is so important so it's good to flick through and find an idea.

Forty outdoor activities are featured in this book filled with color photos and step-by-step instructions, although the emphasis is on open-ended play rather than making something that fits a formula. There are seven to ten activities for each of the four seasons and one chapter on year-round play, with lots of information aimed at parents. Each chapter begins with a poem, with color photos on every page featuring ethnically diverse children; templates are also included. Activities include arts and crafts, recipes, games, and toys; often these can be found in other books. In many ways, this is intended more for adults than children, but tween readers can easily follow the instructions for the many nature activities explored in this hands-on manual.

We are huge fans of nature play, as it gives Ada a chance to truly explore the world round her. This book is excellent, as it really gives us great ideas of how we can engage with her, with various ideas, activities and ways to do so. We loved this book and so did Ada.

Great ideas for parents and educators seeking to get children outside! Great seasonal and year-round activities!

A wonderful book for parents (and early childhood teachers) looking for nature activities for their children. The book is divided by season, making it easy to find something to do depending on the weather. This will be a great resource for many parents who suddenly find themselves homeschooling children of several ages. Appropriate activities for ages 2 and up.

Monica Wiedel-Lubinski and Karen Madigan know what they are talking about when it comes to engaging young children with nature. All of their 40 and more activities are thought-through and have educational as well as entertaining elements to them and foster the relationship between adults and children as well as the family’s relationship with nature.
Some activities may seem obvious and straight forward to those of us who grew up in pre-tech times in the country. Making mud cakes and leaf boats and leaf lanterns are easy ideas for those who didn’t grow up playing outdoors.
Other ideas are a little bit “out there” for the average adult trying to entertain children, such as making Maple Syrup (partly because most of us don’t have access to maple sap and partly because we wouldn’t have access to so MUCH sap).
Overall, a lot of activities will require a lot of involvement, interest and preparation from adults (which is why these are family activities rather than just about keeping the children busy) and are not just a list of quick games to play on a walk in the forest but rather a full approach to living with a focus on the outdoors and raising children who are aware of nature, animals and their environment.

With all of the electronic activities available, there is still much for kids to do outside. The Nature Play Workshop for Families provides fun activities that help kids learn while enjoying being outside.

Broken down into the four seasons, with a section of activities that can be done any time of the year, the book has plenty to keep kids going. Each activity is easy to understand, and clear directions are provided. Colorful pictures help kids see what the end result is.

This book is a good way for families to get out and enjoy fresh air while they learn together. The basics of nature play, and why it’s important, are detailed so that parents can be prepared to help their kids get outside.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The tieing of this book couldn't be better with the current climate in the world. Now days I find lots of children are given a tablet or sat in front on TV and thats it, which is all the more easy in lock down. I love that these ideas get children out playing and connecting with nature to help with their development. Lovely guide with lots of ideas to get families outside into nature with their children.

Thank you netgallery for the E-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to @Netgalley and Quatro Publishing/Quarry @quartokids for letting me preview this amazing book Nature Play Workshop For Families by Monica Wiedel-Lubinski & Karen Madigan.

The timing of this book is perfect. If you are like me I am looking for ideas to do with the children that can be done at a safe distance. This book is filled with wonderful ideas and activities that can be done in your yard or at the park/nature trail. No special supplies are needed, you can use what is around you.

What I loved about the book is the easy to follow layout. Each activity has simple directions along with beautiful photos. All the activities are divided by seasons which makes it easy to plan outings and activities. The last two chapters are activities you can do anytime. I set up an easy to do scavenger hunt that we did in our own backyard. I only had to print out a page from the back of the book. We grabbed our magnifying glass and headed out to the garden.

If you don’t have children yourself, this book would make a great gift to give to your grandchildren or other young children in your life.

This book gives families with young children lots of ideas for activities to do while playing outside and exploring nature. It contains an excellent explanation of what play is, how to make playtime meaningful, and why it is such an important part of young children's development. I personally felt that a couple of the activities were not appropriate for young children and that it was a little environmentally preachy. Many of the activities would be hard to accomplish if you like in an urban or desert area where there is not an abundance of leafy trees and grassy areas and would have to be adapted to the area you live in.

I received an ARC copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

For the playful subject matter, this guide feels too clinical, like a textbook. I wish the photos had been more fun, or that there had been some clever graphics interspersed.

I really really enjoyed looking through this book. My son is almost 16 months old and since he was born we've gone on a lot of walks and hikes. I like being outside with him and getting fresh air. I love that this book explains what nature play is and then breaks it down by season for different ideas. I have never heard the term mature play before but am very much liking it and liking the idea of letting a child safely and at their own pace explore an outside space and check things out for themselves. If you have little ones of your own or in your life, I recommend reading through this book for some great ideas for outside time.

Nature Play Workshop for Families by Monica Wiedel-Lbuinski; Karen Madigan is a great book for family adventurers. Wonderful ideas, directions and lovely photos. I'm adding this to my gift giving list for all the young and young at heart families that I know!

Kudos to any parent willing to give up their phone time to actually taking a kid out in nature. I grew up immersed in nature with barely any watching parent. Four amazing seasons and a ton of fresh ideas make up the pages of this beautifully crafted book.

What did I like? The sundial was a perfect start to this book, anyone not knowing how to make one is quickly inundated with a perfect array of pictures. The best how to books make the most of the pictures, and whoever took the photographs in this book was talented. I loved how the book was divided by seasons, and ended up with any kind of play. I would say most of the activities need a parents interaction but it really depends on the child’s level of attention.

Would I recommend or buy? I found most of these ideas were pretty cute and unique. I would definitely grab a copy for my grandkids. I’d recommend it to people looking to have some fun with their kids, teach your kids a craft, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

Thoughts for the author? Loved it! More people need to spend more time with their kids, and spend it relaxing in nature. I was given a copy to read and offer an honest opinion. Kudos, I hope a lot of kids benefit from this book.

Nature Play Workshop for Families provides some really creative opportunities for structured learning experiences outside while still completely allowing for play, which happens with kiddos no matter how much of a schedule or agenda you have! I loved that element of this book - we live on a farm and are outside frequently, but sometimes I feel like I want slightly more structured projects or activities for all of us to do together. Nature Play Workshop provides that, and we had a blast doing some of the activities in here!

The book is organized by season and then has year-round activities. The authors also included resources for parents to learn more about nature play, AND, there’s a section about how to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into your nature play. My heart was giddy when I saw that. It is *almost* perfect, but I’m trying to figure out why they didn’t use an Indigenous person for that section. I love that Sally Anderson suggests people visit and consult with Indigenous communities local to them rather than homogenizing Natives, and I really loved the information. I do wish it had been a Native educator or activist, though. Just food for thought!

One thing I would say is that some of them were a little involved for my 3- and 5-year-old boys’ attention spans. We’d get partially through and then they’d just go back to using sticks for hitting everything in sight, because sometimes they took quite a bit of setting up. But I don’t think this is A) the fault of the authors or the activities in this book or B) a bad thing. Nature Play Workshop has activities that allow you to be as simple or as complex as you want, have time and energy for, and have the resources for. I also think as we do more and more of these activities, my own kids will get used to the idea of having more structure outside.

I also loved the way that the authors created activities so children can be really involved. Sometimes, activities end up taking SO much parental time and energy for not a whole lot of engagement for the kids, and those are pretty defeating. Nature Play Workshop seems to encourage kiddos being engaged every step of the way - whatever engagement looks like for your particular child. There are also templates for organizing observations and games, which will come in really handy.

Each parent and each child has a different threshold for the process of getting activities set up, attention spans, desire for creative vs. practical play and exploration, and experience with nature-based learning. This book will truly work for anyone. I can’t wait to pick up a hard copy so I have all of these ideas and resources at the tip of my fingers. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy!