Nature's playground - Fiona Danks

This delightful illustrated book is a guide to introducing children to the great outdoors through fun activities in nature. Designed for use by families, carers, play workers and teachers, the book sets out guidelines for safe and engaging play outdoors, with useful tips on how to hold children's attention on longer excursions. The book is divided into seasons, with activities appropriate to each. For example, in spring, children can explore aquatic life in ponds and streams, collect material to make birds' nests or look out for growing bulbs; in autumn they can collect berries or make collages with fallen leaves. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on helping children gain an appreciation of nature's patterns, giving them confidence in the outdoor environment in a way that is educational, safe and, above all, fun.

The authors, Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield, have produced some outdoor activity sheets in conjuction with the Cub and Scout Naturalist Activity Badge, sponsered by Natural England. To view these acitivity sheets, click here.

For more information on Natural England, click the logo on the left.