Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Get Out!: 150 Easy Ways for Kids and Grown-Ups to Get Into Nature and Build a Gr
Nonfiction
For ages 6 and up
Free Spirit Publishing, 2009 ISBN: 1575423359
In the last fifty years, children have become increasingly sedentary. Many children hardly ever play outside, and it is not unusual for children to identify with television characters more than with real things such as trees, flowers, and animals. This lack of connection with the outdoors and the natural world has some frightening ramifications that parents, teachers, and counselors are only just beginning to understand and appreciate. The one thing that has got better over the years is the fact that children today are more likely to care about preserving and protecting the environment.
In this excellent little book the author comes up with 150 ways that children and their families can get outside to improve their lives and to help take care of the earth. Some of the suggestions are incredibly simple. Families can take a walk in a local park where they can enjoy the beauty of nature. Shopping trips can become an exercise in environmental responsibility. Children can learn to buy foods that are more local, that are sustainable, and that don’t have a lot of packaging. Even going to the local recycling center can become a small adventure as children learn what can and cannot be recycled, and what they can do to decrease the amount of ‘stuff’ that they throw away every day.
Simply written with enthusiasm, and packed with great ideas, this little handbook will help families of all kinds improve their quality of life and strengthen their connection with the environment.
