Do you like to play video games, watch YouTube, or chat with your friends online? Those are great ways to use technology, but there’s a whole world of excitement waiting for you outdoors! Whether you love climbing trees, observing animals, or watching the shapes of clouds change in the sky, summer is the perfect time to connect with nature.
Spending time outside allows you to play without the constraints of being indoors. You can be loud and run free! It does not matter if it’s your backyard, a park, or a forest, nature is the biggest playground.
All that sunshine also acts as a natural mood booster! The sun creates vitamin D, which is important for the development of strong bones and our immune system. Vitamin D also helps us get a good night’s sleep, so we are well-rested for another day of summer fun!
Getting outside can also expose us to the wonders of nature! Have you ever noticed the beauty of a songbird? Or the way the wind rustles leaves on trees? And how silly squirrels are? Just by observing nature, we can learn so much about the environment we share with plants and animals.
Engage your inner adventurer and experience the wilderness this summer by spending some time outside with these outdoor-inspired reads.
Non-fiction books on the outdoors from COSMOS:
Wilderness Adventure Camp: Essential Outdoor Survival Skills for Kids by Frank Grindrod
This hands-on guidebook teaches kids aged 10 and up essential outdoor camping and survival skills, with step-by-step photos for how to build a fire, pick a campsite, make a lean-to, use a knife, cook over an open fire, and more.
Surviving in the Wilderness by Kristin Marciniak
Would you eat a giant spider? Would you eat cooked spider eggs? What if you were starving to death? People stranded for long periods of time in the wilderness face questions like these. But sometimes no food to eat is the least of people’s worries. How long could you survive in a barren landscape with no shelter and a fractured skull? See how these survivors did it.
-Publishers description from Amazon.com
Survivors: Extraordinary Tales from the Wild and Beyond by David Long
“A collection of survival tales includes the story of a teenager who fell two miles from an airplane and trekked through the Amazon jungle to safety and a woman who was trapped under freezing water for so long that her heart stopped.
“-(Source of summary not specified)
Let’s Play Outdoors! : Exploring Nature for Children by Catherine Ard
“A book that encourages children to go and play outside and discover what nature has to offer. Leave the house and roam into the nature: It is a fascinating place, waiting to be conquered by little ones with curious minds. Whether in the garden, park, or a nearby forest, a closer look at nature will draw out budding architects, their first constructions built from stones, branches, and leaves; a thorough investigation of trees will reveal all kinds of insects; and listening to the animals around will teach their sounds. Let’s Play Outdoors! is for a new generation of environmentally conscious children, showing them how to interact with their surroundings in a meaningful way. The activities suggested inspire independent learning about animals, plants, and the weather, as well as how to look after the world.”
-Publisher’s Description
Fiction books on the outdoors from COSMOS:
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
After the death of his father, ten-year-old Moon leaves their forest shelter home and is sent to an Alabama institution, becoming entangled in the outside world he has never known and making good friends, a relentless enemy, and finally a new life.
The Call of the Wild; and, White Fang by Jack London
Two classic tales of dogs, one part wolf and one a Saint Bernard/Scotch shepherd mix that becomes leader of a wolf pack, as they have adventures in the Yukon wilderness with both humans and other animals.
Survival Scout: Lost in the Mountains by Eaton Maxwell III
“Stay calm and scout it out! Take inventory of what you have. Find shelter. Make a fire. Signal for help. Secure water and food. Follow Scout’s trial through the mountains as she explains how to survive if you ever find yourself lost in the wilderness. A perfect travel companion for those with a knack for adventure!”–
-Provided by Publisher
Out in the Wild by Mike Lowery
To earn their “foraging” bug badge, Doug, Abby and Josh, the Bug Scouts, embark on an adventure in the wilderness to find an edible plant and encounter a clever, yet hungry, frog who distracts them from their mission.
