Get Outside: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors

by Jane Drake, Ann Love, Heather Collins (Illustrator)

Armed with Get Outside, a kid will never say, “I'm bored!” again. This book is a key to the world of fun beyond the front door. Activities are divided into four categories (Nature Lover, Outdoor Fun and Games, Cozy Inside and Look to the Sky), where readers will find instructions for making things like sundials, bird feeders and kites, as well as rules for games such as 500 Up, Spud and Shinny. Accompanying these descriptions are fun facts and scientific, historic and cultural context. The passage on playing jacks, for example, includes a sidebar about a similar game played by the ancient Greeks. Children in Northern climes will love learning to play traditional First Nations winter games and be thrilled to find out how to create a backyard ice rink. It's a wealth of fun and fascination that will captivate any young person --- who won't mind ditching the video game for the great outdoors.

Genres: Parenting

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Jane Drake and Ann Love are a sister writing duo. Together they have published 25 non-fiction titles for junior/intermediate students. Their first book to hit the bestseller list was The Kids Cottage Book published in 1992. Since then they have written many bestsellers and award winners including Cool Woods: A Trip Around the World's Boreal Forest (2003), The Kids Book of the Night Sky (2004), Snow Amazing: Cool Facts and Warm Tales (2004), and Trash Action: A Fresh Look at Garbage (2006), Sweet! The Delicious Story of Candy (2007), Alien Invaders: Species that Threaten Our World (2008). Ann and Jane have shared a lifelong love of the outdoors enjoying everything from snow shoeing, to camping, bird watching, tree planting and photography. They get along magnificently, except on the tennis court.

Jane lives in Toronto. She and husband escape the city whenever possible and recharge with weekends of sandhill crane sightings, star gazing, gardening and rigorous outdoor exercise. Nellie the ginger cat entertains Jane as she writes and Angus, the dog, makes sure she gets her daily walk. Jane would love to visit Siberia.