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Wild Child: Coming Home to Nature
From climbing trees and making dens, to building sandcastles and pond-dipping, many of the activities we associate with a happy childhood take place outdoors. And yet, the reality for many contemporary children is very different. The studies tell us that we are raising a generation who are so alienated from nature that they can't identify the commonest birds or plants, they don't know where their food comes from, they are shuttled between home, school and the shops and spend very little time in green spaces - let alone roaming free.
In this timely and personal book, celebrated nature writer Patrick Barkham draws on his own experience as a parent and a forest school volunteer to explore the relationship between children and nature. Unfolding over the course of a year of snowsuits, muddy wellies, and sunhats, Wild Child is both an intimate story of children finding their place in natural world, and a celebration of the delight we can all find in even modest patches of green.
In this timely and personal book, celebrated nature writer Patrick Barkham draws on his own experience as a parent and a forest school volunteer to explore the relationship between children and nature. Unfolding over the course of a year of snowsuits, muddy wellies, and sunhats, Wild Child is both an intimate story of children finding their place in natural world, and a celebration of the delight we can all find in even modest patches of green.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published May 14, 2020
22 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Barkham
12 books36 followersPatrick Barkham first went butterfly spotting as a child with his father in Norfolk. His book The Butterfly Isles documents his search for as many species as possible as an adult.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 29, 2020
Childhood has moved indoors over the course of three generations, the Guardian journalist observes. “Today the wild child is functionally extinct in the Western world,” he writes, but he is lucky to have charge of a few individuals of that endangered species – his three children. Highlighting the activities that can engage budding naturalists in every season and accompanying his children to an outdoor nursery, he suggests how connection with nature can be made a part of everyday life. He lays down a challenge here: “Show me a child who cannot make a home in nature, given the opportunity.” This engaging narrative is not just for parents and educators, but for anyone who has a stake in future generations’ resolve to conserve the natural world – which is to say, all of us.
See my full review at Shiny New Books.
See my full review at Shiny New Books.
September 3, 2021
If I wanted to hear about other's people's children going to "lovely little school" and doing "lovely little child things", I'd have asked my colleagues in work.
As it happens, I don't "do" children! Not interested! Packet of nope.
This book should have been called "all about the time I volunteered at a little forest school and what me, my kids and other people's kids got up to, nyawww"!!!
No.
As it happens, I don't "do" children! Not interested! Packet of nope.
This book should have been called "all about the time I volunteered at a little forest school and what me, my kids and other people's kids got up to, nyawww"!!!
No.
June 3, 2020
Wild child is part memoir and part informative study on children in nature. Patrick Barkham works as a part time helper for a Forest School where he also sent his children to as an alternative to a 'indoors'/ 'normal' school - It sounds like the school of dreams ! Everything is outside no indoor areas, a camp fire, lots of trees to climb and finding out about mini beasts everyday ! Patrick writes about a year that in the Forest School and how the chidren interact and learn and also writes about how his own children enjoy the outdoors, I didn't agree with some of his ideas especially when his children handled birds eggs in the garden! . I enjoyed reading this book, it's not the sort of book I would have selected but sitting reading outside in the sunny garden listening to the birds - I felt I was also at one with nature for a brief moment !He describes all the imaganitive games that they play and how the children respond and their reactions - some of them sound like great fun.
This is a lovely book that gives you lots of interesting and fun ideas that you could do with children of any age and with any little space of the outdoors that you have to explore.I have now created a list of all the fun outdoor things I can do with my 7 and 5 year old over the summer. Thanks to @tandemcollective and @grantabooks for the #gifted copy and the opportunity to join in with my first Readalong .
This is a lovely book that gives you lots of interesting and fun ideas that you could do with children of any age and with any little space of the outdoors that you have to explore.I have now created a list of all the fun outdoor things I can do with my 7 and 5 year old over the summer. Thanks to @tandemcollective and @grantabooks for the #gifted copy and the opportunity to join in with my first Readalong .
June 11, 2023
Liked the research strewn in and the “61 Things To Do and Ways of Being With Children Outdoors” at the end. Otherwise this book just seemed like he’d written it to and for his kids, and that he favours his “wildest” child over the other two.
January 23, 2021
A lovely read and a great insight into another's perspective regarding their young children enjoying the outdoors and their Forest School - it was wonderful to read about the teachers using enquiry based learning (Philosophy for Children) with young children!
I enjoyed how Patrick combined scientific and historical evidence with his family anecdotes. His message was clear throughout: focused time spent outdoors (either in a Forest School or exploring with parents and friends) improves any child's mental, social, emotional and physical health and well-being and Patrick often highlighted this. However, it took me a long while to finish this book. The content is enjoyable, but wasn't gripping enough to pick up often. A good insight into a family that encourages outdoor time which other parents might enjoy reading.
I enjoyed how Patrick combined scientific and historical evidence with his family anecdotes. His message was clear throughout: focused time spent outdoors (either in a Forest School or exploring with parents and friends) improves any child's mental, social, emotional and physical health and well-being and Patrick often highlighted this. However, it took me a long while to finish this book. The content is enjoyable, but wasn't gripping enough to pick up often. A good insight into a family that encourages outdoor time which other parents might enjoy reading.
December 11, 2021
A nicely written book that champions getting children out of the classroom and into nature. Barkham manages to be inspirational without being overly prescriptive / judgemental or totally smug. To my relief, his children are not perfect; they have meltdowns and grumble about some outdoor activities and one even preferred classroom to forest school.
September 17, 2021
As a wildlife lover and forest school leader I believe it is critical to raise children to learn about, spend more time in and ultimately love nature. Unfortunately there was an emphasis on letting children handle everything and often interfering to the detriment and/or demise of the creatures, causing nests to be abandoned and allowing frogs to be caught and squeezed daily isn't necessary to raise nature loving children. Yes our impulse/instinct is to grab and hold everything - it doesn't mean it is the right thing to do. This teaches zero empathy for the helpless creatures.
June 16, 2020
Unfortunately I think I’m going to be in the minority but I just didn’t enjoy reading it. The premise of the book is fantastic and I really enjoyed reading the ideas in the appendix but the actual main content didn’t excite me at all. I’m not a big non-fiction reader so perhaps this is why but it just wasn’t for me.
January 19, 2023
I enjoyed this book but can see why others might not, and why others might gush. There is a slight effort of will required to get over oneself and take what the book has to offer and I suspect people's reactions may say a lot about them. I don't mean that in a passive aggressive way because I think this may link to the issues discussed in the book.
The book is a lot about a particular outdoor kindergarten, Dandelions - not a Forest School TM - attended by (eventually) all the author's children and which he volunteers at over a year, and most of the rest is about their family life. One of the things which is so worthwhile about the book is that he shows how different each of his children is in their relationship to nature and the outdoors (and that's well before they hit teenage years) Some of it is wince-inducing, especially on behalf of wildlife (but the kind of thing you read in the memoirs of prominent naturalists down the ages) and I think he well illustrates the tensions and dilemmas.
The brief section of ideas at the back is great and not all bleedin' obvious.
The book is a lot about a particular outdoor kindergarten, Dandelions - not a Forest School TM - attended by (eventually) all the author's children and which he volunteers at over a year, and most of the rest is about their family life. One of the things which is so worthwhile about the book is that he shows how different each of his children is in their relationship to nature and the outdoors (and that's well before they hit teenage years) Some of it is wince-inducing, especially on behalf of wildlife (but the kind of thing you read in the memoirs of prominent naturalists down the ages) and I think he well illustrates the tensions and dilemmas.
The brief section of ideas at the back is great and not all bleedin' obvious.
September 26, 2020
Beautiful reading, an eye-opener for parents raising their family in a city. Wild places do exist in cities though: find a cemetery, a river bank, even an empty lot, and go exploring.
Barkham also provides stats and scientific evidence interlaced with the story of his family going to Forest Schools and wild places, that reinforce the facts: time spent in the outdoors improves a child's mental, social, and academic well-being.
We are all better after an afternoon spent in nature!
Loved this book, would have loved it when my kids were small too.
Barkham also provides stats and scientific evidence interlaced with the story of his family going to Forest Schools and wild places, that reinforce the facts: time spent in the outdoors improves a child's mental, social, and academic well-being.
We are all better after an afternoon spent in nature!
Loved this book, would have loved it when my kids were small too.
February 9, 2024
Book 34 of 2023; one that I would like to give to any new parent.
What is it about?
Simply said, it explores the way children (and, therefore, the parents also) can connect with nature.
What did I think?
I am a huge, huge advocate for having children playing in nature, getting dirty, and exploring with little to no restrictions. Without trying to sound old, or bitter, it saddens me that a lot of kids nowadays don't seem to get that opportunity. The (UK) statistics Barkham shows made me even more sad: many children rarely venture outside, a lot of them have no idea about the natural world around them, and this excites feelings of detachment, depression, and 'uselessness', both throughout childhood and adulthood.
It's a vicious circle: the less people go out, the more indifferent or even hostile they feel towards nature, and, eventually, the less they care about it being destroyed and depleted by humankind - making nature less varied and 'interesting' in the process, making people less inclined to go out, etc... This development is in serious need of intervention, which is what Barkham tries to achieve. The author argues that a connection to, and interaction with the natural world is incredibly beneficial to both kids and adults, as well as the wider natural world itself, using both examples from his own family as well as from scientific research.
I can attest to this from personal experience, as well. When I was a kid (grandma alert), my parents used to take me and my brother out wandering through the woods or the heather or the sand dunes or what-have-you - a lot, and throughout all seasons. It helped that my dad is a huge nature-nerd and was able to teach us the names of flowers, trees, mushrooms, butterflies, and birds in the process. We were allowed to wander off and dig into the dirt and climb trees and take anything we wanted, as long as we did it respectfully. The respect didn't have to be spelled out: knowing about nature and feeling you are a part of it, able to explore in it, makes you naturally inclined to be respectful towards it. You learn the limits and what happens if you cross them.
Now, of course Dutch nature is incredibly safe and well-regulated, with almost no dangerous animals to be found, so that made it much easier - I understand that you can't do the same everywhere. But still, there was enough adventure to be had, and lessons to be learned. Barkham argues that being outside like this helps kids become creative, resourceful, healthy, strong, self-assured, and, most of all, independent. Not bad!
Recently I've reconnected with this semi-wild childhood, although it's never been far away (I'm sure the unrestricted digging and gathering is one of the reasons I became an archaeologist). I love hiking, and (especially) going off-trail. (I live in Ireland now, which is just as safe as the Netherlands.) I also love exploring the urban wildlife in my city - if you look closely enough, it's never far away. The nerdiness of my dad is rubbing off on me now I've entered my thirties, and I've realised, to my great happiness, that I've retained a lot of knowledge through playing around in my childhood (I've also realised, to my great concern, that a lot of people can't even identify a blackbird nowadays). I've been on walks in the park and the woods with my friends and their kids, and seen how even from such a tiny age they are inclined to explore, touch, wanting to know what things are. I'm happy to see how the feeling of wanting to interact with nature is so innate, if you simply give kids the opportunity.
I know, I digress. It's just that I'm very passionate about this subject, and Barkham stoked that flame. It was great to read about the way he tried to add natural adventure into his kids' life from a very young age, the different ways they responded to it (they all found their own 'niche interest'), and how it affected them. I liked that even the 'lowest-scale' natural surroundings gave his kids so much to explore. This was also the first time I heard about the concept of a forest school (a creche/after school care facility in a natural environment, where children are mostly left free to roam), which I think should be more widespread. (NB: To my great surprise, I found out that there's one near where I am, and I'm inclined to already subscribe my future kids into it.)
Of course Barkham, like me, is biased - he is a huge butterfly-nerd himself (The Butterfly Isles: A Summer in Search of Our Emperors and Admirals), and his kids will be inclined to benefit from nature walks both through genetic disposition as well as nurture. Moreover, the fact that he has mostly ready access to nature as well as the forest school is a privilege that not everyone has (which is something he himself points out frequently as well). But anyone who reads this book will realise that even the smallest injection of 'nature', and appreciation for nature, into your life - even if it's just a park, a canal-side, a tree along the sidewalk with a blackbird singing in it - can make a huge difference, both mentally and physically. We all need to reconnect before it is too late.
Rating
4.5 stars - 9.5 out of 10
Non-fiction ranking 2023: 3/31, third favourite non-fiction read of the year!
What is it about?
Simply said, it explores the way children (and, therefore, the parents also) can connect with nature.
What did I think?
I am a huge, huge advocate for having children playing in nature, getting dirty, and exploring with little to no restrictions. Without trying to sound old, or bitter, it saddens me that a lot of kids nowadays don't seem to get that opportunity. The (UK) statistics Barkham shows made me even more sad: many children rarely venture outside, a lot of them have no idea about the natural world around them, and this excites feelings of detachment, depression, and 'uselessness', both throughout childhood and adulthood.
It's a vicious circle: the less people go out, the more indifferent or even hostile they feel towards nature, and, eventually, the less they care about it being destroyed and depleted by humankind - making nature less varied and 'interesting' in the process, making people less inclined to go out, etc... This development is in serious need of intervention, which is what Barkham tries to achieve. The author argues that a connection to, and interaction with the natural world is incredibly beneficial to both kids and adults, as well as the wider natural world itself, using both examples from his own family as well as from scientific research.
I can attest to this from personal experience, as well. When I was a kid (grandma alert), my parents used to take me and my brother out wandering through the woods or the heather or the sand dunes or what-have-you - a lot, and throughout all seasons. It helped that my dad is a huge nature-nerd and was able to teach us the names of flowers, trees, mushrooms, butterflies, and birds in the process. We were allowed to wander off and dig into the dirt and climb trees and take anything we wanted, as long as we did it respectfully. The respect didn't have to be spelled out: knowing about nature and feeling you are a part of it, able to explore in it, makes you naturally inclined to be respectful towards it. You learn the limits and what happens if you cross them.
Now, of course Dutch nature is incredibly safe and well-regulated, with almost no dangerous animals to be found, so that made it much easier - I understand that you can't do the same everywhere. But still, there was enough adventure to be had, and lessons to be learned. Barkham argues that being outside like this helps kids become creative, resourceful, healthy, strong, self-assured, and, most of all, independent. Not bad!
Recently I've reconnected with this semi-wild childhood, although it's never been far away (I'm sure the unrestricted digging and gathering is one of the reasons I became an archaeologist). I love hiking, and (especially) going off-trail. (I live in Ireland now, which is just as safe as the Netherlands.) I also love exploring the urban wildlife in my city - if you look closely enough, it's never far away. The nerdiness of my dad is rubbing off on me now I've entered my thirties, and I've realised, to my great happiness, that I've retained a lot of knowledge through playing around in my childhood (I've also realised, to my great concern, that a lot of people can't even identify a blackbird nowadays). I've been on walks in the park and the woods with my friends and their kids, and seen how even from such a tiny age they are inclined to explore, touch, wanting to know what things are. I'm happy to see how the feeling of wanting to interact with nature is so innate, if you simply give kids the opportunity.
I know, I digress. It's just that I'm very passionate about this subject, and Barkham stoked that flame. It was great to read about the way he tried to add natural adventure into his kids' life from a very young age, the different ways they responded to it (they all found their own 'niche interest'), and how it affected them. I liked that even the 'lowest-scale' natural surroundings gave his kids so much to explore. This was also the first time I heard about the concept of a forest school (a creche/after school care facility in a natural environment, where children are mostly left free to roam), which I think should be more widespread. (NB: To my great surprise, I found out that there's one near where I am, and I'm inclined to already subscribe my future kids into it.)
Of course Barkham, like me, is biased - he is a huge butterfly-nerd himself (The Butterfly Isles: A Summer in Search of Our Emperors and Admirals), and his kids will be inclined to benefit from nature walks both through genetic disposition as well as nurture. Moreover, the fact that he has mostly ready access to nature as well as the forest school is a privilege that not everyone has (which is something he himself points out frequently as well). But anyone who reads this book will realise that even the smallest injection of 'nature', and appreciation for nature, into your life - even if it's just a park, a canal-side, a tree along the sidewalk with a blackbird singing in it - can make a huge difference, both mentally and physically. We all need to reconnect before it is too late.
Rating
4.5 stars - 9.5 out of 10
Non-fiction ranking 2023: 3/31, third favourite non-fiction read of the year!
August 11, 2020
Thought-provoking. As a teacher in Canada, it was interesting to read about British Forest School concept and further reflections on the value of being outdoors more. It's provided inspiration for mixing things up more this coming year. My only misgiving about Wild Child is that Barkham dwells a bit too much on the micro details of what his children are experiencing. There were times when I found myself skipping a page or two to get to the point.
September 29, 2024
The most delightful and interesting book about why children need to spend more time outside and how to facilitate their development. A must read for anyone who has children, grandchildren, or who works with children, also the honorary auntie/uncle or godparents.
November 7, 2025
I found this a mixed read. I particularly enjoyed the chapters about how the children at Dandelion behaved and found the final section about activities to do with children outdoors particularly enlightening.
May 27, 2020
Review to come soon!
June 7, 2020
Amazing and so interesting! Loved it
July 31, 2020
Both intimate and inspiring. A thoroughly satisfying read with some valuable resources at the end. Anyone who champions outdoor learning should really enjoy this book.
January 1, 2021
Inspiring and made me think about how to bring my child up closer to nature.
March 10, 2021
Great read
February 16, 2023
For all middle-class readers, you will love this book. I wanted to hear about other experiences, but didn't get it. A pleasant read though.
February 20, 2023
Very persuasive on the benefits of getting outside, whatever your age...
July 9, 2023
Intresting book that is both anecdotal and filled with facts. Took me longer to read then usual as I was keen to make notes and read further.
June 23, 2020
Rounded up from 3.5.
Review on Instagram: @mrsdavies28
Review on Instagram: @mrsdavies28
July 4, 2021
Barkham reflects on the challenges that both young people and nature face today, including increasingly restricted freedom to roam, growing danger from traffic, and a crisis in the natural world. It certainly made me think back to what my childhood was like, and also whether I was doing the right thing(s) for my grandchildren, who are only just beginning to explore/navigate their childhood now. Anyone who champions outdoor learning should really enjoy this book.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews