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Outdoor Kids in an Inside World: Getting Your Family Out of the House and Radically Engaged with Nature
The indispensable case for parenting tough, curious, and competent kids who feel at home in the outdoors, from the New York Times bestselling author and host of the TV series and podcast MeatEater
In the era of screens and devices, the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Not only does this phenomenon have consequences for kids' physical and mental health, it jeopardizes their ability to understand and engage with anything beyond the built environment.
Thankfully, with the right mind-set, families can find beauty, meaning, and connection in a life lived outdoors. Here, outdoors expert Steven Rinella shares the parenting wisdom he has garnered as a father whose family has lived amid the biggest cities and wildest corners of America. Throughout, he offers practical advice for getting kids radically engaged with nature in a muddy, thrilling, hands-on way, with the ultimate goal of helping them see their own place within the natural ecosystem. No matter their location--rural, suburban, or urban--caregivers and kids will bond over activities such as:
- Camping to conquer fears, build tolerance for dirt and discomfort, and savor the timeless pleasure of swapping stories around a campfire.
- Growing a vegetable garden to develop a capacity to nurture and an appreciation for hard work.
- Fishing local lakes and rivers to learn the value of patience while grappling with the possibility of failure.
- Hunting for sustainably managed wild game to face the realities of life, death, and what it really takes to obtain our food.
Living an outdoor lifestyle fosters in kids an insatiable curiosity about the world around them, confidence and self-sufficiency, and, most important, a lifelong sense of stewardship of the natural world. This book helps families connect with nature--and one another--as a joyful part of everyday life.
In the era of screens and devices, the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Not only does this phenomenon have consequences for kids' physical and mental health, it jeopardizes their ability to understand and engage with anything beyond the built environment.
Thankfully, with the right mind-set, families can find beauty, meaning, and connection in a life lived outdoors. Here, outdoors expert Steven Rinella shares the parenting wisdom he has garnered as a father whose family has lived amid the biggest cities and wildest corners of America. Throughout, he offers practical advice for getting kids radically engaged with nature in a muddy, thrilling, hands-on way, with the ultimate goal of helping them see their own place within the natural ecosystem. No matter their location--rural, suburban, or urban--caregivers and kids will bond over activities such as:
- Camping to conquer fears, build tolerance for dirt and discomfort, and savor the timeless pleasure of swapping stories around a campfire.
- Growing a vegetable garden to develop a capacity to nurture and an appreciation for hard work.
- Fishing local lakes and rivers to learn the value of patience while grappling with the possibility of failure.
- Hunting for sustainably managed wild game to face the realities of life, death, and what it really takes to obtain our food.
Living an outdoor lifestyle fosters in kids an insatiable curiosity about the world around them, confidence and self-sufficiency, and, most important, a lifelong sense of stewardship of the natural world. This book helps families connect with nature--and one another--as a joyful part of everyday life.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2022
755 people are currently reading
16827 people want to read
About the author
Steven Rinella
47 books955 followersSteven Rinella is the host of the Netflix Original series MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast. He's also the author of six books dealing with wildlife, hunting, fishing and wild game cooking, including the bestselling MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook: Recipes and Techniques for Every Hunter and Angler.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 538 reviews
February 20, 2022
Steven Rinella, host of Netflix's MeatEater, is an avid outdoorsman and hunter. Coming from a tight-knit family bonded by the outdoors, this novel is written to try to engage families in nature.
As a fellow nature enthusiast, this book immediately caught my eye. I have always wanted a written guide with tips on raising my young children to respect and love nature. I had a certain idea of what I thought this book would have based off the description, but I found it was not what I thought. I had hoped to see a lot of tips, examples of activities, and some personal background pertaining to those topics. Instead, I found that the tips were hard to find, specific examples of activities weren't stated clearly, and there was more personal backstory than anything else. It seemed to be rambling quite a bit. While that rambling had wisdom and was interesting to read, it was not that important to the overall goal of the book. I would have loved to see more bulleted tips and specific activities to implement.
Having stated what I did not like, there was still a lot I did like. I appreciated the feeling of inspiration knowing any family can do this. We actually ventured into 25 degree weather for a lovely hike because of that inspiration! It was wonderful to read how the Rinella family has bonded and grown together in nature. It is a beautiful picture to think that my family can accomplish this, too. Steven Rinella is definitely knowledgeable and this book shows it. If you are looking for more of a memoir and inspirational book to help your family engage with nature, this is a great resource. If you are looking for what I first thought this was, you may want to find another guide. Overall, this was a good read.
As a fellow nature enthusiast, this book immediately caught my eye. I have always wanted a written guide with tips on raising my young children to respect and love nature. I had a certain idea of what I thought this book would have based off the description, but I found it was not what I thought. I had hoped to see a lot of tips, examples of activities, and some personal background pertaining to those topics. Instead, I found that the tips were hard to find, specific examples of activities weren't stated clearly, and there was more personal backstory than anything else. It seemed to be rambling quite a bit. While that rambling had wisdom and was interesting to read, it was not that important to the overall goal of the book. I would have loved to see more bulleted tips and specific activities to implement.
Having stated what I did not like, there was still a lot I did like. I appreciated the feeling of inspiration knowing any family can do this. We actually ventured into 25 degree weather for a lovely hike because of that inspiration! It was wonderful to read how the Rinella family has bonded and grown together in nature. It is a beautiful picture to think that my family can accomplish this, too. Steven Rinella is definitely knowledgeable and this book shows it. If you are looking for more of a memoir and inspirational book to help your family engage with nature, this is a great resource. If you are looking for what I first thought this was, you may want to find another guide. Overall, this was a good read.
April 20, 2022
Context: I am not familiar with the author or his Netflix show. I don't think it changed my reading experience at all. This book stands alone well.
A nice blend of nitty-gritty practical advice and overall philosophies that can mostly be boiled down to one general parenting guideline: you can't raise your kids to be something you yourself are not. If you want your kids to eat well, you have to eat well. If you want your kids to love God, you have to love God. If you want your kids to read, you have to read. There's no outsourcing or faking this thing. This principle holds true for raising kids who appreciate nature: you're going to have to get your hands dirty and you're going to have to like it.
To his credit, Rinella readily acknowledges that his methods (butchering caribou with your little ones, for example) will not work for or appeal to everyone. He encourages cultivating equanimity toward nature no matter what that looks like in your situation. And frankly, I have no desire to try to imitate the particulars of their lifestyle, but I appreciate and will hold onto the heart behind it.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
A nice blend of nitty-gritty practical advice and overall philosophies that can mostly be boiled down to one general parenting guideline: you can't raise your kids to be something you yourself are not. If you want your kids to eat well, you have to eat well. If you want your kids to love God, you have to love God. If you want your kids to read, you have to read. There's no outsourcing or faking this thing. This principle holds true for raising kids who appreciate nature: you're going to have to get your hands dirty and you're going to have to like it.
To his credit, Rinella readily acknowledges that his methods (butchering caribou with your little ones, for example) will not work for or appeal to everyone. He encourages cultivating equanimity toward nature no matter what that looks like in your situation. And frankly, I have no desire to try to imitate the particulars of their lifestyle, but I appreciate and will hold onto the heart behind it.
(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
September 22, 2022
I didn't have the right idea going into this book. The author is obviously a huge outdoorsman and knows his stuff, but it wasn't really relevant to my personal situation with my children in suburbia. I had a hard time finding tips really at all for ideas to get the kids outside and I realized that that's not what this book is intended for. It appears to be more of a memoir of sorts and while I enjoyed bits here and there, as a whole it is not what I am looking for.
March 17, 2022
This book is a fun new summer read and an overall good book and great place to start getting back to nature. An interesting book to help families become one with their outdoor environment. It helps you implement an every day spiritual existence with nature. How do we get kids outside with so much indoor entertainment? Where is your closest nature getaway for families living in “concrete areas“? There’s even a fun section on expanding your knowledge of where you currently live. It consists of 15 questions that will fill you with knowledge of your home environment. The chapters that follow are to help you bond with nature by sleeping outside, tending the land/soil, fishing etc.
October 31, 2022
Genres: Nonfiction/Autobiography
I liked the title and I thought I was reading that book but no, this one felt more like an autobiography as the author relived "the good old days". Like the author, I too was raised before internet & social media. The "Outdoors" was the main source of entertainment. So I loved that little trip down memory lane.
I liked his encouragement on getting the newer generations back into the outdoors. I also liked the author's emphasis on building resilience. But if the title of this book had been the main focus it would have had more ideas on engaging kids in nature...not just hunting and fishing stories. I liked this one but I didn't find it particularly useful. So 3 stars.
I liked the title and I thought I was reading that book but no, this one felt more like an autobiography as the author relived "the good old days". Like the author, I too was raised before internet & social media. The "Outdoors" was the main source of entertainment. So I loved that little trip down memory lane.
I liked his encouragement on getting the newer generations back into the outdoors. I also liked the author's emphasis on building resilience. But if the title of this book had been the main focus it would have had more ideas on engaging kids in nature...not just hunting and fishing stories. I liked this one but I didn't find it particularly useful. So 3 stars.
October 5, 2024
I love Steven Rinella and watching his show “Meat-eater.” I also love the outdoors and have a desire to instill that love and appreciation into my children. One of our favorite things to do as a family is to sleep under the stars for as long as our schedules allow, praise God!
I enjoyed his insights on raising your children to appreciate the outdoors and promoting a lifestyle revolving around camping, hunting, fishing, foraging, bird-watching, gardening, etc. Things like these are becoming increasingly rare amongst children, and less and less will they discover these interests without the influence of their parents. Education is massively important as he points out and this lifestyle can happen in downtown NY as well as the rural areas of where we live.
I do however fundamentally disagree on his perspective as animals as “fellow creatures” seemingly giving equality to man and animals. My thoughts on the subjects above shift from his because of my belief in the God of the Bible who has given those created in His image dominion over all creation. All creation serves us in a way as His most prized creation.
Still a fun and helpful book!
I enjoyed his insights on raising your children to appreciate the outdoors and promoting a lifestyle revolving around camping, hunting, fishing, foraging, bird-watching, gardening, etc. Things like these are becoming increasingly rare amongst children, and less and less will they discover these interests without the influence of their parents. Education is massively important as he points out and this lifestyle can happen in downtown NY as well as the rural areas of where we live.
I do however fundamentally disagree on his perspective as animals as “fellow creatures” seemingly giving equality to man and animals. My thoughts on the subjects above shift from his because of my belief in the God of the Bible who has given those created in His image dominion over all creation. All creation serves us in a way as His most prized creation.
Still a fun and helpful book!
June 27, 2022
Pretty good book on outdoors and parenting. Learned some cool stuff about nature and some ideas to implement. Fun read.
June 6, 2022
Not shockingly, this book wasn’t especially revelatory to me (someone who spends a fair amount of time outdoors with my kid). It reads as solid instruction, though for this imagined group of parents who deeply value nature and the outdoors, but who don’t prioritize spending much time there? I found myself perpetually wondering who the book’s intended audience truly was, if it could reach that audience, and if they actually existed. For myself, it was a fast listen/read, and I enjoyed the anecdotes and commiseration I found in the whining, complaining, and “hard” aspects of outdoors-time with younger kids - and the implied suggestion that it does, in fact, pay off. Because, as the author notes, it can be a lot (a lot) of work.
January 2, 2023
It was different from other nature-based child development books in that there were fewer stats and more personal anecdotes. With that though, I loved the encouragement to parents to help their children engage with nature in so many different ways. I especially loved the first chapter on “thinking native” and the chapter on camping. It’s unlikely I’ll be taking my children caribou hunting in Alaska any time soon BUT there are still so many golden takeaways and lots of practical advice.
June 15, 2024
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I’m familiar with the author’s Netflix show, so I had his voice in my head as I read the book, and rambling storytelling parts were very much his style. There wasn’t as much application as I was expecting, but still a lot of encouragement for getting out in nature with your family wherever you live- even for my family right now where the wildlife we get to observe are the snakes by the apartment’s garage area, the striped gopher snacking under our bird feeder, and learning to identify the variety of bugs that visit our garden.
The book covered a lot of ways to explore nature, and make it a part of your family’s daily life, though some of them would require a lot more learning from other sources before jumping into, like foraging and hunting. But again, a good starting place, or encouragement for doing the things you can, wherever you may live, be it in the city or country.
Content warning: There was some mild language
The book covered a lot of ways to explore nature, and make it a part of your family’s daily life, though some of them would require a lot more learning from other sources before jumping into, like foraging and hunting. But again, a good starting place, or encouragement for doing the things you can, wherever you may live, be it in the city or country.
Content warning: There was some mild language
March 31, 2023
Some great ideas that got me thinking about how to more proactively and productively get my kids interested in the natural world, even if a few of the suggestions (hunting especially) were non-starters for me.
April 7, 2023
A Sal suggested read, I appreciated the message/goal of getting kids outside, but ended up skimming through a lot of the related stories.
August 23, 2022
I really liked this book because it presented a view of engaging with nature that is really more hands on than most people are comfortable with.
The idea of actively including nature in your life and that if your children's is fantastic. It has to be a conscious decision and a conscious effort.
100% I would rather my kids play in the mud and catch frogs than play on their tablets.
The idea of actively including nature in your life and that if your children's is fantastic. It has to be a conscious decision and a conscious effort.
100% I would rather my kids play in the mud and catch frogs than play on their tablets.
May 7, 2022
I loved this book, just as I loved his previous books. Partly this is because I enjoy Rinella’s writing style - a mix of poignancy and humor that I find deeply effective. And partly it’s because I share his philosophy and his advocacy for the outdoor life.
Many thanks to NetGally for providing an ARC copy for my review.
Many thanks to NetGally for providing an ARC copy for my review.
January 11, 2023
I appreciated all the outdoor adventure stories and suggestions to help your kids understand and value time in nature. However, much of the book just didn’t feel relevant to our current life. I don’t have a husband who is super interested in hunting, fishing, or raising our own food. And that’s okay! I find ways to teach my children about where our food comes from and how to forage, etc.
I would say this book is interesting but not super applicable for my current life. Having recently read Balanced and Barefoot, I gleaned much more for a life outdoors from that book than from this one. Someone else may find this one more helpful/applicable. Just my experience.
I would say this book is interesting but not super applicable for my current life. Having recently read Balanced and Barefoot, I gleaned much more for a life outdoors from that book than from this one. Someone else may find this one more helpful/applicable. Just my experience.
June 16, 2022
I’ve read several books on this topic and this one didn’t stand out for me or inspire in the same way others have. Not a bad resource, though, if you’re just getting into it. His main focus is foraging, gardening, fishing and hunting as ways to get kids interacting with nature.
January 20, 2023
Full of fun stories about raising kids mainly outdoors. I really love the Author’s voice in this. I liked getting a no-nonsense father perspective. A different kind of parenting book in the best way!
October 17, 2023
This had some fun, inspiring ideas about getting your kids outside. I don't plan to become as outdoorsy as Rinella (probably the moment from this book that I'll remember the longest is the story of him and his little boy getting lyme disease), but I appreciate the encouragement to endure discomfort and stress in order to help my children learn some vital skills and characteristics, and create some incredible memories. It is pretty interesting as an adult to realize how much my childhood memories are incomplete - I don't remember the stress and discomfort of family road trips or projects, so much as I do the inside jokes we developed and the fun we had. My parents put in tons of thought and work to make those happen, and the stress when things went wrong fell entirely on them, so I'm grateful they still made sure those things happened.
I've also never heard a hunter/ fisher describe their approach and motivations for doing it with such respect toward nature.
Update: thanks to this book (and my gardening gloves) I managed not to screen and recoil in horror when my toddler placed a slug in my hand. Baby steps. We still killed the slug.
I've also never heard a hunter/ fisher describe their approach and motivations for doing it with such respect toward nature.
Update: thanks to this book (and my gardening gloves) I managed not to screen and recoil in horror when my toddler placed a slug in my hand. Baby steps. We still killed the slug.
June 26, 2022
This book makes a strong case that experiences in nature may be the greatest gift we give our children. Admittedly, I skipped the chapters on fishing and hunting, but I gained further motivation to finally get a rain gauge and to appreciate the wild wonders of our gardens, woods and waterways.
May 25, 2023
I didn’t particularly enjoy this, but I think this was largely due to user error. This book wasn’t what I expected, so I didn’t really get out of it what I thought I would. I’m always looking for ideas to grow my family’s time outdoors, and this author is an expert at it…but not in any ways that were helpful to me. His stories were entertaining for sure, but I am just not on the same nature page as a guy who caught a pigeon on his patio, cooked it, and fed it to his family.
February 16, 2025
If you didn’t know I am a huge Steven Rinella fan. I started following him several years ago before I even had kids. If you have listened to him speak or watched his show you would know he is an amazing story teller and this book was no different. Even more so if you listen to the audio version.
The way he talks about nature is inspiring but he is also realistic. And the challenges to getting kids outside is a universal experience.
He did give some practical ideas on the topic. But to me they were just reminders in what I already know. A good reminder to push through the challenges of raising outdoor kids; because the outcomes are well worth it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The way he talks about nature is inspiring but he is also realistic. And the challenges to getting kids outside is a universal experience.
He did give some practical ideas on the topic. But to me they were just reminders in what I already know. A good reminder to push through the challenges of raising outdoor kids; because the outcomes are well worth it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 31, 2022
Suggested for all parents and anyone who is helping raise kids.
May 21, 2025
not bad, 3.5
I enjoyed the ideas presented to get kids more involved with nature more regularly and the lessons that can come with it.
I enjoyed the ideas presented to get kids more involved with nature more regularly and the lessons that can come with it.
May 26, 2025
I liked the main ideas of this book, especially instilling the mindset that as human beings we are an active part of the ecosystem where we live, not separate. I feel motivated to make sure my kids have a healthy respect and love for nature and can find connection to it wherever they are. My main drawback with the book was it felt like there wasn’t too much to hold onto as far as steps to put the ideas in motion. Some of the stories were effective in getting a reaction out of me though, especially the hunting ones.
May 17, 2022
I always learn so much from Steve Rinella, and this book was no exception. His approach to nature is both radical but accessible, and the effect is engaging, inspiring, and at times laugh out loud funny. 10/10 would recommend, and I don't even have kids. Actually, in reading this most times I felt like the kid, in the sense that this book reminded me how important it is to stay curious and open about my environment, even as an adult.
September 7, 2022
mild language
May 27, 2022
Good book with some solid advice. However some of it comes from a place of privilege in the way that the author has more at his disposal than a lot of people out there. It is a good book and many parents will get a lot out of it just know that some of the stuff that is talked about in here will be harder or not achievable for everyone.
March 21, 2023
Very eye opening. So many great tips on parents an outdoor child, in an indoor world.
May 2, 2022
I always say I need to add more Nonfiction to my reading list and this was a perfect book for that. I liked reading about the authors life experiences outdoors and raising his kids! There are some humorous stories (camping) and lots of perspectives of nature. The author admits that we all have our own limitations due to where we live, ability levels etc, so our story/experiences won't be the same as his. I most like the questions he posed so we could have better conversations with our families. Thank you to a Goodreads giveaway win and Penguin Random House publishing for my copy of this book!
February 14, 2022
As an outdoor adventure lover interested in learning methods to bring my child outdoors as she grows up, I was excited to read this book. The author is very knowledgeable and experienced with both being in nature himself and bringing his children out into nature. This book includes a lot of great insight and advice regarding how to bring your kids into nature more and enjoy it. I will definitely keep this advice in mind as my daughter is growing up.
The main thing I didn't like about this book was how the information was presented. At times the personal stories were too long. While they could be relevant, sometimes they seemed rambling. I would have appreciated if everything was more to the point - giving advice to parents. Also, I wish the information had been separated by titled sections in order to find information more easily. While reading whole books is great, as a busy parent, sometimes you just want to flip to something and read it without having to sift through the pages.
The main thing I didn't like about this book was how the information was presented. At times the personal stories were too long. While they could be relevant, sometimes they seemed rambling. I would have appreciated if everything was more to the point - giving advice to parents. Also, I wish the information had been separated by titled sections in order to find information more easily. While reading whole books is great, as a busy parent, sometimes you just want to flip to something and read it without having to sift through the pages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 538 reviews