Book Review - Last Child in the Woods

February Book

Last Child in the Woods

by Richard Louv

316 pages

I got this book as a Christmas gift and was very excited to read about the importance of getting kids outside. I anticipated an encouraging "let's get outside" message with day hike ideas, craft ideas, games, how-to tips on building forts, and fun ways to get your kids outside.

It was not like that. It reads like a very long research paper. Whew, I had a very hard time getting through this book. I just did not find it interesting at all.

Until the Field Guide in the back. There is a "100 Actions We Can Take" list, and this is what I was looking for. Some of the easy things we're going to include in our lives include

1. Get a truckload of dirt delivered to your house and let the kids play in it.
2. Build a bird bath, bird houses, bird feeders, or bat houses.
3. Make a leaf collection book.
4. Tadpoles.
5. Nature walks/hikes. We have a great park close by (Murphy Hanrehan). I'd like to make regular trips out there this spring, summer, and autumn.
6. Plant a tree.
7. Plant a butterfly garden.
8. Join 4-H. (I don't think they're old enough yet, but I plan on doing this when they're old enough.)
9. Canoeing, sailing, swimming, kayaking (in the local lakes & rivers).
10. Go to the MN Landscape Arboretum. 
11. Visit the Richardson Nature Center.