Spring and Summer bring many days with great weather which beckons my children outdoors. Since we have been participating in a Primitive Skills class this school year I thought it would be good to practice outdoor skills and survival skills with books for kids.
Some books on this list are novels that include outdoor and survival skills that kids use while other will be focus on skills for kids. I have taught my older children how to start a fire in our fire pit in the backyard but it’s time our younger boys learn how and why a fire is important even on a 90 degree day if you are camping!
Camp Out!: The Ultimate Kids’ Guide by Lynn Brunelle – Bear bags, wilderness showers, and telling the temperature by counting the cricket chirps… Whether you’re planning an over night in the backyard or a weekend in the wilderness, this book is packed with stuff to know. The basics, from gearing up to choosing a site to building a tarp tent. Tasty outdoor recipes: Solar Oven Pizza, Chow Down Chili and s’ more’s of course—with 8 variations.
My First Book of Knots by Berndt Sundsten – What is more memorable than a child first learning to tie his shoes? Or wrapping his first Christmas presents? Knots aren’t easy to learn, but they are very helpful—whether you are five years old, ten years old, or even fifty years old. Here is a children’s picture book that will help parent and child learn together by simplifying the craft and bringing the reader into the world of knots through beautiful, detailed illustrations. My First Book of Knots is a landmark gift that will impact children (and craft-loving adults) with hours of fun and a lifetime of skills. Look inside this book- https://amzn.to/2XqBv14
Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book: 448 Great Things to Do in Nature Before You Grow Up by Stacy Tornio – Nature is a destination, but you don’t have to travel anywhere to find it. Just open the door and step outside. A fun, hands on approach to getting involved in nature, The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book is a year-round how-to activity guidebook for getting kids outdoors and exploring nature, be it catching fireflies in the cool summer evenings; making birdfeeders in the fall from peanut butter, pine cones, and seed; building a snowman in 3 feet of fresh winter snow; or playing duck, duck, goose with friends in a meadow on a warm spring day. The Kids’ Outdoor Adventure Book includes 448 things to do in nature for kids of all ages–more than one activity for every single day of the year. Each of the year’s four seasons includes fifty checklist items, fifty challenge items, three each of projects, destinations, garden recipes, and outdoor games. Throughout the book, you’ll also find fascinating facts, useful tips and tricks, and plenty of additional resources to turn to. Complete with whimsical, vibrant illustrations, this book is a must for parents and their kids. Take a look inside this book here- https://amzn.to/2XuTjIz
Magic Tree House Survival Guide by Mary Pope Osborne – Jack and Annie have survived all kinds of dangers on their adventures in the magic tree house. Find out how you can survive lots of scary situations, including sharks, earthquakes, fires, shipwrecks, and many more! Features a compass embedded in the front cover. With full-color photographs and illustrations, facts about real-life survival stories, and tips from Jack and Annie, this is a must-have for all survivors of the bestselling Magic Tree House series.
The Practical Survival Guide for Kids by Weise Weasel – Getting lost is a scary experience. You may not know where you are or when someone will be able to find you again. You may worry about how long you will be out there, where you will be able to safely sleep, how to find fresh food and water, and even how to stay protected from dangerous animals in the wild. If you get lost and are not sure what to do, this guidebook has all the information to help you out. Inside this guidebook, we will take a look at some of the basics that you need to know in order to get yourself to safety and to ensure you are found by others in no time.
Ranger Rick ids’ Guide to Camping: All You Need to Know about Having Fun in the Outdoors – If you’re like most kids who love the outdoors, you want to do more than go on picnics or hike a nature trail. You don’t want to go home at the end of the day. You want to stay out in the woods, mountains, or desert. What you want to do is camp! With Ranger Rick Kids’ Guide to Camping, you’ll learn how to make roughing it easy. Inside are great tips for choosing the best campsite and setting up your home away from home. Once you’re done reading this book, you’ll know why you may want to get a self-supporting 4-season tent or a “mummy” sleeping bag with a specific comfort rating. You’ll know how to pitch your tent, build a fire, make a meal, and entertain yourself after it gets dark. And maybe most importantly, you’ll know exactly what to do when “nature calls” and there are no bathrooms around!
The Scouting Guide to Survival – Since 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The BSA is committed to training youth in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities. Look inside this book –> https://amzn.to/2GvwTRu
The Scouting Guide to Tracking – This book includes the following skills: How to determine the age of tracks in any circumstances, How to recognize the distinctive marks of dozens of different species, How to track in desert, forest, snow, and grassy areas, How to identify instances when an animal has circled around or backtracked, Stalking techniques such as cold hunting, camouflaging, and using the stump method and many more.
The Scouting Guide to Wilderness First Aid – In Scouting’s Guide to First Aid, current Scouts, Scout alumni, and readers interested in the outdoors are provided with time-tested advice on how to safely treat wilderness emergencies and seek help when needed.
Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival by Denise Long – Anyone can get lost while camping or on a hike and Survivor Kid teaches young adventurers the survival skills they need if they ever find themselves lost or in a dangerous situation in the wild. Written by a search and rescue professional and lifelong camper, it’s filled with safe and practical advice on building shelters and fires, signaling for help, finding water and food, dealing with dangerous animals, learning how to navigate, and avoiding injuries in the wilderness. Ten projects include building a simple brush shelter, using a reflective surface to start a fire, testing your navigation skills with a treasure hunt, and casting animal tracks to improve your observation skills.
The Boy’s Book of Adventure: The Little Guidebook for Smart and Resourceful Boys by Michele Lecreaux- Camping advice and instruction includes ways to protect against the weather, first-aid for injuries, advice on using a compass, tips for studying the night sky, identifying birds, and much more. The book’s wide array of topics and sturdy construction makes it an ideal outdoor companion for hiking and camping excursions. An elastic band bound into the back cover can be stretched over pages and used as a place marker.
The Girl’s Book of Adventure by Michele Lecreux – Girls who take pleasure in crafts activities, and who enjoy the outdoors and nature will love this activity book. It’s packed with color illustrations, things to make and do, and ideas for outdoor activities. Instructions, tips, and information on some of the book’s many topics. Here too are instructions for outdoor games, ideas for hiking trips and nature watching, first-aid instruction, and more— a total of 60 themes that are of special interest to girls. This book’s sturdy construction makes it ideal for taking along on outdoor activities.
The Kids Campfire Book: Official Book of Campfire Fun by Jane Drake – This book in the Family Fun series has everything you need to know about having a fun and safe campfire. This collection of outdoor activities, games, stories, songs and more is for kids and families to share around the campfire. It includes tips on how to find the best campfire site, identify animal cries at night and locate constellations. Kids will also find out how to make pizza over an open fire, tell a spooky ghost story, or create musical instruments for a sing-along. With more than 125 pages of fun things to do around a campfire, this is the perfect book for every camper, canoeist and camp counselor!
Ultimate Explorer Guide for Kids by Justin Miles – This book presents straightforward advice on what every explorer must know if they are to survive the most daunting challenges the world has to offer. The ultimate adventures are gleaned from the author’s travels around the world. He packs every page with the priceless knowledge he has gained over the years.
Ultimate Mapping Guide for Kids by Justin Miles – This book is laid out in a logical order and is packed to the brim with expert instruction, learning projects (make your own contour map), top tips (e.g., always carry pencil and paper along with a GPS) and safety warnings. Even the page margins are put to use and filled with topical references for easy navigation and fascinating facts, such as “The Babylonians first mapped the stars over 2,500 years ago.”
Ultimate Survival Guide for Kids by Rob Colson – The first three chapters in this book–Animal Dangers, Natural Dangers, and Human Hazards–describe what to do in a total of 24 specific emergencies. The fourth chapter, Basic Survival Skills, has 14 important tips on emergency preparedness and survival skills. Each crisis is summarized on a double-page spread with 1-2-3 what-to-do checklists, “Fast Facts”, “Life Savers”, “Did You Know”, and “If You” sidebars, and margin notes. The book’s eye-catching design features brilliant full-bleed color and dynamic action photographs.
Wild Wilderness Adventure Handbook: A Survival Guide by Aiden Potter – A Fun-Schooling Journal that Focuses on Survival Skills! This is a fun activity book, research handbook and guide for outdoor safety and adventure!
Willy Whitefeather’s Outdoor Survival Handbook for Kids – From treating a bee sting to building an overnight shelter, kids will gain the knowledge and confidence they need to survive outdoors.
Leave a Reply