Best Hikes with Kids: Connecticut, Massachusetts, & Rhode Island, Cynthia Copeland, Thomas J. Lewis, Emily Kerr
Each of the 80 kid-friendly hikes described in this guide range from 1 to 6 miles round-trip. There are also interesting features, ways to learn about nature, and fun activities near the hike.
Beyond Ecophobia, David Sobel
Beyond Ecophobia speaks to teachers, parents, and others interested in nurturing in children the ability to understand and care for nature. It includes descriptions of developmentally appropriate environmental education activities and a list of related children’s books.
Free Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry, Lenore Skenazy
Witty and insightful, this book helps parents let go of trying to prevent every possible danger or difficulty in their child’s everyday life, and give them a chance to grow up.
Hikes with Tykes: A Practical Guide to Day Hiking with Kids, Rob Bignell
This informative guide provides a step-by-step guide to everything an adult needs to know about hiking with children, including how to keep kids properly dressed for the wilds, prevent children from getting bored on the trail, treat injuries, and more.
Hiking with Kids, Robin Tawny Nichols
Although less than 100 pages, this selection is packed with practical advice for sharing the joys of the great outdoors with children – from infants to teens.
I Love Dirt!, Jennifer Ward
This gem offers 52 open ended activities, arranged conveniently by season, to help you get your young children outside and explore, exercise, learn, wonder, and have fun.
Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv
In this ground-breaking book, child-advocate Richard Louv explains how contact with nature is necessary for healthy development in children as well as the physical, mental, and emotional health of both children and adults.
Let’s Go Outside!, Jennifer Ward
Getting your young children outside is often easy, but children ages 8-12 present a special challenge. Let’s Go Outside! describes loads of outdoor activities specifically for preteens – from traditional games like Capture the Flag to outdoor adventures like camping and canoeing.
Naturally Developing Young Brains, Brain Insights
This activity pack includes dozens of simple, easy, free activities to do with children. Each activity comes with a corresponding insight into why it is so important to a developing brain. It’s small but powerful, and a portion of the proceeds go to furthering the mission of nature preschools.
A Trailside Guide: Parents’ Guide to Hiking & Camping, Alice Cary
Although out of print, it’s worth searching a bit for this wonderful guide, filled with all of the information you need to get your family camping at whichever level you choose – whether it be backpacking, car camping, or backyard camping.
Peterson’s First Guides
If your kid is a budding naturalist (you’ll know she is if she’s always asking for the names of things) then the Peterson First Guides might be right up her alley. These guides are really kid-friendly, do a great job of focusing on the things you’re most likely to see, and there are over a dozen of them. Our favorite: Urban Wildlife.
Sharing Nature with Children, Joseph Cornell
This classic is the quintessential parent and teacher nature awareness guidebook. It’s full of wonderful activities for all ages that are as simple as they are powerful.