Celebrate Green Blog

This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 books printed in an environmentally friendly way. The goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.

We were given a wide choice of books to review, and I purposefully chose Get Out! 150 Easy Ways for Kids and Grown-Ups to Get into Nature and Build a Greener Future, because I’m always looking for fun activities to do with our grandkids. And besides, there’s no better way to celebrate green than to get into nature, right?

The beginning of this small handbook, by Judy Molland, did not disappoint. While not an “activity” as such, “Lead by Example” is the very first tip and since this is something we emphasize in helping parents initiate change when it comes to greening their families’ holidays and celebrations, we know how important it is.

The second tip, “Follow by example too,” also is a great one. We’ve found that kids are often much more ready to embrace change than their parents (and grandparents) believe. Their creativity is unmarred by “shoulds” and we can learn a lot by listening and observing them as well as validating their experience of the world. When it comes to getting children outdoors and away from whatever is holding them hostage inside, the author’s suggestions, including asking questions, making outdoor activities fun and enthusiastically embracing your childrens worldview, are spot on.

What you find of interest in the book will depend of course on the ages of your kids, your immediate environment, how much time you choose to devote to these activities etc. But I’m guessing anyone reading Get Out! would be hard pressed not to find at least a few activities their family would enjoy. Each is listed with an explanation and suggestions to make the activity work. Very helpful.

Some of my favorites ideas include:

• Participate in Wildlife Watch where your job is to observe wildlife and plants where you live and report on them.
• Try a family outing program at a local park.
• Join a mycological group and learn about mushrooms.
• Take up nature and wildlife photography.
• Adopt a tree.
• Raise butterflies

Get Out! boasts a robust “Resources” section which is something I always look for, especially in a book that is about “doing.”

From the title, I assumed that the bulk of Get Out! would be these terrific activities and I was a bit disappointed that this was not the case. More than half is devoted to being green consumers, getting involved in all kinds of green actions and making the 3R’s an active experience for your family. While all these ideas are valuable and important, in this particular book, I would have preferred that the emphasis remain on creative ways to enjoy and participate in the outdoors. What I read about doing so definitely whetted my appetite for more.

Overall, this is a great book for encouraging you and your family to engage in some fun-filled, green-centered family times!

Get Out! is printed on recycled paper including 30% post-consumer waste by Free Spirit Publishing.