Born To Be Wild: Hundreds of free nature activities for families (RSPB)

Want to save cash, your child's imagination, and possibly even the planet? This is the book you need. Packed with great photos of real families in the outdoors, Born to Be Wild contains easy-to-follow instructions for activities that require nothing more sophisticated than a child's imagination and access to a little outdoor space.

Organized by season and then by material, it lets parents skip straight to Spring, and then to “Blossom,” “Grass,” or “Earth,” according to their present need. Everything you need to engage in all of its hundreds of activities can be found in your kitchen. No expensive art supplies or outward-bound kit required. All you need is the “Toolkit” listed at the front of the book. These ordinary household essentials include recycled food containers, scraps of paper, string, glue, and an empty jar or two.

Along the way, Hattie Garlick talks to families, organizations, cultures, and communities who have rebuilt their relationships with nature--with inspiring results--and introduces scientists, psychologists, and other experts who explain why nature matters in our children's modern lives.