Sticks and Stones: A Kid's Guide to Building and Exploring in the Great Outdoors

I returned it as it is for much older kids..not toddlers..great ideas for k8ds who like nature & survival tasks

Melissa provides not only fun ways to enjoy the outdoors, but the science and engineering behind the play to take advantage of teachable moments while children explore the natural world. The ideas are simple and require use of items that are either free or that many families will already have. Her descriptions are clear and easy to follow, enhanced by beautiful photographs that make it easy to understand the suggested projects. Even better, she provides suggestions for how to take each idea a little further, which will be appreciated by parents whose children are especially enjoying any of the outdoor adventures described in this book. With the summer coming fast, this would be a welcome source of ideas for parents who want ideas to entice their kids outside and away from their televisions, cell phones or computer screens! I am getting this as a gift for a friend who has an adventurous toddler. This is a source of great ideas for this summer and is full of suggestions that her child will continue to enjoy for years to come!

Okay, I am just in awe of this book. This is the real deal when it comes to using the outdoors to its fullest potential! So many ways to inspire the kids to get creative, play, build with natural materials. I will definitely be using this with my kids (especially this summer). What I really love is I can tell my children (ages 7 and 11) will both not only love the activities, but I can see them using these ideas as a springboard for even more creativity and building on their own. I also love that so many of these ideas are toys or structures that a parent or teacher might think "how fun to build this for my kiddos to play with all year long"- like the magical play fort or the log weaving loom fort, but with this book you are actually encouraging the KIDS to see the building and creating as part of the fun. High quality book, superb ideas, a keeper for sure. (I'll be snagging a few for gifts too!)

The majority of these crafts require thicker beaches or logs to complete. If you are in an urban or, in some cases, a suburban area, you might struggle to find materials to complete the crafts with your kids.

This is such a great book - in this day and age of electronic fun, it is so refreshing to find a book that celebrates the outdoors!! I ordered this book as soon as I saw it, and my kids have been asking to go to the park every day since. There are fun activities through this whole book, many that kids can do on their own. The pictures are amazing, and step by step instructions make it so easy. I have already ordered more as birthday gifts for my nieces and nephews!

this is a nice book, but more toward pre teen ages, as that my 9 year old granchild said it was too much for her to do as well as not suited for the 5 year old, but a great book and plenty to do from it's contents.

I don't think the boys have built anything yet, but they seemed excited about getting this book for Christmas. They both looked at it for a long time. They are ages 9 and 11. They have a woodsy area behind their house, and I'm optimistic that they and their friends will use the book for some projects.

I bought this book for my 8 year old grandchildren and there are so many great outdoor projects in this book! A lean-to, a teepee, a bridge...so great for the imagination and fun of exploring outdoors. All they need are lots of backyard sticks and twine and time. Probably all pretty abundant right now as parents are looking for activities for their kids. I highly recommend this book.

I have bought better books if your a outdoor educator dont bother as of your like me you already know most of it

I think the idea behind this book is great. I have yet to give it as a gift but have gone through all the projects. I think for many, the instructions are not detailed enough - especially for a child.

The projects in the book are very doable and usually don't require much other than the sticks and stones themselves. The pictures really sparked my son's interest, and we've had some great times making things from the book. Really useful source of ideas for outdoor play, creativity and mindfulness.

The cover, the size of the book make it so easy to carry on nature trails and parks. Creative ideas that bring joy to everyone.

This is another good little reference book although it would benefit from more concise instructions. For example, one of the knot tying pages could have been broken down in to step by step instructions with step by step pictures for people who are less confident with knots. It is one of those books which has lovely inspiring photos and not so much in the way of clear or step by step instructions hence it makes for a good reference book. Some of the ideas you might want to look up on the internet to clarify how to do them if you struggle with the limited instructions and can't tell from the pictures, how to do them.