Getting Your Family Out of the House and Radically Engaged with Nature
Starred review from February 21, 2022
“Kids need to understand that they are not above, outside, or apart from their physical environment,” writes Rinella (The Meateater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival), host of the MeatEater TV show, in this gem of a guide. He begins with a “prescription” for how readers and their families “can begin to see nature eye-to-eye,” which involves parents leading by example and, if needed, starting small, such as with treks in the yard, the local park, or even on an apartment building’s balcony. He suggests a bevy of activities: there’s camping (start with car camping), foraging (fun because of kids’ “natural curiosity”), gardening (which teaches kids “patience and hard work”), fishing (an “incredible relationship-building and mentoring tool”), and hunting (with the thoughtful acknowledgment that it might not be for everyone). Rinella’s enthusiasm for outdoor activities is contagious, and he offers plenty of fun stories from his own adventures with his family, as when, while on a berry-picking outing to stock the freezer, Rinella discovered that his youngest was feeding his crop to the dog. As useful as it is charming, this should go a long way toward convincing readers to get up, gather the family, and enjoy what nature has in store.