An odd one. Something about the tone didn't work for me, and starting with Dandelion Elastic bands was an odd choice, but there were loads of interesting ideas here and plenty I hadn't heard of before. So often in nature books the assumption is that the reader is a computer-addicted city dweller who hasn't ever touched a tree, and that's always a bit patronising. But I will get past that & try some of the fun activities that I'm sure the writer offered in good spirit, they are clearly very experienced.

Good idea.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. All the best to the author for future endeavors.

A fantastic read full of ideas for things to do in the woods or forest, either by yourself or with the kids. Fun and education for all the family.

I live in the Midwest and have recently gotten into foraging and outdoor activities, but unfortunately, it's not very exciting for a 4-year-old to go in the woods looking at different leaves. I love this book because it's for all ages and really gives a lot of creative activities and there is definitely something for everyone!

I loved the ideas in 100 Things to do in a Forest. We spend a lot of time in the New Forest, but having the book gave a different perspective on things, and it was fun to do with my daughter. Anything that gets you out in the forest can only be a good thing!

We absolutely love adventures and exploring the woods. This book was so brilliant, as it gave us lots of fun adventures and activities we could enjoy together, as we explored. Ada found the activities really fun and we loved grabbing the book each day, to decide what to try out next. It is great for a variety of ages and really so worth having!

Good ideas and topics, history, surviving. It has a regular index and by category. Cool ideas to explore and ideas to jump off of. Some could be obvious and others can be built upon.

This is a sweet book with lovely illustrations and lots of good ideas of ways to spend time in the forest. I have to admit I was a bit flummoxed by the suggestion of playing frisbee with cowpies (dried flattened cow poop). Um... just no. No. (I also wonder why cows are in the forest, but that's beside the point.) That said, it is otherwise filled with lots of easy and fun suggestions. There are sure to be some that appeal to you and/or your kiddos.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via Net Galley.

This is a lovely book filled with a wide variety of different and creative things to do in a forest. It is aimed at all ages from young children to adults looking to explore nature and become more mindful. There is something playful in there for everyone. The illustrations are lovely and really spice up the book. It is a brilliant way to get young children out and about in nature. To be fair not all the activities appeal but I still liked reading them. It is just a nice book to browse through too, and it would make a lovely gift.

As the parent of a small child, I found myself perhaps appreciating this title even more than I would have prior. I’m always looking for opportunities to embrace my son’s natural curiosity, and this book was the ticket, from the first tidbit about dandelion rubber bands on (did you know there were so many uses for this lovely little weed? I didn’t). You don’t need to have a small child to appreciate what this book does though- it ultimately seeks to connect the reader with nature, its beauty, and the dynamic changes happening in front of us, whether it be following a beetle or taking a silent hike with a friend. The illustrations are sweet and whimsical, and reminded me much of Carson Ellis’s delightful Wildwood children’s series paintings.

I found this book to be such a fun read, full of great suggestions and ideas! I originally started reading this as an e-galley but I could only get it to load on my phone, and I really don’t like reading on my phone. I had read enough of it however, that I knew I wanted to add it to our family’s collection of nature books – so I ordered it. I am so glad that I did. This book will be one to return to for new ideas throughout the seasons!

A few favorites: A dice-rolling walk, the silence of twenty things, leaf pinning, and a wishing tree. There were a few ideas in the book as well, that did not necessarily need to be done in a forest, just outside. I was happy to see that we already do a few of them, such as wassailing our apple tree in the winter and canopy gazing, one of my favorite lazy Sunday picnic day activities.

Sometimes with list books, I find that there are more suggestions for things I would never do or try than I would actually do. This is not the case with this book though – there were more ideas that I want to try than not, although there are a few I will skip.

This book is also gorgeously illustrated! I am so happy that I splurged on a physical copy as I loved flipping through and looking at the illustrations. They are dreamy and beautiful!

This is a fun book, and definitely a book for those looking for a few more ideas for outside time – which I think many people are doing right now. I could see having our family take turns picking a random number on the weekends and opening the book to reveal our adventure for the day. Overall, a great addition to your home library!

Thank you to NetGalley and Laurence King Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Fun Forest Visit Ideas

I lived by a redwood forest for 10 years, and I still miss it. There's something about the majesty of wonderful old trees that replenishes vitality and nourishes the soul. If I still lived near that forest, I would certainly have fun with the ideas provided in this book. This is a book meant for adults, although the adults could bring children along for most of the activities; it would be ideal for a family camping trip. Having lived for so long by a forest, I quite often did some activities suggested in the book, so I found the ideas here to be in sync with living by and loving forests. The book lists all the activities in the table of contents, which I found handy. Then, each activity is given a page or two of description as well as an illustration of some kind (for most of them), small or large. Some illustrations were quite beautiful and certainly evocative of the forest and what the activity is. These illustrations would appeal to both children and adults; they seem to reflect a child-like wonder. If you live by a forest or if you like visiting them, this book will be a handy companion to help get you closer to nature in ways that you will enjoy and will feed your soul.

Wow. This book was absolutely great!

Perfect for people who have little ones and for those who want to learn about nature and fun at the same time, I was particularly impressed with the "Birch Bark Baths" and would love to try one at some point, great for relieving pain and inflammation! Who knew?

This book had it all, drawings, activities, and even advice, some of it tickled me, some of it was interesting and it's something you could read up on before going out to a specific place!

The author has clearly poured in a lot of thought into this book and I love that! The writing is relaxed, fun and playful, so it's less like you're being talked at and more like you're being talked to. Refreshing in books that are informative! I love it!

This is definitely a book, I would have on my shelf!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you very much for the ARC.

A very helpful and entertaining guide with absolutely gorgeous illustrations. Wish the information were displayed in a bigger font size but with a bit less text in some parts. Would definitely read it before camping or would gift for someone who's a outdoor nature lover.

This book was a delight and brought me back to my childhood -I was fortunate enough to grow up in a place with easy access to woodlands and forests, and my friends and I spent much unsupervised time there, exploring, fishing, and catching crayfish.

100 Things to do in a Forest goes a lot further than my friends and I ever did (making jam in the woods would've taken much more planning than we were likely to do,) but there are activities suitable for both children and adults. There's a nice mix of the practical ( building and starting a fire, hanging a hammock,) the spiritual (meditation, solstice celebrations,) and the whimsical (making a grass whistle, whittling, creating land art.)

There are, of course, many sections that only touch the surface of a much deeper subject, such as foraging for edibles and identifying animal tracks and native trees and plants, but this book is a nice starting point for those who have t been out in the woods in a while.

Lots of ideas for things to do in. natural environments, and the illustrations by Eleanor Taylor are quite lovely.

This book is much needed in a world where it seems many have lost the ability to just be in nature. Our minds are busy and hearts desire rest and quiet and peace but for some reason, we have forgotten that nature and fully enjoying it is a simple way to gain that quiet and peace. I often enjoy hiking and playing in forests and rivers and lakes with my own family so this book interested me greatly.

The cover is beautifully artistic and draws one in to read all about the activities you can do while enjoying the great outdoors.The book then opens up to a table of contents and promises interesting ideas such as: listening to trees, canopy gazing, animal tracking, and natural movement. You will further find very practical and useful knowledge like whittling skills, shelter building, scat recognition, and fire lighting. The little illustrations that accompany are whimsical and very well done. The author, Jennifer Davis, does a very good job of giving us small ideas that really can bring about big changes in learning how to enjoy our natural world.

Despite the delightful pictures and useful information, there were a few inclusions that bothered me. The section on edible berries, while drawn very well, includes only a few berries and not enough details. This includes the edible wildflowers portion. Please stick with a more comprehensive book on what you can and cannot eat in the wild, or better yet, contact your local wilderness expert who can teach you on-field. As far the the tree dressing section, please do not do this. It is best to leave nature alone as much as possible. Putting clothes, biodegradable or not, is not appropriate unless it is a tree in your own yard.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I feel that if you need ideas on new adventures when you go to the woods, this book provides many. There are enough to keep you going for many hikes and camping trips and it will probably open you up to start thinking of new ways you can enjoy the outdoors.

I really wanted to like this book. I think if it had been kept to 50 things to do in a forest I would have done as there were some lovely ideas, and I learned a lot. For example did you know you could make an elastic band out of Dandelion juice? However, several of the ideas seemed virtually the same, whether you call it mindlessness (a play on mindfulness), forest bathing or meditation. Also several ideas related to starting a fire in the forest whether making a bonfire or a solar oven , which did not seem a very safe idea with the risk of forest wild fires Being so high. Further quite a few of the ideas given did not particularly relate to a forest environment, for example making a cowpat frisbee. I have never encountered any cows in a forest in the UK. Maybe that is the difference. There was a very good section on safely identifying edible berries, but in a piece about an elder tree there was no such aid to identification. The book had ideas for all ages in the family, indeed it was a bit unclear as to what age group this was aimed at. So overall Sorry to say I was disappointed. Some great ideas but should have perhaps picked the best 50 instead of stretching it out.

Delightful, beautifully illustrated book that will be timely and helpful for people looking for family activities and for anyone who needs some calming, dappled light and fresh air. The book has activities geared to different ages and levels of commitment.

A child may want to make a daisy chain, collect edible flowers, follow a bug, or study the micro world framed by a piece of string. A teenager or adult might want to bring the fixings for campfire bread and gather berries for impromptu forest jam. True believers may want to try forest yoga or the manifold creative ways to listen to the symphony of the rain. And that's even before we approach the thought of cow pie frisbee.

There's a lot to pick and choose from in this book. The tone is light yet respectful of the forest, the park, or any collection of trees. It makes you want to be outdoors.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a wonderful mixture of fun activities and useful skills.
Including a wide range of activities, there is so much to try.
I cannot wait to get a finished copy.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a complimentary eARC for review purposes*

"100 Things to do in a Forest" is such a fun, whimsical book that really gets your imagination going! For anyone who regularly walks, hikes or wants to get out into nature this gives some great and yet some strange ideas of things you can do in a forest. Some things are more practical and easy to do and others require much more work and preparation, Wherever you are in your life, getting into the woods is healthy, fun and can improve your overall health and mental outlook!

I highly recommend this to a parent with kids looking for fun things to do outside or someone who is a kid at heart! Enjoy and go out, get this book and go for a hike in your local woods!