Outdoor Kids in an Inside World

Getting Your Family Out of the House and Radically Engaged with Nature

By: Steven Rinella

Narrated by: Steven Rinella

Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An imperative call to action” (Nick Offerman) to get children off their screens and into nature, with tips for bonding activities that teach the importance of outside time and build tough, curious, competent kids—from the New York Times bestselling author and host of the TV series and podcast MeatEater

“A revelation for families struggling to get kids to GO OUTSIDE, or to just stop using the darn smartphone.”—Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent

In the era of screens and devices, the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Not only does this phenomenon have consequences for kids’ physical and mental health, it jeopardizes their ability to understand and engage with anything beyond the built environment.

Thankfully, with the right mind-set, families can find beauty, meaning, and connection in a life lived outdoors. Here, outdoors expert Steven Rinella shares the parenting wisdom he has garnered as a father whose family has lived amid the biggest cities and wildest corners of America. Throughout, he offers practical advice for getting kids radically engaged with nature in a muddy, thrilling, hands-on way, with the ultimate goal of helping them see their own place within the natural ecosystem. No matter their location—rural, suburban, or urban—caregivers and kids will bond over activities such as:

• Camping to conquer fears, build tolerance for dirt and discomfort, and savor the timeless pleasure of swapping stories around a campfire.
• Growing a vegetable garden to develop a capacity to nurture and an appreciation for hard work.
• Fishing local lakes and rivers to learn the value of patience while grappling with the possibility of failure.
• Hunting for sustainably managed wild game to face the realities of life, death, and what it really takes to obtain our food.

Living an outdoor lifestyle fosters in kids an insatiable curiosity about the world around them, confidence and self-sufficiency, and, most important, a lifelong sense of stewardship of the natural world. This book helps families connect with nature—and one another—as a joyful part of everyday life.

©2022 Steven Rinella (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Hunting and fishing stories are Rinella’s way of sending out a kind of plea. ‘I want my work to inspire people to think about the things that they love, to learn about the things that they love and to find it in them to advocate on behalf of the things that they love,’ he told me. For Rinella, that thing is the outdoors; he describes himself as ‘an environmentalist with a gun.’”—The New York Times

“I am so sincerely grateful to Mr. Rinella. For many years, I have been laboring to answer the question of how to get all of our kids off the couch and back outside into nature. Now I can just hand their parents this book—an imperative call to action that contains the secrets to living better through getting outside, and having fun while doing it.”—Nick Offerman, New York Times bestselling author of Paddle Your Own Canoe

“A revelation for families struggling to get kids to GO OUTSIDE, or to just stop using the darn smartphone. Steve Rinella uncovers the root cause of the screen-time battle and provides the perfect solution for it. Packed with funny anecdotes, nuggets of wisdom, and actionable advice, Outdoor Kids will have everyone excited to leave the house faster than a roly-poly hides under a rock.”—Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Hunt, Gather, Parent

A must read for parents

Wow. Steve captures so many rogue feelings I’ve had as a father and puts such clarity on many things. A wonderful book with wonderful narration. I’ll be purchasing a hard copy for note purposes and I’m sure listening to the chapters many times over again.

Thoroughly enjoyed

A unique perspective on how to engage kids with nature. Offers ideas and perspective that challenge the cultural norm. The book finds ways to engage with kids on multiple levels. Some ideas are admittably deeper and more challenging, but most are extremely attainable ways to get kids involved with the world around them. Excellent read.

Brilliant!

Brilliant! I have 4 kids ranging from 25-1. I have raised them outdoors for all these years and found several new ideas or different ways of looking at things that I will use from this book. Such a great listen.

Perfect

Having an eleven year old and 1 year old boy and a little girl due any day now, this book was perfect. I love the sections on urban foraging because we can’t always get to the woods or the mountains to go fishing, camping, or hunting. Every part of this book is filled with nuggets about how to get your kids thinking about the outdoors. Rinella is a great story teller and his voice is perfect for this book. His experience as a father really comes through. Can’t recommend this book enough!

Must Read for Any Parent

I’m constantly amazed by how inspiring, informative and important Steve Rinella’s writing is to the modern family. This one is prescient, interesting and a great listen. So great I plan to give this to friends and family wherever possible.

All kids should be raised this way!!

couldn't put it down. Start to finish. Great book! I recommend it to any parent, especially parents of kids with too much screen time. We can all learn something from this book.

Good book

Steve tells stories about his experiences as a child and raising them. Had a few helpful things for me personally. Might have more for city slickers that are out of place in a city park. Decent read though.

Rinellas best book yet!!!

everyone should read or listen to this book no matter what your parenting status

Excellent insight from one of the best writers and outdoorsman!

Another great piece of work by Steven Rinella!
I don’t know if there is a better qualified person to write on this subject! Highly recommended!

Very good!

This book really hit home and had me in tears at several points as it showed me the places where I have fallen behind with my kids. I definitely recommend it!

Much less than expected

Much less concrete advice than expected. 2 stars just for first and final chapters.

Great book

Love all of Steve’s stuff. Very articulate, humble and honest. Quick to point out his own flaws and recognise where improvement could be made.

Call of the wild

Though a fan of both the Meateater podcast, and tv show, the US centric nature of the material can be a little frustrating. Not because I expect the guys to be more globally inclusive, but because it reminds me of the draconian access laws we suffer here in the U.K.
Happily the philosophy promoted in the book is more a guideline for encouraging kids everywhere to be more aware of their natural environment, than a step by step guide to taking advantage of American land access liberalism.
Beautifully written and narrated, a thoroughly enjoyable addition to any responsible caregiver’s arsenal.