Things-I-have-learned-as-a-parent number 359: A walk for the sheer fun of it, in our local park or nature reserve, is never complete without a stick.
The sooner the girls can find one which meets their ideals for the day the happier they are. A big one to lean on, a little one to become a wand, a bendy one to be a flag: a stick is an essential acquisition on any sort of exploration.
And so it was with some eagerness that I accepted The Stick Book by Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks for review. Would the girls and I get new ideas and be inspired in new ways? Would it encourage us out on those days we were suffering from inertia? Would it make me look with refreshed, delighted eyes at the pile of sticks by our back door that grows and grows and normally has me rolling my eyes in slight desperation?
The Stick Book contains 70 different ideas for using sticks in outdoor play. There are 8 themed chapters, for example one on “Stick games” (including pick up sticks, capture the flag, and tracking with stick), one on “Adventure sticks” (including building dens, swords, catapults and spear throwers) and on on “Watery sticks” (including pooh sticks, making a mini raft and measuring the depth of a stream). Each activity is accompanied by a photograph and tips or brief instructions on the activity in question.
Essentially, this is a craft book, not unlike those you might get from the library packed with Easter crafts or Egyptian crafts. It’s just that this time the unifying theme is outdoor play with sticks. And like many craft books, with the advent of the internet, and great sites like Let the Children Play, the ideas you find within the pages are probably available for free somewhere online, and many of them are so simple (such as playing pooh sticks) that you might wonder if this really is a book worth buying.
It’s definitely worth seeking out. By bringing all the ideas together in one place it IS stimulating. It has motivated the girls and me get our shoes on and go walking and looking for good sticks. M in particular has enjoyed reading the book herself, and choosing an activity she’d like to do. I particularly like the fact that all the people who feature in this book’s photographs are kids. There’s not an adult to be seen in this idyllic, natural landscape full of potential for adventure.
As children increasingly lose contact with outdoor play, and adults become less confident and comfortable with it (after all, isn’t it easier to put on a DVD?), this book will hopefully be a useful reminder of how simple and enjoyable it is to play outdoors. All you need is a stick and a little bit of inspiration.
In the grip of Harry Potter fever Bill recently forked out his own money on one of their branded plastic wands. He has discovered though that it is MUCH less satisfying than the bounty of free wands to be scavenged in the garden/woods. They have better magic (of course). I like the fact that a stick wand can accomplish so much more and be much more creatively used than the stick guns/swords that we had plenty of before.
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I love the idea of this book, it’ll be going on the wish list! And am thinking of gifting the two books together as a birthday present, think it would be a lovely bundle.
The books sound wonderful!
Was going to suggest Stickman but you obviously know of it
This also brings to my mind a vivid image of the time we were in the Heath – it had just rained and my daughter and her friends took turns in stirring this big puddle of muck with a long stick. They played on for almost two hours – best example of why we dont really need plastic toys!
Hi Polly,
I’m completely with you. And the feel of a wooden wand is also so lovely.
Helen, Yes! I think they would make an absolutely super birthday bundle
Aah Choxbox, sticks and MUD – a very good combination!
Zoe recently posted..All you need is a stick