Honeysuckle Store welcomes Linda Drummong to our outdoors edit.

As parents we want the best for our kids. We want them to be happy, healthy and inspired. That’s why this book was written. I wanted to take a child’s natural sense of awe, wonder (and often limitless amount of questions!) and turn it into a love of the outdoors and a sense of self and independence.

How To Raise Outdoor Kids builds on the rose-tinted idyllic childhoods of the 70s and 80s, where kids would explore, ride their bikes till the street lights came on and build wonky treehouses – and transforms this memory into a modern-day inspiration where kids can still feed their sense of adventure – but safely and in keeping with the times.

We all want our kids to be the best they can be. We want them to enjoy the outdoors – but not every kid has the knowhow or the confidence to just get out there. So that’s why I’ve spoken to experts, from scientists, to occupational therapists to arborists to find out how we can spark the delight in every child and get them off their screens – and into green. This book has 29 chapters – and I know your kid’s imagination will be fired in many of them.

Whether they’re an active kid, or one who prefers to lie back and daydream, there’s an activity in here for them (and for you). Whether it’s cloud spotting, hiking, building an insect hotel, community gardening or kitchen science – this book is packed with ideas and activities for kids. Some of Australia’s best scientists and researchers have shared their ideas with us, and you – who doesn’t love learning while you’re having fun?

If you live in the city, the bush, or by the coast – in an apartment, a van or a house – there’s ideas for you. How To Raise Outdoor Kids is inclusive: it’s aimed at ensuring all kids can find their niche and follow their dreams in this big, beautiful country we call our own.