Let Them Be Eaten By Bears: A Fearless Guide to Taking Our Kids Into the Great Outdoors

by Peter Brown Hoffmeister

Overview

Get ready to go out and play…

Based on the author’s acclaimed Integrated Outdoor Program, Let Them Be Eaten by Bears is Peter Hoffmeister’s inspiring guide to helping kids enjoy nature and appreciate the great outdoors. Drawing from his personal and professional background as an educator, guide, writer, and father, and focusing on fun rather than fear, Hoffmeister offers an approachable, fun reintroduction to hiking, camping, and all-around exploring that will help parents and kids alike feel empowered and capable.

Whether you’re a veteran outdoorsperson, a first-time hiker, or anything in between, get ready to put on your sneakers, turn off your video games, and rediscover the simple, powerful joy of going out to play.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101622599
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/07/2013
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Peter Brown Hoffmeister is the cofounder and director of South Eugene High School’s Integrated Outdoor Program, a thematic and comprehensive literature and outdoor pursuits program for special ed, regular track, and TAG students. He is a veteran rafting, climbing, and orienteering guide and a writer for the Huffington Post, Climbing, Rock and Ice, and Gripped, among others.

Table of Contents

1 Did That Kid Just Steal Your Nature? 1

2 Get Out of Your Comfort Zone 15

3 You Don't Have to Be an Expert and You Don't Have to Be Alone 27

4 Anti-American Ethic: When You Go Out, Take Fewer Things 43

5 There Is No Bad Weather, Only Inappropriate Clothing 57

6 Perfect Isn't Fun and Failure Is Always an Option 69

7 Like the Cavemen: A Case for Storytelling 77

8 Scrapes and Bruises Are Just Childhood 85

9 Relax, Go Shorter: Lower Your Expectations 97

10 Beyond Xanax: Understanding Fear and Simple Survival 111

11 Chasing the Squirrels: Let the Kids Lead 127

12 Teaching Techniques + Thirty Skills and Practices List 139

13 Dying Is Bad: Thirteen Safety Rules 149

14 God Made Dirt and Dirt Don't Hurt: Mantras 169

15 Wiffle Ball and Freeze Tag: Play Childhood Games 179

16 Sharks and Bears: My Girl Is as Strong as Your Boy 187

17 Paroled and Troubled Teens: The Reluctant Group Members 195

18 Just Go 207

References 215

A Few Reading Suggestions 223

Acknowledgments 227

Index 231

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In an age when the pressures are all against kids spending time outdoors, it takes a determined and resourceful writer to go against this tide. Peter Brown Hoffmeister is one such writer and this book deserves to be read very widely.”
—Tristan Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator

"In an age where humans desperately need to get out in nature again, Hoffmeister's practical guidance is a bridge to get us over the gap of our fears and not-knowing. They say 'the knowing is in the doing' - Hoffmeister clearly has the knowing, and his sharing of it will help you into your own doing."
—Evan McGown, co-author of Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature

"This book is a how-to, a call to action and a lot of fun...Hoffmeister will make you a believer."
—The Register Guard

 

Editorial Reviews

In an age when the pressures are all against kids spending time outdoors, it takes a determined and resourceful writer to go against this tide. Peter Brown Hoffmeister is one such writer and this book deserves to be read very widely.”
—Tristan Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator

"In an age where humans desperately need to get out in nature again, Hoffmeister's practical guidance is a bridge to get us over the gap of our fears and not-knowing. They say 'the knowing is in the doing' - Hoffmeister clearly has the knowing, and his sharing of it will help you into your own doing."
—Evan McGown, co-author of Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature

"This book is a how-to, a call to action and a lot of fun...Hoffmeister will make you a believer."
—The Register Guard

 

From the Publisher