Wild Nights Out: The Magic of Exploring the Outdoors After Dark — By Chris Salisbury, Foreword by Chris Peckham

"Wild Nights Out is a masterful guide for night walks. Chock-full of engaging games and fascinating information, this book makes leading night-time excursions a joy. Chris Salisbury has created a magnificent and comprehensive resource for anyone who loves the night."

— Joseph Bharat Cornell, author of "Sharing Nature", "Deep Nature Play", and "Flow Learning"

"Chris Salisbury knows of what he speaks. This storyteller has been thoroughly drubbed in nature’s mood swings and come up the wiser for it. Wild Nights Out is an inventive mapping of that accumulated knowledge. Long before it was even vaguely fashionable, Chris was walking the roads of wildness and story, and this book is a lovely testament to his devotion.

Both pragmatic and poetic, Wild Nights Out will be a worthy companion for anyone who yearns for a fresh and unexpected relationship to the living world. There are big, powerful energies out there in the dark, and a few have slipped into this book, chewing on its edges.."

— Dr Martin Shaw, author of "Smoke Hole" and "Courting the Wild Twin"

"Wild Nights Out is the night’s song, seducing us like a siren on a rock, beckoning us to dive deep into an enchanted world. Chris Salisbury has collated a hundred reasons to step over this threshold and explore, perhaps for the first time, the wonder of the wild night. Stars, stories, songs and games come out of his wizard’s hat to reacquaint us with the mysteries of nocturnal nature. As an educator and parent, I’m so glad this book has been offered to a world hungry for meaning and connection."

— Charlotte Church, singer and broadcaster; founder, Awen Project

"In his wonderful book, Wild Nights Out, Chris Salisbury reminds us of so many things forgotten. The night is truly fully half of our lives. Yet today we live as if we only experience the day. Through his wonderful stories, lore, science and accessible activities, Chris helps us remember that we are, as humans, at least half darkness. Through the journey of Wild Nights Out, we are remembering the part of us that has been hidden in recent times, and it’s like meeting a long-lost relative that we truly love."

— Jon Young, author of "Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature" and "What the Robin Knows"

"Chris Salisbury is without doubt one of the world’s foremost outdoor ecological educators, as I have seen myself over and over again at Schumacher College. In this marvellously well-written book, Chris shares his decades of wisdom and experience about how to bring children into the presence of the night as a living being, with her sounds, sights, smells, depths and imaginings.

Even if you don’t use this book with children specifically in mind, like me, you’ll be enchanted from start to finish by its capacity to introduce you and people of all ages to the wonders of the night. You’ll feel a powerful urge to go out into the night yourself with Chris and his book as guides to wake up your forgotten child’s vivid perceptions of nature. Obey that urge and discover Gaia. Chris’s book is a masterpiece – an important landmark in the growing literature on ecological education."

— Dr Stephan Harding, Deep Ecology Research Fellow, senior lecturer in Holistic Science, Schumacher College, Dartington, UK

Learn how to call for owls, walk like a fox and expand your sensory perceptions. Wild Nights Out is a wonderful new hands-on guide for those who wish to take kids (of all ages) outdoors for fun, thrilling nighttime nature adventures.

The go-to guide for exploring nature at night, whether on summer holidays, weekends away or even back garden adventures!

Parents, grandparents, teachers and nature educators alike will discover a wealth of unique activities to explore the natural world from dusk till dawn.

Alongside games, walks and exercises to expand our senses, storyteller and outdoor educator Chris Salisbury brings this unexplored nocturnal dimension to life with lore about badgers, bats and minibeasts as well as tales of the constellations and planets to share around the campfire.

The activities in "Wild Nights Out" are a great excuse to turn off the television, set down smartphones, and explore the rich, mysterious world just beyond the back door.

In Wild Nights Out you can expect to find:

• 25 fun and informative games and activities
  
• Practical information on how to conduct night walks safely 
  
• Animal facts and stargazing stories
  
• Beautiful black-and-white illustrations throughout

Nature has so much to offer at night, so let Wild Nights Out be your guide to the dark. It will boost the resilience and self-confidence of children and adults, and instill a lifelong love of having fun in the outdoors when the sun goes down.

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCING THE NIGHT
2. TOOLS OF THE TRADE
3. BUILDING SENSORY AWARENESS
4. DISCOVERING NOCTURNAL CREATURES
5. LEARNING THE NIGHT SKY
6. LEADING NIGHTTIME NATURE OUTINGS
7. CAMPFIRE TIME

THE DETAILS

Format: New Paperback

Published: May 27, 2021

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Pages: 224, Black-and-white illustrations throughout

Dimensions: 9" inches H x 6" inches W x 0.6"inches T 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Salisbury founded WildWise in 1999 after many years working as an education officer for Devon Wildlife Trust. With a background in the theatre, a training in therapy and a career in environmental education, he uses every creative means at his disposal to encourage people to enjoy and value the natural world.

Chris directs the acclaimed Call of the Wild Foundation programme for educators-in-training as well as Where the Wild Things Are, a rewilding adventure based at Embercombe in Devon. He is also a professional storyteller (aka 'Spindle Wayfarer') and is the co-founder and artistic director for the Westcountry and Oxford Storytelling Festivals.

Chris lives in the enchantment of the Dart Valley, Devon, UK with his lovely wife, two pesky children, and an astonishing dog called Dexter.