Beyond the Front Door - by Josée Bergeron (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Parents are stressed, anxious, and exhausted. Their children are spending an average of five to seven hours on screens and mere minutes outside each day. This book is for every family who is desperate to detach from screens and find some fun and engaging family time together. Whether you live in a big city, in the suburbs, or out in the country, Josee Bergeron will help you find creative and simple ways to bring the rhythm of nature into your daily routine, just beyond your front door. Following the four seasons, each section contains unique themes and topics to bring families closer to the outdoors in order to improve their mental health and happiness. Bergeron encourages everyone to feel at home in nature and she offers practical ideas for helping you connect with nature through curiosity and relatability. Families can incorporate cultural traditions when interacting with nature and can honor the inherent attributes of the particular land they live on. Whether it's welcoming spring by weaving a wildflower crown, celebrating summer by building a bug hotel, appreciating autumn by preserving leaves in beeswax, or creating a magical ice wreath in winter, families will learn how to embrace nature's seasons and be more in tune with each other and their communities.

Review Quotes

"Beyond the Front Door is your cue to ditch the guilt, grab the kids, and head outside - no fancy gear or flawless plans required. Blending heartfelt storytelling, research, and Indigenous wisdom, Josée Bergeron offers creative ways to reconnect with nature and each other in every season, rain or shine. Refreshingly honest and judgment-free, it's the parenting guide you've been waiting for."

"Beyond the Front Door stopped me in my tracks, made me think, cry, reconsider my choices, and take action to give my family more of the wild life they deserve. The book is honest, insightful, useful, readable, and relatable. This book is like a joyful, playful, practical friend, opening the door, taking us by the hand, and leading us back into the world."

"Beyond [offering] a primer on getting outdoors, Josée has tapped into her deep bond with Mother Nature and given us a verdant path through the forest of modern parenting."

"Children develop a love of nature not by looking at it, nor by walking through it, and certainly not by being lectured about it. They develop a love of nature by playing in it and with it. Josée Bergeron has provided us with a wonderful guide for enabling, encouraging, and enriching such play."

"This book is part rally cry, part plea, and all a big warm hug. It doesn't matter if you're a huge outdoor enthusiast or a person who thinks nature just isn't your scene, there's something for you in this book. Josée crafts her personal parenting struggles with science and data to pull us all towards nature and being outside more. She calls nature her co-parent and I think every parent needs to hear and embrace this. If you struggle with getting outside, she outlines baby steps to do as well as crafts and recipes to lure your children back to the land. This book is both a treasure and a must-read."