From the hosts of Bravo's Backyard Envy comes a beautifully photographed guide to converting your outdoor space into an enviable oasis, whether you have a backyard, brownstone patio, or three-season porch. Dubbed the "plantfluencers" by the New York Times, Mel Brasier, Garrett Magee, and James DeSantis, owners of the Manscapers landscaping company, do more than plant, mulch, and manicure a garden; they look at the space just as interior designers do a room, considering the aesthetics and the way people live in it. Now they show you how to apply familiar interior design principles to your outdoors, including: Deciding on a concept to help direct the mood of your space "Zoning" your space into functional areas, such as for lounging, cooking, or entertaining Defining the areas with furniture and hardscaping like fencing, decking, pools, planters, pergolas, and pathways Bringing in the green, including plants that are both functional (privacy shrubs and shade trees) and decorative (pretty perennials, climbers, and textural grasses) Adding the finishing touches: the pillows, throws, hurricane lanterns, and other details that will make you want to linger long after sunset Plus, you'll have information on hiring a contractor and landscaper and the specific materials and plants the Manscapers love to use in their designs. No matter how big or small your exterior space, this ultimate guide to landscape design will help you bring the comfort of the indoors outside.

One educator's story detailing a cross-Canada run to inspire students and teachers to get outside and experience the benefits and beauty of nature. You'd think starting a non-profit organization aimed at getting young people to spend less time in front of screens and more time outside would be difficult enough. But with a decrepit support vehicle housing two dogs that despised each other, a good friend who left after five months, a lot of peanut butter, and a hope to inspire thousands of students, Colin Harris decided to start this journey by running 7600 kilometres, the equivalent of 181 marathons, across Canada. And to ensure this was a truly Canadian venture, he started in the bleak and snowy month of January. Take Me Outside is Colin's story of spending nine months running from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia, visiting over 80 schools along the way to engage with 20,000 students about the importance of spending time outside learning, playing, and exploring in the Canadian landscape. With one of the biggest and best backyards in the world, people across Canada are spending the vast majority of their time inside. Yet, our identity as Canadians has always been rooted in our relationship with the outdoors. This wildly entertaining book not only recounts what it's like to run across the world's second-largest country but also implores readers of all ages to reignite their connection with the natural world.

Children love outdoor play. Now teachers can combine the magic and excitement of the outdoors with activities that encourage and support learning! With more than one hundred new teacher-created, classroom-tested outdoor activities, Let's Take It Outside! engages children's minds and bodies as they explore the limitless bounds of the outdoors while also building key skills in areas like math, literacy and language, science, art, and music. Perfect for ages three to six, the activities in Let's Take It Outside! take kids on an outdoor adventure as they make mud-dough letters, go on a rainbow scavenger hunt, and play animal charades. Let's Take It Outside! is the result of a nationwide contest among teachers. The best of the best activities are selected and organized by theme for easy use. Themes include counting, alphabet, colors, shapes, art, touch, sound and sight, plants and gardening, bubbles and air, light and shadow, animals and insects, dramatic play, and large motor skills.

I Hate Running and You Can Too is a humorous, punchy, motivating guide to running longer distances than some might think sensible - whether that's a 5K or a marathon. Outside magazine columnist, chart-ist, and longtime runner, Brendan Leonard gets real on the love/hate relationship all runners have with the sport. He breaks down running in terms that speak to everyone who has ever struggled to get out the door and go for a run: getting comfortable being uncomfortable, how to start small and stick with it, that walking is a completely legitimate running strategy, and devising your own definition of success. Filled with 75 charts and graphs that give readers a sensible way to think about running, I Hate Running and You Can Too breaks down the reality of the training miles versus race miles, how to stay motivated, and what to do when faced with setbacks. I Hate Running and You Can Too shows readers that you won't always like running (sometimes you'll even hate it), but if you just keep going, you might learn to love it too.

Do you struggle with low energy or poor memory? Discover the simple antidote for bringing control back to your life. Do you suffer from a chronic disease? Do you worry about your brain deteriorating with old age? Are your emotions getting the better of you? Retired Professor of Nursing Verla Fortier suffered for years with a debilitating systemic lupus diagnosis that she transformed, with some remarkable research, into the restorative power of outdoor greenery. Now she'll show you how just a few hours every month spent in Mother Nature's backyard can completely rejuvenate your life. Take Back Your Outside Mindset: Live Longer, Prevent Dementia, and Control Chronic Illness is a well-researched, practical guide to employing exposure to trees, shrubs, plants, and grass as a powerful remedy. With simple directed activities, Professor Fortier takes you through the science of improving your health using the great outdoors. You'll learn how increasing time spent out of the house will make you feel renewed like you're on a permanent vacation. In Take Back Your Outside Mindset, you'll discover: The specific peer-reviewed evidence showing the potential of open-air healing and how it improves longevity How many hours and times per week you should get out into green areas to maximize your health Why being among plants shifts your nervous system into a more relaxed state Strategies to shift your mindset from fear of failure to necessary stepping stones for progress More than a hundred things to do outdoors, practical action steps in every chapter, a companion workbook, and much, much more! Take Back Your Outside Mindset: Live Longer, Prevent Dementia, and Control Chronic Illness is an innovative approach to reclaiming your health out-of-doors. If you like alternative approaches, scientific evidence, and naturally occurring free resources, then you'll love Professor Verla Fortier's liberating book. Buy Take Back Your Outside Mindset to breathe in the Earth's healing gifts today!

Outdoor Inquiries offers approaches to help students become skilled at asking their own questions, gathering their own data and analyzing it for themselves-to become real inquirers. We recommend it to all of our teachers. -Lynn Rankin Director, Institute for Inquiry, Exploratorium The book is a great treasure for all science educators. -Hubert Dyasi City College of New York Here'ssome advice for teachers looking for science instruction to supplement their science textbooks and kits: Take it outside! Conducting science investigations beyond the four walls of the classroom is one of the best ways for young people to develop scientific thinking and to practice gathering and analyzing their own data. Outdoor Inquiries is the clear, concise handbook that shows you how. Outdoor Inquiries takes you step by step through guiding intermediate and middle level students to new and deeper understandings of scientific content, thinking, and procedures. From smart, pragmatic advice-including how to select an appropriate site for investigation, what to bring with you, and how to ensure student safety-to powerful, detailed lesson plans, suggestions for cross-curricular integration, and useful ideas for assessment, Outdoor Inquiries offers everything you need to get started. It outlines five interrelated strategies to use with students as they investigate their local environment: journal keeping mapping collection making field-guide development behavior study. In addition, detailed classroom vignettes from a variety of settings demonstrate how each inquiry strategy helps your students meet several recommendations of the National Science Education Standards by engaging them in: close observation long-term data gathering the generation of thoughtful questions data analysis. Step outside the usual kit-based science instruction. Nurture the inquiries of your science learners by helping them apply critical thinking skills to the real world as they make meaningful connections to their natural, dynamic local environment. Use Outdoor Inquiries and discover that when it comes to teaching science, the natural world can be your most effective instructional tool.

From the founder of the Fat Girls Hiking community, this inclusive and inspiring guide to the great outdoors will inspire people of all body types, sizes, abilties, and backgrounds.