After a lot of hard work, sweat and - yes - even tears, we have published a book containing 64 activities for use outdoors with children. The book is designed primarily for use by therapists and can also be helpful to parents, youth leaders and teachers. The activities vary in their challenge from sitting against an oak tree visualising a secret entrance to swinging on a rope across a ditch. Group challenges include building stepping stones across a small river and getting your whole team from one point of the forest to another without being seen.

Each activity has a therapeutic theme and purpose. The book is useful for building children's confidence and self-esteem as well as for enabling them to express feelings that may have been bottled up for years.

There are plenty of safety warnings in the book so that the facilitator can ensure maximum safety for children. Equipment is kept to a minimum and many of the activities can be done in a nearby woods or even a park.

We have written the book partly because we believe children need this kind of thing and partly to help our therapeutic work in Romania. Here we are developing play therapy and psychotherapy for children in poverty as well as children who have been abandoned, abused or traumatised. This is all very new here, but desperately needed.

If you want a copy of the book Therapeutic Adventure Game: 64 activities for therapy outdoors (price £10 plus £3 p&p)please contact us at romaniaretreat@hotmail.com All money from the sale of this book goes directly to the work here.

Roger & Christine Day