Get kids outside: Linda Drummond's Australian Geographic book promises outdoor adventures for families stuck to screens | Watch video

But Newcastle author Linda Drummond wants to encourage children to explore the sights, the sounds and the smells of the great outdoors in the hope it will inspire a lifelong passion for the planet.

The science journalist and mother has written a book called How To Raise Outdoor Kids for Australian Geographic, which parents can read with their children to get them "outside, active and enjoying themselves".

It is full of ideas, information and suggestions to help children choose their own adventure.

"Everything has to be child-led," she said.

"The book is designed to read alongside your child.

"It is all about switching things up and making it different, and saying to the child, 'What do you want to do? Where do you want to go?' And take it at their pace.

"Kids need a challenge, and they like to be inspired."

Everything from insects, to clouds, cooking, "alphabet walks", the joy of community gardens and building treehouses is covered, with scientists and experts from a range of fields offering their insights.

Ms Drummond said both children and adults could benefit from spending more time outside, off the gadgets.

"Even as adults we find ourselves spending too much time on the screen, and we notice a difference in our eyesight and our sense of wellbeing," she said.

"It's hard, because at our fingertips we have this colourful and vibrant world with everything we can possibly need, but then we have also got it outside.

"I spoke with a lot of experts for the book - so it's not just my point of view - and an occupational therapist I spoke to said she actually takes a lot of the things that are online and takes them outside.

"So they play things like Minecraft outside, and even things like Pokemon Go, you can make your own version of that in nature."

Ms Drummond said we were lucky to live in such a "beautiful" part of the world, with so much to see and do.

She hopes the more time we all spend in nature, the more we will learn to respect it and its needs.

"It's really important to re-set," she said. "Even something as simple as getting outside and breathing in the fresh air and having that sunshine on your face and feeling the wind - it centres us, it grounds us and it makes us realise that we are part of this giant, big globe and the role we can play within it as well.

"There's always something delightful out there."

Ms Drummond's book is available online or at MacLean's Booksellers, Hamilton.

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