Bendylegs Granola

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Live Bendylegs

Recently,  I came across a survey suggesting some worrying statistics which added fuel to my quest to get people spending more time outside.
  • 24% of British children rarely play outdoors.
  • British kids spend twice as much time watching TV as they do outside.
  • One third of families spend time outdoors less than once a month.

There are simple, cheap and easy ways of encouraging kids to explore nature and to see going for a walk as potentially more enjoyable as a trip to the soft play centre or the cinema. This website has some great ideas and nature pass challenges that can give you some tips as to what to do when you are out and about with the kids. www.kidsclosertonature.co.uk

Wherever you live in the UK you are never far from a park or open space and often a short drive to the woodlands, hills or the coast. We are famed for complaining about the weather but that is no excuse and shouldn't stop us... ok, it would be nice if it was a little more predictable...
In Tofino, on the West coast of Vancouver Island we first came across the popular hiking mantra 'There is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing or equipment.' Here, they successfully market their weather system with 'Storm watching' packages available at the hotels along with coats and wellies...

 
Maybe we should be taking a leaf out of their book.

Meanwhile...


Turn off the TV
Go for a walk
Get on your bike

Take the kids on a nature treasure hunt
Count flowers, mole hills, dogs, different types of trees as you walk
Get them to search for triangles or circles around them
Keep them interested

Have a picnic in the garden

Fill a bucket with water and bubbles
Play party games in the park or on the beach
What's the time Mr Wolf
Hide and Seek
Stuck in the mud

British Bulldogs
Shadow chasing
Tag
Capture the flag

If they get bendylegs on the way home...try Grandmother's Footsteps. This has got my kids home up many a hill....





1 comment:

  1. Love your blog post! So great to get outdoors, love all the ideas, x

    ReplyDelete