If you're in the UK then it won't have escaped your notice that this summer has been WET - very wet. Wet enough that going out to splash in puddles has been a common activity with Little Miss C. Wet enough that when I told her I was taking her to the local Splash Park one day her first response was to go and get her wellies and rain coat and put them on! The outdoor toys that we bought her for her birthday have been used, but we've not had the long lazy days in the garden making the most of them in the way that I imagined. This last weekend though all that changed. The sun came out ... read more
The Great British Walking Challenge
"There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing" That's a statement that's been used an awful lot over the last month in our house. The weather has been awful and wet for most of April, but that's not deterred Little Miss C and I from heading out on foot and exploring the local parks and other outdoor spaces. I was therefore completely delighted when I received an invitation to take part in a guided walk as part of Living Streets' The Great British Walking Challenge. If you're someone who travels by foot then you may ... read more
seven days
A weekly photograph capturing one of the magic moments of the last seven days. ... read more
Fifty things to do before you’re 11 3/4!
After my recent post about how we should be allowing our children to explore the outdoors more to help them to connect with nature I was delighted to hear on the radio news this morning about the National Trust's new Fifty things to do before you're 11 3/4 campaign. If you're not seen this on today's news then let me tell you a little about the campaign. The idea is to encourage children to put down their computer games and step away from their TV sets and instead embrace the great outdoors. They have come up with a list of fifty activities for children to try with ... read more
If you go down in the woods today…
... it'll probably be quite quiet - well it is chucking it down with rain as is typical for a Bank Holiday Monday! Luckily that wasn't the case on Saturday though when The Wick was full of children all running around as part of an Easter Hunt in aid of the Woodland Trust. Instead of having to find eggs, children instead had to collect five differently coloured tokens that were distributed across the site and then they could trade them in for a chocolate treat - all for the fantastic sum of just 50p per child. As expected Little Miss C and her trusty rabbit took the ... read more
Garden treasure
The weather has been somewhat mad these last few weeks. Baking hot sun and meals eaten outdoors has suddenly been replaced by snow, hail and torrential rain. Quiet what all the plants think I've no idea. The garden's started to wake up after winter and it's lovely to see new shoots appearing, blossom on the trees and splashes of colour too. Yesterday I spotted this lovely treasure which has managed to survive not only the weather, but also a very enthusiastic toddler you regularly rampages round the garden! There's something special about snake's head ... read more
Set our children free!
You frequently hear people talking about how children of today don't play outside enough. Older generations often use the "in my day" phrases when telling of children only bothering to come home when they knew a meal would be on the table and then spending the rest of their time climbing trees and exploring for miles around where they lived. The reality is that a lot has changed since "those days". Neary every home now has a TV set and many childrens have one in the bedroom too. There are also games consoles and handheld games which children like to spend time on too. ... read more