Getting Your Children Outdoors

Want your child to get of that sofa and not watch TV or play on their computer (if they have one)? Get them outdoors, give them a sense of respect for mother earth and in the meantime give them fond memories of family time…

You could….
….Grow a Garden. A vegetable garden is good start, ask your child what they would like to grow as an ingredient to a family dinner. Talk about every liitle thing you are doing when you plant vegetables together, how the plant grows etc. let your children muck in with the planting, caring and harvesting. Even young children can have a small shovel, help plant the seeds and pick the vegetable when ready. If you have no garden, you can always have some pots on the balcony or go to some pick your own farms, (preferably organic ones!) Don’t overwhelm your children by plnating too much, rather more of what they want.

You could…
…on a rainy day have an arts and crafts day. Sew buttons onto old socks and make hand puppets, make cars out of cereal boxes, things like this.

You could…
…go for a walk. There are so many nature trails and places to go for beautiful walks that you could find on line or in a book from the library. Obviously young children cant walk as far but they still benefit from shorter distances asking questions and touching things. Buy spotter cards of flowers, trees and birds for older kids, and see what you discover on your walks.

You could…
…cycle (or walk) to the shops. If your child is too young to cycle, get a safety approved seat or trailer they can sit in. tell your children what negative effects the use of fossil fuels have on our planet. Take reusable carrier bags with you.

BE SPONTANEOUS. You don’t have to plan ahead for an outdoor activity or go somewhere you have to pay to get in to have meaningful experiences. Just going in the back garden or walk in the woods can bring sightings of things like pretty flowers, a deer, etc. Above all have FUN and enjoy family time together.