The kids may be back at school but it doesn’t mean you have to wait until the weekend to go wild outside.
Now that it’s getting lighter in the evenings (the sun sets at 8.22pm on the last day of April in London), mid-week outdoor adventures beckon. Scientists report that children’s daily activity levels climb 20 per cent as we go into summer, compared to winter days when the sun sets before 5pm. And more than 40 per cent of parents say their child seems happier when they have spent time outside, according to the latest stats from Natural England. No wonder, as numerous studies suggest that sunlight boosts our mood as it increases levels of serotonin in the brain.
Adventures don’t have to be big and planned and well executed. Sometimes the best adventures are small, spur-of-the-moment, messy ones. Need some inspiration to get out together after work, school or screen time? Try these…
Take a sunset hike
Weather looking good? Fill a thermos with hot chocolate and drive, walk or cycle to your nearest natural spot that affords a great view west.
Trails, parks and beauty spots will be quiet at this time and, with the right weather (a little bit of cloud cover enhances the colours you’ll catch), it will undoubtedly be beautiful. If small children are getting tired, pack plenty of snacks and let them have a go at capturing the sunset on camera.
With the sun now setting after 7.30pm, there’s no mad post-work rush and everyone can still be home and tucked up in bed by 8.30pm.
Just remember to find a spot with easy access so that the dusky return route isn’t too challenging and take a torch or two to light your way home.
Top tip: Sandbanks and its sea view in Dorset was recently voted the best sunset-watching spot in the UK, but cityscapes and urban views can be just as stunning as green and blue ones at sunset, so anywhere with a view will make this micro-adventure special.
Have a campfire in the garden
When you’re a child, there’s nothing quite as exciting as a campfire. And it’s even more fun if you can cook your own food.
One of the simplest (and universally popular) mini meals to try is campfire bread on a stick. You can easily make your own dough with plain flour, yeast, salt, water and oil, but if you’re time poor and want a really easy option, just buy some readymade dough. Roll the dough into a long sausage shape and twist it around a long-ish stick, ideally freshly cut green wood from a non-poisonous tree (you can pre-heat the stick first to sterilise). Rotate the stick slowly above the embers until it browns evenly. Then eat the warm bread…mmm!
Top tip: Take the adventure up a notch by letting the kids try their hand at natural fire lighting. Invest in a simple fire steel and ensure you have some dry tinder (cotton wool or wood shavings), kindling and wood to hand. If you’ve never done it, Muddy Faces has a simple guide to help.
Try your own triathlon
Go on an active adventure by tailoring a triathlon to the ages, interests and abilities of your children. Get the kids to dream up three sports or activities and head for a nearby park, quiet street or open space, armed with a stopwatch.
When we did this my kids chose to take scooters, skipping ropes and a hockey stick and ball. They then scooted a lap of the park, skipped a lap and dribbled a lap. If it’s easier, select an equipment-free triathlon. How about running, hopping and cartwheeling?
Top tip: Make medals to award afterwards. They don’t need to be fancy, just grab some strong or ribbon and tape a treat to the end of it (a mini chocolate bar, a cardboard disc saying ‘you did it!’, whatever you fancy).
Go on a scavenger hunt
Jazz up an evening walk by turning it into a scavenger hunt. If you don’t have time to write a list of things to find, just do a rainbow hunt where the kids search for something for every colour in the rainbow.
Top Tip: Keep older kids engaged by setting challenges that stretch their imaginations. Let them take their phone and set a photo scavenger hunt perhaps (take a photo of someone in mid-air, of something natural, of the letters in your name).
Take the road less travelled
This is one that many of us enjoyed when national lockdowns forced us to explore close to home. Go for a family discovery walk on a footpath, street or route you’ve always passed by. Follow that wooden signpost over the stile and see where it leads. If you don’t like it, you can always turn back. Pushing your comfort zone doesn’t need to be a big gesture – just small changes to the road we normally travel can feel exciting.
Top tip: If you know the routes around your hood really well, try a penny hike instead. Get the kids to flip a coin to choose your route to see where it takes you. Heads you turn left, tails you turn right.
Sign up for a new sport
It’s all too easy to get into after school club routines. Recent research shows that the average mother spends 63 days a year ferrying her kids to and from hobbies and classes. The same research suggests taking their kids to their hobbies actually helps them bond with their child, but if the weekly schedule of ballet/football/tennis* (*insert sport as applicable) is wearing you down, why not skip it for a week and try something totally different? Most kids’ clubs offer a trial session for free, so why not look into something your child wouldn’t naturally choose, just to switch things up? If they are reluctant or can’t choose, get everyone to choose something for each other.
Top tip: If organised clubs aren’t your thing, try a new sport together as a family. Hire a tennis court, try volleyball in the park, book a one-off climbing wall session.
The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; It is at least to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land -
G.K. Chesterton
Holiday at home
Sometimes seeing your home through the eyes of a visitor is all it takes to open your eyes to adventure. All too often we overlook what a tourist would come for on our doorsteps.
Take a quick look online for the top outdoor attractions in your area and try them out. A search could reveal that an evening llama walk through the woods is an option, or that a beauty spot you avoid because it’s too touristy is quiet mid-week. Even a visit to the local churchyard could hold interesting finds.
Top tip: Think like a tourist. What do people visit your area for? It’s probably something the locals rarely do (or you haven’t done for ages). Put yourself in their place and give it a go.
