I was very excited to hear about the new nationwide campaign ‘50 Things To Do Before You’re 11¾’ launched by the National Trust yesterday. The aim is to 'encourage sofa-bound children to take to the outdoors and enjoy classic adventures from skimming stones to building dens'.
The hard facts
According to research commissioned by the Trust, fewer than one in ten children regularly play in wild places compared to almost half a generation ago, a third have never climbed a Tree, one in ten can’t ride a bike, and three times as many are taken to hospital after falling out of bed, as from falling out of a tree.
I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I grew up in the countryside (on a smallholding with acres of land and livestock), and there was no way in the world that out mother would allow us to spend our free time in front of the TV or playing video games. It's very likely that by the time I was 10 years of age I pretty much ticked all items on the ‘50 Things To Do Before You’re 11¾’ checklist. Now living in London, the opportunities to make it all happen again are fairly limited, but I am determined to take the challenge and relive my childhood adventures in the next 12 months. Are you with me? Let me know.
According to research commissioned by the Trust, fewer than one in ten children regularly play in wild places compared to almost half a generation ago, a third have never climbed a Tree, one in ten can’t ride a bike, and three times as many are taken to hospital after falling out of bed, as from falling out of a tree.
I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I grew up in the countryside (on a smallholding with acres of land and livestock), and there was no way in the world that out mother would allow us to spend our free time in front of the TV or playing video games. It's very likely that by the time I was 10 years of age I pretty much ticked all items on the ‘50 Things To Do Before You’re 11¾’ checklist. Now living in London, the opportunities to make it all happen again are fairly limited, but I am determined to take the challenge and relive my childhood adventures in the next 12 months. Are you with me? Let me know.
- Climb a tree
- Roll down a really big hill
- Camp out in the wild
- Build a den
- Fly a kite
- Catch a fish with a net
- Eat an apple straight from a tree
- Play conkers
- Hunt for treasure on the beach
- Dam a stream
- Go sledging
- Bury someone in the sand
- Set up a snail race
- Balance on a fallen tree
- Swing on a rope swing
- Eat blackberries growing in the wild
- Visit an island
- Hunt for fossils and bones
- Get behind a waterfall
- Find some frogspawn
- Catch a butterfly in a net
- Call an owl
- Check out the crazy creatures in a rock pool
- Go on a nature walk at night
- Go wild swimming
- Go rafting
- Light a fire without matches
- Find your way with a map and a compass
- Try bouldering
- Cook on a campfire
- Canoe down a river
