In our technology-focused world, it’s easy to see how children can be more at ease with a screen than out in nature. But there’s no reason you can’t have the best of both worlds, and it seems that parents may want to take their kids into the great outdoors to teach them some skills.
A survey carried out by Vauxhall Motors, and shared by Automotive World, recently highlighted the top skills that parents think are dying out.
Map reading and reading a compass were the top two, followed by identifying flowers, lighting a campfire and bird watching.
Also in the top ten were foraging, putting up a tent, tying a knot, fishing and toasting marshmallows. The car manufacturer has teamed up with Olympian James Cracknell to offer parents some inspiration and encourage them to get out and about with their youngsters this half term.
Mr Cracknell took his family to try some of these outdoor skills, and commented: “It’s been great to explore more of the outdoors with my girls, showing them a few skills has shown them how much fun you can have when you go back to basics.”
If you’re looking for things to do in Derbyshire this half term, there’s no better way to spend quality time with your family than getting active outdoors. You could plan a hike, and get the kids to navigate the route without the aid of smartphones. Along the way see how many flowers and birds you can spot and identify.
Earlier this year, research from Decathlon found that children in the UK spend an average of just one hour a day outdoors. What’s more, over two-thirds of the parents surveyed said that they were concerned that their kids weren’t spending enough time outside.
Brushing up on the skills highlighted in the Vauxhall survey could be the perfect way to engage youngsters with the great outdoors.
