8 Ways to Get the Kids Outdoors

Getting the kid's away from their computer screens and into the outdoors can be a toughie these days. With console's galore and smartphone's to play with it can be hard to convince your little tyke's that the outdoors is something embrace and enjoy. I was having a read of TGO Magazine yesterday and came across these great ideas to get the family involved.

1/ Distraction. It's genuinely possible to head into the hills without complaints and hardly any stops. Try playing games like i-spy all the way to the top or breaking up the route with mini geography lessons about the surrounding area.

2/ Digestion. Keeping bloody sugar levels high is vital. Ensuring you have plenty of food and water for the walk keeps motivations up, especially with sweet things acting as a great reward for good progress.

3/ Direction. Try giving them the map to read and don't be afraid to go the wrong way, it will empower them and teach them.

4/ Distance. Start small and slowly go longer distances. Never lie about how far you have left to go as it's more likely to annoy and break the trust of your littlun.

5/ Difficulty. Rather than going on a very long walk, try a shorter but more complicated route. Walking up streams and jumping between rocks are ideal.

6/ Discipline. Limit your children's time on their electronics, make it a privilege.

7/ Stay positive. If you're enjoying yourself, chances are, they will be too. If you complain and are unhappy, the kid's will probably follow suit.

8/ Objective. Have an agreed objective if possible and have other little objectives along the way to make the journey exciting, think of things you can find or do along your route.

It's also well worth checking out the website missionexplore.net for plenty more ideas!

Our Top 10 Festival Tips!

The festival season is coming into motion so we thought we'd stick a few of our top tips together! With the likes of Reading, Download and Glastonbury just around the corner, when it comes to getting the best festival experience possible and coming away in one piece, some of these little tips may just come in rather handy!

 

1) Choose a bigger tent than you need. Yes it's mostly about the music and taking in the day to day hubbub of festival life, but setting up camp can be just as important when it comes to enjoying your festival experience. Always try go 1 bigger as a minimum, after all you can never have enough room and it means you fit in the mountain of stuff you bring along with you!

2) Invest in a solar powered charger. They're fairly inexpensive now and will keep your phone and other gadgets going all weekend, plus it saves cueing if your festival has a charging tent.

3) Keep a layer of clothing in reserve. Yes it maybe lovely and warm throughout the day, but if the wind picks up or the temperature drops at night, you'll be thankful!

4) Plan for disaster. This one maybe slightly pessimistic, but when the drunken guy falls and crashes onto your tent, breaking a pole, you'll be glad you brought some gaffa tape along with you.

5) Head torches are your friend. You can rave to your hearts content with one and you'll be able to spot those pesky guy ropes on the way back to your tent in a pitch black field.

6) Camp on high ground. If the heavens open, tent flooding can be a nightmare, your comfy nights sleep disappears and all your gear gets sodden.

7) Get yourself a seat. If the grounds soggy and muddy you'll need somewhere comfy and dry to sit at camp.

8) Take wet wipes. They keep you clean if your feeling lazy and can't face the freezing showers. Antibacterial hand gel is also a solid option.

9) Bring ear plugs. This one can work twofold, firstly for getting a good nights sleep if you have noisy neighbours. Secondly if your worried about damaging your ears and getting the dreaded ringing for days, take a pair of protective sound plugs. 

10) Don't camp next to a path if you can help it. Because you'll hear every tom, dick and harry as they walk up and down, especially distracting when your snuggled up in your sleeping bag trying to get some much needed kip!

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