Sunday 2 June 2013

Nature's Playground

I have a deep-seated fear that we are rearing a nation of homogenised children. Ones that are wrapped in cotton wool, kept away from sharp objects and strangers. Sheltered from the elements, shielded from the sun and the rain. Kept indoors lest they get hit by a bus or snatched by the bogeyman.

I confess, I've been party to this conspiracy, but quite frankly I've had enough.  Kids are bombarded with 'do not run' and 'no ball games' signs, prevented from having fun in school or public spaces to reduce the risk of accidents or litigation.  There are too many 'wet breaks', too many regulations - no snowball fights, no going outdoors without a sunhat and factor 5 million.

Will our kids even know one season from another?  Will they know how to do anything in the real world, outside the confines of a soft play park with it's rounded corners, safety nets and padded bumpers?

Uh-uh. Enough is enough.  This week we ripped up the modern-day parenting rule book and went back to proper childhood adventures and escapades.  Boy was it fun!

Rivers; streams and waterfalls were our paddling pool.




The sea was our swimming pool. Or pure, clean ravines.





We ditched the games console in favour of catching crabs off the quayside and spotting boats through binoculours.




Evening TV made way for watching the birds feed outside our window.  We saw woodpeckers; a jay; robins; swallows; blue tits; coal tits and red kites. Instead of movies at the cinema, we watched the moving pictures from the car window as we wound our way through Snowdonia and down to Cardigan Bay, watching the scenes change from seaside town to rocky outcrops to expansive forests and crashing waterfalls to sweeping fields and vast coastlines.




We swapped traffic jams for - well, a different kind of hold up.


No trips to the park or soft-play purgatory.  We found swings in the woods, or hammocks in the hotel garden.



Mountains and rocks were for clambering and climbing.




We swapped the sofa for huge weathered stones, with far better views.


The kitchen; cooker and dining room was dumped in favour of barbecues, blankets and picnics.


Castles; caves and underground mines were for exploring with awe and wonder.




Sure, it was hard at first.  Trying not to worry about her falling in the water, or bashing her head on a rock, but once you got into the swing of it, loosened the reigns and relaxed, it was the most giddily liberating feeling.  A holiday of memories, of good times and the only tears and tantrums all week were when it was time to leave and come home.


Linking up with Parenting Pin it Party and Country Kids - getting kids outdoors.

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

40 comments:

  1. Looks so much fun. North wales really is so beautiful and has so much to offer. Looks like you all had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing with the pin it party! I am following and this is me :) http://pinterest.com/jbmumofone/boards/

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    1. We really did all have a great time. Will be planning the return visit soon!

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  2. Well what lovely natural family time you had with no money or plastic or technology required. thi sithe stuff that makes memories Liz x

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  3. LOVE it! You look like you all had a fabulous time, and I agree with ^ Becky that this is the stuff of memories :) I still remember swimming in a natural pool somewhere in the South of France it was so icy cold but amazing! x

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    1. Ahh I really hope she remembers it all x

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  4. That looks like a wonderful holiday. I hope we get to enjoy one like this when we go to Cornwall later in the year :)
    I've popped over from the parenting pin it party. I'm following on Pinterest you can find me here :) pinterest http://pinterest.com/shelllouise/boards/

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    1. It reminded my a lot of childhood holidays in Cornwall Michelle, I'm sure you'll have a great time x

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  5. Looks so fun! I love being outdoors. I also think my kids are calmer outside.

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    1. I'm pretty sure there'll be studies to prove that, it must be so huh?

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  6. I love this post and your holiday so so much. This is exactly what childhood should be about and it's the childhood that I really hope I can give my kids.

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    1. Yep, I think they get a pretty raw deal compared to when we were kids. Freedom for them is being eroded away, it's time to give some back! x

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  7. childhood should be about running and jumping and doing daft things, not walking sensibly and never picking things up off the floor. These photos are fab, looks like you had a wonderful time

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    1. Ahh thank you! Yep, too many 'don'ts' and not enough 'dos' x

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  8. Welcome to my world! So pleased you enjoyed your week of freedom and natural childhood play. Ruby is looking so grown up and clearly quite happy to take Daddy's lead. Where are the pictures of you in the sea and the river? Next time! Thanks for joining in with such a lovely thought provoking post.

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    1. Well, you know, I had to keep the camera dry tee hee!

      I had a little paddle but it was freeeeeeezing!

      You are so lucky having all these kind of natural features on your doorstep. We don't have all this at home, but I really will try and make the most of what we've got x

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  9. Aaaaah bliss! Your photos sum up what every childhood should be all about. Those will be the memories that last.

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  10. SNAP! Spookily, my last post is on exactly the same thing, at another UTT property!

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    1. I've just seen it linked on their Facebook page! Read it on my phone, so I'll pop over and comment now from my laptop. x

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  11. That looks like an amazing holiday! Thanks so much for linking up.

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  12. Oh it looks perfect! Gorgeous pics x

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    1. Thanks Sonya. Easy to take lovely photos when the scenery is this good.

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  13. I also wonder about the same thing. I try to encourage my children (4 and 1) to play and be children, but to understand there are boundaries and they need to consider other people. For example when we have lunch after their swimming classes and I'm talking to other mums I'm happy for them to move around the leisure centre as long as they stay in sight and to move the chairs(they like making trains) as long as they don't block the pathways.

    We spend a lot of time in Dorset and most of that time is outside, walking the cliffs or on the beach. My eldest loves looking in rock pools, hunting for butterflies and climbing rocks. It is all about adventure. Unfortunately my youngest has just discovered a fear of sand on his feet so that is something we need to work on!

    Unfortunately we aren't so good when we are at home, but I try to limit the television watching.

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    1. Fear of sand? Oh no!

      It's hard when they are very little and don't understand external dangers, I have to say now at 5 it's much easier. She knows her own limits and boundaries and is generally very sensible.

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  14. is that the airstream at wildernest ?? we are booked in the cottage there with the kiddwinks - so excited. Do you have any handy hints for where to explore. It looks like you had an amazing time !

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    1. Hi Liv, yes it was!!! Oh lucky you, the cottages looked lovely too. It's a beautiful spot and the birdlife is amazing.

      Hugh and Jude are lovely hosts. Definitely order a breakfast hamper - that was wonderful at £5 per head. Home made bread, jams, fresh laid eggs, bacon, muesli, cereal and butter.

      Sadly we weren't booked in for long (it was a bit of a road-trip holiday!) we arrived 5pm on the Wednesday evening and had to return home at 10am on the Friday so we only really had one full day in the area. Aberaeron is worth a visit, very pretty harbour town (that's where we went crabbing!) We also went to Llangrannog beach which is clean and good for swimming/paddling/surfing and cave exploring! Although check the tides as there's not much beach when it's in! Parking on the front is pretty horrendous, but there's a free car park about 15 mins up the hill.

      You'll have a wonderful time x

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    2. i don't suppose you know of anywhere near aberdovey which is a good place for families to stay ?? the utt cottages that are near are all large and full !!!

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  15. hi Liz,
    it certainly sounds idyllic the kids love birdwatching and the breakfast hamper is on our list now ! we have got three nights booked as we have a 3.5 hour trip to get there .... Thanks for the tips .... our two like to pretend they are in the famous five (even though there are just 4 of us ) so cave exploring is just their thing. Your blog is lovely and is now saved on my favourites. we will be packing our buckets,spades, wellies and binoculars.
    thanks for your help xx

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    1. No problem. If you forget anything, there's the 'world famous £1.20 shop' in Abaraeron (I kid you not!). They sell EVERYTHING, including crabbing lines and buy a bag of bait for £1 from the fishmongers opposite ;0)

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    2. sounds brill - if only more shops were just £1.20 !

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  16. This is why I love country kids! To read such inspirational stuff. Mind you some of that water play looks a tad cold for my toes :) We bravely got our shoes and socks off this week as well and it was great! Lovely photos.

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    1. You can just have the best fun outdoors. We spent hours making boats out of leaves and rafts out of sticks the other week. The two kiddiwinks hooked on Famous Five books and cds .. great inspiration for adventures..

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    2. Thanks Sabrina. The Other Half is the crazy Wild Swimmer - he's been known to break the ice before going in. Brrrr.

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  17. That looks incredible. We aren't very outdoorsy people, so it's nice to see what others do for inspiration. Looks great fun x

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  18. This loves brilliant - love the photos! We have been trying to do more of this kind of thing recently too, and when we did it really struck me how much more the kids actually enjoy it and get excited, compared to when you pay so much money and go to the normal family entertainment venues! not that i would completely give that up as i think you can get a balance, but i really do think its a shame we dont automatically do more of this stuff!
    im over from the pin it linky :)

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  19. This looks like a lovely getaway. It's amazing how kids who get "bored" at home with all the distractions can spend hours just clambering over rocks. Also, who's your hunky companion? ;-)

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  20. PS I'd love to include this in our parenting pin it party round up on Monday. Hope that's OK :-)

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  21. One of my favourite parts of the world (it's been fun trying to work out where the photos were taken)- great pictures.

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