Find fun outdoor and survival activities children can enjoy at home, helping develop practical skills, confidence, curiosity and a love of the outdoors.
When you’re walking in the countryside, a small symbol on a gatepost, wooden fingerpost or trail marker can tell you that you’re following a recognised long-distance route. Learning to spot these markings makes walking less uncertain and helps you understand the signs you’ll encounter along the way. The key symbol for National Trails in England…
There’s a useful difference between walking a route someone else has marked and being able to mark a route for somebody to follow. The second takes a little more thought. You need to decide where a marker belongs, make its meaning clear and check that the next person can follow it without having to guess….
Rainfall affects everything from ground conditions on a walk to how quickly streams and rivers can rise. Making a simple rain gauge gives you a way to measure what’s falling where you live, rather than relying on how wet the ground looks. For this challenge, you’ll make a rain gauge of your own, place it…
Navigation doesn’t have to mean walking for miles with a map and compass. For children, learning to navigate can start with something much simpler: understanding where they are, knowing where they want to go and working out how to get there. A short route is a great way to practise. It might be a walk…
Setting up a tent is one of the most useful camping skills you can learn. The first few times it can seem confusing, especially when you’re faced with poles, pegs and a bundle of fabric, but it becomes much easier once you understand the basic process. You don’t need to do everything perfectly straight away….
Understanding directions is one of those outdoor skills that seems simple at first, but becomes incredibly useful once you start exploring. Knowing the difference between north, south, east and west gives you a basic way of describing where things are and helps you make sense of maps, paths and the landscape around you. You don’t…
There is something special about learning how to do things for yourself outdoors. Knowing how to read a map, put up a shelter, light a fire, recognise a tree, tie a useful knot or simply work out which way to go gives children more than another skill to add to a list. It helps them…
You don’t need a campsite, expensive equipment or a long journey to give children a chance to enjoy the outdoors. A garden, driveway, balcony, local green space or even a short walk around the neighbourhood can provide opportunities for children to explore, build practical skills and have fun. Outdoor activities at home are particularly useful…
