I was inspired after reading the following list from Nature Play & National Trust WA in the Weekend West:
- Climb a tree
- Sleep under the stars
- Fall off a bike
- Learn to swim
- Build a cubby or tree house
- Find a geocache in your neighbourhood
- Go beach combing after a storm
- Cook damper in a campfire
- Go on a school camp in the bush
- Catch a wave
- Play chasey in the rain
- Catch a prawn in a river (or at least have fun trying)
- Make a water slide with builder’s plastic and a hose
- Find a cave
- Make something with things you find
- Play in a creek
- Do something you’re scared of
- Watch kangaroos in the wild
- Slide down a sand/grass hill on cardboard
- Yell “cooee!” in a gorge or valley
- Camp on a beach
- Build a sandcastle city
- Skim a stone
- Plant something, watch it grow
- Play spotlight
- Ride your bike on a bush trail
- Visit an island
- Go for a two-day hike
- Snorkel at the beach or on a reef
- Ride a flying fox
- Play under a sprinkler
- Climb a big rock
- Play in the bush for a whole day
- Visit a waterhole
- Meet kids in a park and invent a game
- Paddle a kayak
- Dig for worms in your backyard
- Catch a crab
- Learn the Aboriginal names for five plants and five animals
- Visit a national park
- Go fishing
- Play on a rope swing
- Eat bush tucker
- Make a kite and fly it
- Jump off a jetty (check water depth first)
- Identify the birds in your backyard
- Go abseiling
- Catch a tadpole (and release it)
- Make a mud pie
- Find a lake/puddle/pond; use a magnifying glass to spot the living creatures in it
- Play beach cricket
- Visit a farm; help move a mob of sheep
I know that’s a bit more than fifty things, but who’s counting? Also, I added that last one. Our kids are very lucky to have one set of grandparents who own a wheat-and-sheep farm, and we visit them many times over the year – so the kids get lots of opportunities to enjoy the country air, the country animals, the country smells, and the country way of life.
I fully intend to provide my kids opportunities to do all of them. I can tick 11 items off this list for our eldest two so far.
What do you think should be added to the list?
