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Back To Nature On The Isle of Wight

1
According to the RSPB just 1 in 5 children have a connection to nature and the time our children spend playing outside has halved in over a generation. Alarming, yes, but surprising? No. Think what nature has to compete with these days – ipads, television, movies, Netflix, computer games, virtual reality….
The good news is we do actually have a hand in the upbringing of our own children. If we build on the natural curiosity that kids inherently have, we could inspire a love of nature and the outdoors.  But it’s not always easy to factor in the
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time, and what even is ‘rewilding childhood’?
Cue our holiday to the Isle of Wight. We decided a good place to start was to explore the beaches, meadows and woodland of this white-cliffed island.  Beaches were easy. Under a cobalt-blue sky we let the kids take the initiative. They collected shells, made dams from rivers and discovered tiny crabs under rocks. So far, so Famous Five.
But the wild meadows and forests eluded us. We weren’t sure of footpaths, and the thought of google maps through our phones seemed counterproductive.  So we turned
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to the trusty National Trust. The clever folk at St Helens Duver have made it their mission to connect children with nature and this summer, through a series of ‘pop-ups’ they’re reeling the children in with a nature trail based on the children’s classic “We’re Going On A Bear Hunt.”
So we went on a bear hunt. The trail is under a mile – easily doable for younger amblers – but what made it really special was the attention to detail. Each stop on the walk was manned by a National Trust volunteer who would gently engage our children into
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various activities. Before we knew it, the kids were head down in a bird book before gluing binoculars to faces to spot various gulls. The children were allowed to wheel huge nets for butterfly identification (they spotted Cabbage Whites and Gatekeepers) and sticks, stones and leaves took on new creative meaning at the wild art activity area.  Crickets were caught and released and everyone sat down for story time.
In short we were surprised at how quickly our children took to it. In front of and behind us there were similar scenes taking place with
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5
groups of children on their own discovery journeys. On paper, it was such a simple concept but one that could quite clearly be replicated in a wood or park near home.
The good old National Trust have taken the rather sobering modern phenomenon of ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ and run with it, creating natural spaces where our children can make their own connections and experiences. According to a Natural Childhood Report they commissioned, spending time in nature will make our children happier, healthier and more willing to help save it. I won’t ague
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with that.
As per the book, our story ended on the beach.  The kids skittered around collecting pebbles.  My four-year-old called out to me,
“Mum – there’s a black headed gull!”
He was right. Thank you National Trust.
Harriet Whiting travelled as a guest of the Isle of Wight tourist board. The next Bear Hunt trail takes place on the 8/9th September. Download the leaflet here or win a holiday to the Isle of Wight here.
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- 19 Jul 18

According to the RSPB just 1 in 5 children have a connection to nature and the time our children spend playing outside has halved in over a generation. Alarming, yes, but surprising? No. Think what nature has to compete with these days – ipads, television, movies, Netflix, computer games, virtual reality….

The good news is we do actually have a hand in the upbringing of our own children. If we build on the natural curiosity that kids inherently have, we could inspire a love of nature and the outdoors.  But it’s not always easy to factor in the time, and what even is ‘rewilding childhood’?

Cue our holiday to the Isle of Wight. We decided a good place to start was to explore the beaches, meadows and woodland of this white-cliffed island.  Beaches were easy. Under a cobalt-blue sky we let the kids take the initiative. They collected shells, made dams from rivers and discovered tiny crabs under rocks. So far, so Famous Five.

But the wild meadows and forests eluded us. We weren’t sure of footpaths, and the thought of google maps through our phones seemed counterproductive.  So we turned to the trusty National Trust. The clever folk at St Helens Duver have made it their mission to connect children with nature and this summer, through a series of ‘pop-ups’ they’re reeling the children in with a nature trail based on the children’s classic “We’re Going On A Bear Hunt.”

So we went on a bear hunt. The trail is under a mile – easily doable for younger amblers – but what made it really special was the attention to detail. Each stop on the walk was manned by a National Trust volunteer who would gently engage our children into various activities. Before we knew it, the kids were head down in a bird book before gluing binoculars to faces to spot various gulls. The children were allowed to wheel huge nets for butterfly identification (they spotted Cabbage Whites and Gatekeepers) and sticks, stones and leaves took on new creative meaning at the wild art activity area.  Crickets were caught and released and everyone sat down for story time.

In short we were surprised at how quickly our children took to it. In front of and behind us there were similar scenes taking place with groups of children on their own discovery journeys. On paper, it was such a simple concept but one that could quite clearly be replicated in a wood or park near home.

The good old National Trust have taken the rather sobering modern phenomenon of ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ and run with it, creating natural spaces where our children can make their own connections and experiences. According to a Natural Childhood Report they commissioned, spending time in nature will make our children happier, healthier and more willing to help save it. I won’t ague with that.

As per the book, our story ended on the beach.  The kids skittered around collecting pebbles.  My four-year-old called out to me,

“Mum – there’s a black headed gull!”

He was right. Thank you National Trust.

Harriet Whiting travelled as a guest of the Isle of Wight tourist board. The next Bear Hunt trail takes place on the 8/9th September. Download the leaflet here or win a holiday to the Isle of Wight here.

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Harriet Whiting is a travel writer who likes nothing more than a family adventure. If she can't do that then she'll settle for copywriting, social media management and getting that book published...

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