It’s another glorious sunny day. But, alas, I'm stuck indoors on the computer when I’d rather be outside in the fresh air.
Mind you, there are probably plenty of children (and adults, for that matter) wondering what I’m complaining about. Why leave the comfort of your own home for a walk when you can use Wii Fit, download an app for your phone, or talk about the great outdoors on facebook?
Because doing it for real is FUN, that’s why.
There is great debate at the moment as to why many adults don’t take regular exercise; and great concern that fewer and fewer children take part in exercise and sport. The sad truth is that, for many people, walking is no longer regarded as an enjoyable activity! More and more often we are encouraged to think of our leisure activities as part of a keep-fit regime rather than a relaxing pastime and, as a result, an afternoon walk can be more akin to a route march than a pleasurable outing.
However, if you show children at a young age that going for a walk is fun you’ll be giving them a life-long pastime that will not only keep them fit and active but will also open their minds to a whole host of new interests (wildlife, botany, social and local history, bird spotting, an appreciation of where our food comes from … to name but a few). The countryside is a huge outdoor learning experience … and it’s free!
Of course, it’s a bit of a problem to know where to take the children that’s new and interesting. That’s where our KIDDIWALKS books come in useful.
We’ve just taken delivery of a brand new book called KIDDIWALKS IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE by Charlotte Moerman (http://www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/book-catalogue-book-details.php?book=1883). In addition to the clear route descriptions, each walk section has suggestions of Fun Things to See and Do, notes on the background to places seen along the way and suggestions for family-friendly pubs and cafés where refreshments can be had. Good picnic spots are also mentioned.
Charlotte lives in Cambridgeshire with her family and is a keen walker. Her new book offers a wide variety of places for children to explore in the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. The 20 specially selected routes give children the opportunity to run up hills and zoom down slopes at Barnack’s Hills and Holes Nature Reserve; spot birds, animals and mini-beasts in Aversley Wood; play Pooh Sticks at Houghton Meadow; feed the ducks at Ferry Meadows Country Park; and follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin at Wicken Fen, the National Trust’s oldest nature reserve.
‘The most successful walks are not force-fed but fun (and free)’ says Charlotte. ‘I have loved discovering Cambridgeshire with my children who have enthusiastically tested out each walk’.
Countryside Books has a wide selection of KIDDIWALKS books covering Bristol & Bath, Berkshire, Birmingham, the Chilterns, Cheshire, Cumbria & the Lake District, Dorset, Essex, Hampshire & the New Forest, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, London, Nottinghamshire, the Peak District, Shropshire, Suffolk, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex and Wiltshire.
This spring, as well as KIDDIWALKS IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE we will also be publishing Kiddiwalks in Lincolnshire, Kiddiwalks in Norfolk and Kiddiwalks in Oxfordshire.
I don’t think there’s anything that can replace the sheer fun of splashing about in a stream, discovering a beetle under a log, kicking through a pile of autumn leaves, feeding ducks and watching squirrels, or just generally getting covered in mud and coming home with a pocket full of rocks and leaves that your child thought were interesting or pretty!
No, there definitely isn’t an app for that!
Happy walking! J
Deb
For a list of all our titles please visit our website http://www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/
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