This new book from Lonely Planet Kids inspires plenty of FREE and budget-friendly outdoor activities for the summer holidays.
The school summer holidays are just around the corner and parents will soon be figuring out how to keep their little ones occupied without breaking the bank. The new Lonely Planet Kids book, 101 Things to do on a Walk, does exactly as the title suggests – it provides 101 FREE or budget-friendly ways to turn a walk into a fun outdoor adventure.
Presented with a mixture of illustrations and photography, this title will help children to unlock their imaginations, from bird-spotting, bark rubbing and macro insect photography to identifying wildlife and building a den. Here are Lonely Planet Kids’ top 10 free things to do on a walk:
Keep a walking journal
Record your trekking adventures in your own special book. Jot down details such as where you went and how far you travelled, then add drawings or photos. Allow time during your walk to sit and make some notes, or fill the book in when you get home. Remember to include the date and time, the location, who you were with and what the weather was like.
Become an animal detective
You don’t need any special qualifications to become this kind of detective, just curiosity and excellent observational skills! Hunt for clues, piece them together and discover which furry or feathered friends visited your location before you.
Age a Tree
It’s no myth that you can work out the age a tree was when it was cut down by counting its rings. Counting the number of dark rings from the centre of the stump outwards will tell you how many cold seasons the tree lived through, which is the same as the number of years it was alive.
Spot animal homes
All wildlife needs a place to live, just like us humans, but animals can only live in areas they are adapted to. This is called their habitat. What kind of habitat is the area you are walking in? What types of creatures might live there? Can you see any of their homes? Some are easy to spot, like spider webs, bird nests and beehives, but there are less obvious ones too, such as hollowed-out tree trunks, burrows and holes.
Learn the art of trailblazing
Also known as tracking or waymarking, trailblazing is the technique of creating a series of marks for other people to follow. In a similar way to how Hansel and Gretel laid a trail of breadcrumbs so they could find their way home, markings are left to show a route – although, as Hansel and Gretel found out, making the trail from something edible isn’t the best idea!
Collect flowers to press
Go on a walk to collect wildflowers that you can take home to press, then make wonderful craft projects from them. Remember to only pick flowers that you know are common and that there are lots of. If you’re not sure, don’t pick them”.
Make a journey stick
A journey stick, or story stick, is a collection of items gathered on a journey, attached to a stick and used as a memento. If you add the items in order, you can later use the stick as a memory aid to retell the story of your walk.
Concoct a magic potion
Spells, potions and all things magical are often linked to nature. Take a jam jar on your next walk and collect the ingredients you need to create your own special potion. You could use it to perform a spell – perhaps one that makes you run fast or turns things invisible…
Hunt for hidden faces
Have you ever felt like a tree is watching your every move? Or that a rock is groaning at your fashion sense? Keep your eyes peeled for funny faces and take photo evidence to prove to your friends and family that tree beasts and rock monsters DO exist!
Search and scramble
This is a great game to lift energy levels! Decide on one person to be the leader. The leader sets a challenge for all players to find something in particular and race to bring it back to them. The first player to return to the leader with the correct item wins.
With Lonely Planet Kids, a walk is never just a walk; it’s a chance to learn about nature and the great outdoors, and inspire future explorers. So, whether it’s a weekend camping trip or short trip around the local park, lace up those walking shoes and enjoy a summer of exploration… and don’t forget to pack your book!
101 Things to do on a Walk is available to buy online at shop.lonelyplanet.com or where all good books are sold.
ISBN: 9781838695972
PRICE RRP: £9.99 /€13.95
Images courtesy of unsplash.com and pexels.com. Feature image supplied.
