Are you an 'outdoors-y' family - and if so, how and what?

[Mo2]

Well, I'm feeling proud of myself - I've just come back from a charity/fund-raising challenge event in Wales - had to bike 20 miles in pi**ing rain, build and raft and cross a reservoir and then climb two peaks and walk 10 miles, AND I DID IT (hurrah!)
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it and it made me realise that DH & I used to do lots of that sort of stuff before having kids, but we've sort of got out of the habit.
I really want the kids to grow up enjoying the outdoors/ nature, like both DH and I did as kids (camping/ walking etc).
But kids are 4.5 and 2, so little one is too little to walk far but too big to carry!
What, if anything, do you all manage to do by way of outdoors pursuits with kids, and what is possible, by what age?

Mo2, never were, and never will be, but well done to you! Give me a hotel any day! Bravo Mo2!

I'm not terribly outdoors-y myself but I'm married to a bushcraft instructor (anyone who knows me will now recognise me). My dd who is 7 has been bivouacing since age 2 and ds (5) is into the outdoor life as well. Dd can light a campfire and ds can tend it fairly reliably. Both use penknives (under supervision). Dd is a very good walker, always has been, she could walk a couple of miles by age 2. Ds is not such a good walker but catching up now. I would suggest that if you want your kids to join in with your enjoyment of the great outdoors, start their education now!

(BTW, congrats on your achievement!)

How about a kids bike seat on the back of yours?

It's something we try to do- but we are a bit limited as ds1 refuses to walk on grass at the moment. However did manage a couple of miles on Dartmoor yesterday. For anyone who knows the area took the path by South hessary so could get a decent long walk on "dartmoor proper" without trying to persuade ds1 to go on grass. Even ds2 (2) who usually asks to be carried walked most of the way. He was enjoying splashing in puddles too much to notice that he was walking. We got very wet (hammered down) but was really pleased we managed it. There's very little we can do as a family and waling n Dartmoor is something I want to encourage.

You can get backpacks to carry them up 2 4-5 yo, Mo2. But DH refuses 2 use it, and DS1 is a terrible walker. We used 2 manage a lot of cycling, but not this rainy summer. We manage some very short walks & spend a lot of time in city parks.

DD2 has recently learnt to ride her bike without stabilisers so today all 5 of us went for a bike ride along the promenade and back - total about 4 miles. We're lucky as the whole stretch of promenade is designated cycle paths.

They thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to carry on - only turned back as there were huge black clouds and I didn't fancy getting caught in it.

slinky how old is dd2? We are struggling with nearly 5 dd as she is desperate to ride without stabilisers but no luck so far.

Mo2 - well done! We too were an 'outdoors couple' before kids. Used to spend every weekend up a mountain somewhere!
We took them camping for the first time a couple of weeks ago - which was great fun. Ds2 still goes in the papoose (he's 21 months) - but not for much longer as he's rather heavy! Ds1 is 3y 9mo & will walk a bit (he once managed 3 miles but that hasn't happened again). I tend to end up giving him a piggy back interspersed with him walking - so I certainly get plenty of exercise
I think you have to strike a balance - get them to enjoy it without putting them off - so we're not pushing the walking as yet, but it is nice to get out in the fresh air as much as we can.

Daisy

DD2 will be 5 in October - I caught her about 3 weeks ago trying to ride DS1s old bike (suitable for 4-6yos). She started by riding around the garden with me pushing her off.

Then I took her over to the park behind us and she took off! It's only been this week that she has been able to get going by herself and today was our 1st family bike ride

Mo2, that's pretty good going to do all that activity we are very much an outdoor family, both before and after the children....when the children were very young we used a papous on walks and stuff, then a pushchair when dd was about 18 months old and she managed to walk on White Horse Hill in Oxfordshire for about 10 minutes (she toddles over a lot but loved it)...tbh I've never pushed this at all as am the sort of person who would live outside 24 hours a day if I could....so we go to the woods, walks...I would take them on a walk almost every w/e and they just obviously came along...now they are into nature trails, tent sleeping, swimming in rivers...just call us the Blyton family (joking)

best piece of advice that I would give is just go outside a lot and let them try new places, woods etc, giving them a bit of freedom but still being around....that way if they don't like it you can soon put them back into the pushchair...touching worms and getting covered in soil is good and encourages them to be comfortable with getting mucky

Get a really small bike 2 try her on, Daisy? That's how DS finally got the hang (age 4+7m, only 5 weeks ago). I see a lot of preschoolers on WAY too big bikes. We were making same mistake. If they can't get a foot on ground while bum is still on seat, it's too big/high a seat.

We are just starting to try this year. Our dd's are 4.5 and 0.11. We've bought a Vango backpack from millets for the 11 month old and dd1 can also sit in it although it would be an endurance test for anyone to walk too far with it. I carry the 11 month old leaving dh to persaude cajole or simply carry the 4.5 year old. We went camping for the first time this year last weekend. With dd2 only 11 months I think its the youngest I would brave camping although I know of plenty of mumsnetters who do so at a younger stage. The weekend was fabulous despite loads of rain. No where else can you go away with friends on quite such an adhoc basis and simply let the kids "run free". My best memory from last weekend is my dd1 splashing around in puddles, long stick in hand with 4 other children all in a line behind. Imagine if you can Christopher Robin or even the lost boys from Peter Pan. Gorgeous ! Camping can feel like packing the kitchen sink so my dh and I are trying to pack a couple of plastic boxes full of stuff that would enable us to simply pack a bag of clothes and go for the weekend. DD1 loves camping and to entice her to go on walks Ive been buying "I spy" books. I've recnetly discovered some usbourne books where you "place" the sticker once you've found the relevant piece of nature. we now go out spotting things. Its amazing how far she'll walk when she's looking for something. . We've only just started and I know that there are tonnes of really outdoory types on here so hopefully they'll spot this thread and contribute loads more like you we're only jst starting.

Hi Mo2, well done, that sounds hard! I'm not very outdoorsy but I do love walking and we walk quite a lot. We started going for proper walks when ds was about 3 I think. He was capable of doing 4 or 5 miles without moaning (that's the crucial bit!) by the time he was 4/5. If he didn't want to go we'd make it into a 'collecting walk', where he'd take a bag and collect interesting things to stick into a scrap book when we got home. We'd usually take a picnic too. We still walk quite a bit with dd (8mos) while ds is at school (with her in a buggy) but we're going to get a backpack soon so we can do longer walks and not just the buggy friendly ones. We've only managed camping in the garden so far, when I was pregnant but he loved it. I hate it though so we won't be doing that for a good few years if I can help it.

Sounds like we're all trying, but a fair bit of cajouling/ piggy backing still goes on!!

Lavendar - I think you're right, we just have to 'go and do it' and make it fun for the kids.

Wills - those sticker books sounds great - where did you get them?

I bought the I spy stuff from amazon. The usborne book I bought from a shop attached to an otter farm. I've looked on amazon and you can get it there as well:
Urban wild life

wow, well done Mo2.

ds has been seriously walking since we moved to Switzerland when he was 3. At that stage he still liked rides on dh's shoulders in between but we found the best motivator was having similar aged, and slightly more energetic , companions, combined with interesting walks. Now he will walk leisurely for a couple of hours, with breaks, often on rugged terrain at altitude. It helps that he is interested in maps and likes to plot our progress. We also bought special "magic" walking boots to help him along!

dd is almost 3 and already a good walker. She has graduated from 3 wheeler now but we still take a backcarrier as fortunately she is really light and can still go in it for spells. A few weeks ago she walked at least 3km of a 5km hike.

To start them off do flattish manageable routes like nature trails or guided walks so they can be distracted easily when they start to flag, and we found it also helped if they could see the end, be it a landmark or car park for a circular route. dh is just starting to take ds on rides with a tag-along bike to help his confidence to ride a bike of his own.

Above all to has to be fun.

Do it do it do it!!

And well done for all what you just did!!

Me and DH are outdoorsy types and are determined that our kids benefit from the same type of upbringing that we had rather than sit in front of a TV all day. Here's a brief resume of what we've achived so far and at what age ..

5 weeks - log cabin in highlands, lots of nice walking with pram

4 months - Xmas & New year in Highlands, more walking using one of those back pack carriers

7.5 months - bike seat purchased (co-pilot limo) and week spent cycling on Islay

8-9 months - buoyancy aid purchased and off sailing, albeit with a few extra pairs of hands just to be on the safe side.

10 months - more sailing. Discovered that bike seat is excellent for strapping DD into then strapping into cockpit on deck (or anywhere else weather depending)

Also have bought a tent and desperate for a sunny weekend so we can go off in it. As soon as poss she'll be skiing too.

Sorry if we sound like a pair of right gits with all the fresh air stuff but I went everywhere with my parents in their caravan so I hope that my kids will go everywhere with me in my interests.

My niece's DD is 3 months old and has been camping twice already.

I think that by doing all these things the kids become more aware, more confident, more capable and develop a pursuit of interest. No doubt when they are 15 they'll rebel (like I did) and opt for the TV but the grounding will never leave them and they will always appreciate it and probably go back to it.

IME, it's like everything else with kids: it's the outdoors, but not as you know it! So my DH has had to reign in his tendancy to go for SAS style 30 mile yomps with several Munros thrown in for good measure - much to my relief .

But we have managed quite a lot of outdoorsy stuff, largely carrying DS. For example:

Skiing (DS 9 weeks) involves finding resorts with nice cafes by ski lifts where one person can chill out while other skis up and down.

Walking: Ireland (DS 9 months), Thetford forest (DS 11 months), lots locally (East Anglia) + Peak District and California (DS 18 months). All achieved with aid of very basic backpack and large kit on back of other family member. Day trips only: I hate camping. The one time we did try it, however, DS (then around 14 months) absolutely loved it, and we're going to have another bash this weekend on the South Downs.

Also done a bit of skiing (DS 26 months) with DS in backpack. Greens and blues only, mostly with DH (who is very strong skiier). Still collected filthy looks from conservative German skiiers, though

Now reaching a bit of watershed, as DS tall and heavy for backpack and rather too lazy to walk (maybe all that carrying!). So plans for next few years include extensive use of bikes (DS spends lots of time in bike anyway) on appropriate trails, and quite possibly (although this might seem a bit OTT) pony hire, relying on the pony to carry plenty of kit as well as DS, so we can do longer walks that require several days.

Never done any watery activity, though, (bar punting) - I am slightly jittery about combinations of a bored DS and small boats.