Outdoor activities for kids

Lily Barclay

The Eden Project

If you want to get your children outside and interacting with nature this summer, check out our top 5 activities for kids

Garden Organic Ryton

Location: Garden Organic, Ryton, Coventry, Warwickshire

Garden Organic Ryton has a range of summer holiday activities all aimed at getting children outside and involved with nature - they cover everything from willow weaving to scarecrow making. The emphasis is on having fun, but kids should learn a thing or two about organic growing and the environment along the way.

The courses run until late August 2008- finishing with an afternoon of making winter hibernation homes for all kinds of creatures. There are lots of other attractions too including a restaurant, cafe and shop, a children’s garden and an interactive vegetable kingdom, which are open all year round.
Children must be accompanied by an adult and tickets are £6 per adult and £3 per child, the courses run each Wednesday between 2-4pm.

For more information: Garden Organic

Eden Project

Location: Eden Project, Bodelva, St Austell, Cornwall

The Eden Project has a wealth of outside day projects for children this summer, from den building to kite making. Kids will also learn all manner of essential survival skills, such as knot tying and making fire from friction. There is a “magical” undercover woodland to explore, and hammocks and tipis for parents or children to take a well-earned break.

You’ll also find a fire pit in the arena, where you can try some traditional campfire food. The events run until early September and the Eden Project is open between 10am-6.30pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Adult day tickets are £15 and a children’s day ticket is £5.

For more information: Eden Project

Mead Open Farm

Location: Mead Open Farm, Stanbridge Road, Billington, Bedfordshire

Mead Open Farm offers children hands-on experience with farmyard animals, including the chance to milk a cow, bottle-feed lambs, walk goats, race sheep and groom ponies. There is an outside ‘log play adventure’ with rope bridges, pedal tractors, swings, log climbers and lots more.

Mead Open Farm is also home to a tea room and cafe with a menu that changes daily. Adult day tickets are £6.95 and a children’s day ticket is £5.95. The farm is open daily between 10am – 6.30pm.

For more information: Mead Open Farm

Pendine Outdoor Education Centre

Location: Pendine Outdoor Education Centre, Carmarthenshire, Wales

Pendine Outdoor Education Centre specialises in climbing, abseiling, canoeing and orienteering days for children. Orienteering takes place in an enclosed forest on Marros Mountain, which is home to a wide range of birds and wildlife.

Two types of course exist, one designed specifically for younger children based in a small area of the forest, and a larger course for teenagers and adults, which covers the whole forest. Both courses are carried out by a fully qualified instructor, and are a great introduction to map and compass work in a safe environment. The orienteering trips run all year, but some other courses are seasonal.

For more information: Carmarthenshire Council

Braywick Nature Centre

Location: Braywick Nature Centre, Hibbert Road, Maidenhead

Braywick Nature Centre offers a variety of outside courses, from pond dipping to bat hunting, all aimed at getting children outside and interacting with the nature around them.

It also runs a local environmental youth club for children aged 7-12 years, based at Braywick Nature Centre. Activities include practical conservation tasks, wildlife surveys and visits to nature reserves and environmental centres.

For more information: Braywick Nature Centre