6 Outdoor Activities You Need to Experience While You’re Young

The world is becoming smaller and more and more of us are living in urban jungles, far removed from the wonderful sights and smells that nature can provide. Older generations were brought up playing in the woods or fishing in streams, whilst today’s modern generation are sat inside playing computer games and wasting time on social media.

It is important, then, to experience the wider world at a young age and to take advantage of the vigor of youth to discover fun new activities, some perhaps from a bygone age. Here we are going to take a look at 6 outdoor activities you need to experience while you are young.

1. Camping

There is nothing better than waking up on a crisp summer morning, unzipping the tent and taking in a beautiful dawn filled with the singing of the birds and the smells from the country air. It really makes you feel alive and so many children today are lacking this experience.

Camping needn’t be dangerous and can be a wonderful activity for the whole family, bringing them closer together and allowing the children to connect with nature. Kids can be taught to make and cook on an open fire, pitch a tent, and learn to whittle sticks, an education that is sadly lost in today’s urban society.

2.Making Bivouacs

Take camping one step further and you will end up sleeping in a bivouac, virtually under the stars. A bivouac is a self-made shelter made from all the available materials you would find in a forest or woods. Strong branches can be used to make a rudimentary frame and ferns and other types of foliage can be used as a covering.

Best of all, making a bivouac will foster teamwork from a young age and will also teach vital survival skills for use in later life. Young people will also learn humility and understand that there are less fortunate people who have to sleep under these types of structures on a daily basis.

3. Fishing

Continuing with our country theme we arrive at fishing and an activity that gives young people an opportunity to learn how to survive in nature. Fishing can take many forms, from fly fishing in rivers to surf fishing in the open seas, all with the same ultimate goal of catching dinner.

Tom from usangler explains that choosing the right rod for different types of fishing is paramount if you don’t want to go hungry. The other beauty of fishing is that it teaches patience and this is a virtue that is often lost on young people and it will stand them in great stead for the future.

4. Gardening

Gardening could be considered another survival method, in a roundabout way, but it is also a great way to educate children as to the provenance of their food. Many urban children grow up having no idea where their food comes from or where it grows. They have no idea about the concept of seasonality and just think that what appears on the table magically appears from a plastic bag.

Take the kids back to basics and encourage them to grow vegetables from seed, not only will it give them a fun activity to keep them distracted from their pesky phones, but it will also vastly improve their diet.

5. Go Bug Hunting

Nature is incredibly diverse and is always throwing up surprises and the magical world of fauna is no exception. Just rolling over a mossy log or looking behind a stone can provide never to be forgotten moments for young kids when they see their first woodlouse or stag beetle.

Take time to show them spider’s webs and search for caterpillars on those broccoli plants, and they will have infinite stories to share with their friends and classmates.

6. Go for a Bike Ride

Bike riding is often an urban activity for youngsters these days, but why not take them into the local woods to explore the trails and wildlife? They will come across sights and smells that they have never experienced before and it may even catch their imagination and lead to a hobby of a lifetime, not to mention the fact that they will be getting great exercise at the same time.

There are so many outdoor activities for kids that it is a shame that today’s urban generation does not get to experience them properly. Educate them early to the joys of nature and it will change their whole outlook on life. Getting lost in the wilderness, learning to hunt and survive are all key parts of growing up, so what are you waiting for, go and get lost and dirty in the great outdoors!