Life

Helen Skelton: 10 ways to reignite the outdoor fun and freedom children lost because of Covid

TV presenter and mum-of-two Helen Skelton tells Lisa Salmon how she keeps her young boys entertained and shares her ideas for outdoor summer fun

Building a bug or wildlife hotel - and then watching it fill with life - is a great outdoor summer activity for children
Building a bug or wildlife hotel - and then watching it fill with life - is a great outdoor summer activity for children Building a bug or wildlife hotel - and then watching it fill with life - is a great outdoor summer activity for children

LIKE most parents of young children, TV presenter Helen Skelton is facing the prospect of a summer trying to keep her children entertained – after using up many of her entertainment ideas through more than a year of pandemic restrictions.

But fortunately for other entertainment-exhausted parents, Skelton has a few new ideas to keep her sons Louis, aged four, and Ernie, aged six, happy in the great outdoors.

"Everybody's probably at that point where they're thinking, 'What are we going to do next?', because they've had a year of trying to find creative ways to entertain everybody," she says.

Skelton (37), who has teamed up with Soltan to suggest the ideas, adds: "When you're a parent you've got so many things going on, and sometimes you think 'What shall I do next?' – but hopefully this is 'job done' for them."

The presenter insists parents don't need to make much effort to keep their kids busy, happy and safe over the summer, and stresses: "I completely empathise with busy, tired parents – we're all struggling a lot. I work crazy hours and I'm here, there and everywhere, and sometimes when you get home you just want to flop.

"But my kids are better behaved, they sleep better and they eat better if they've been outside and they've done something and had some fresh air.

"I definitely find with my kids that the busier they've been in the day, the more likely they are to sit down at night.

"It's 100 per cent true that if as a parent you invest a little bit of time on your kids, you get a lot of time back for yourself. You reap what you sow, that's for sure."

As an outdoorsy-type herself – Skelton was brought up on her parents' farm in Cumbria, and often presents nature-related programmes including the BBC's Countryfile and Channel 5's Summer on the Farm – it's no surprise that her sons, who she shares with her rugby player husband Richie Myler, thrive in the outdoors.

"My two are very busy and active, but I'm lucky they like being outside," she says.

TV presenter Helen Skelton with husband Richie Myler and their sons Louis and Ernie
TV presenter Helen Skelton with husband Richie Myler and their sons Louis and Ernie TV presenter Helen Skelton with husband Richie Myler and their sons Louis and Ernie

She's also happy that not only were her boys too young to realise what they might have been missing during the pandemic, but they were still at an age where they were happy to just play with her or mess about outdoors.

"I'm lucky because my kids are so young that they didn't realise what they were missing," she says.

"I feel very lucky that during the hardest lockdown they were the age when they were quite happy to play with me and climb a tree and play with sticks and paddle about by a stream.

"They're happier outside than in, like me – I'm hoping that lasts well into their teenage years, but I'm not naive, they're like every child and the lure of screens is inevitable, I suspect.

"There's no point nagging kids to do something they don't want to do, so for me it's all about creating enough distractions and activities for them to want to go outside."

Helen Skelton's 10 ideas to keep children entertained this summer

1. Become a wildlife ranger

Before you go outside, make a list of the creatures you'd like to spot and see if you can find them all.

Planning a 'nature obstacle course' is one way of using what is around us in parks, forests and gardens to add a fun element to get kids outdoors in the summer months
Planning a 'nature obstacle course' is one way of using what is around us in parks, forests and gardens to add a fun element to get kids outdoors in the summer months Planning a 'nature obstacle course' is one way of using what is around us in parks, forests and gardens to add a fun element to get kids outdoors in the summer months

2. Make a nature obstacle course

Hop to the closest tree and back, crawl under the park bench, run up the hill and roll back down again. Once you've planned your course, make it into a game by timing how long it takes you to get round, or have a race with friends and family.

Creating 'nature bracelets' can turn a walk in the park into a fun activity
Creating 'nature bracelets' can turn a walk in the park into a fun activity Creating 'nature bracelets' can turn a walk in the park into a fun activity

3. Create nature bracelets

Put a piece of masking tape around your wrist, sticky side out. Once you're outside, find pieces of nature to stick on to the bracelet: twigs, grass, fallen petals. Remember – don't pick anything that's still growing. Skelton says: "My kids are always trying to stick twigs to their wrists so they're Power Rangers or something, but my friend's little girl put loads of flowers on it to make quite an elaborate piece of jewellery."

4. Go on a rainbow hunt

Go for a walk with your family and find something from every colour of the rainbow to create your own wildlife museum. It could be a pink petal, yellow straw or a green leaf. A painted eggbox makes a great display case, or you can simply take photos.

5. Learn to find your way with a map

Map reading is a great practical skill, so learn while you're out exploring somewhere you've not visited before. Find a map of the area and work out where you are right now on it. Choose an end point and plan your route there – remember to have the map facing in the right direction...

6. Enjoy cloud spotting

What unusual or unexpected things can you see in the clouds – can you see a snake, a star or a face? See who can come up with the funniest and wildest cloud creations.

7. Make natural art

Collect fallen leaves, petals and sticks and use them to make a picture when you get home. You could use the objects as paintbrushes – dipping them in colourful paint and then rolling, brushing or stamping them on paper to create patterns.

8. Build a twig raft

If you come across water like a river or lake, build a raft using objects you find around you, like sticks and twigs for the base and long pieces of grass to tie everything together. See how long it floats for.

9. Go fossil hunting

Fossils can be found anywhere but they're best spotted near the seashore on beaches, under rocks or by rivers. Also look for wood and shells – you might find sea urchins, mussels, oysters and more.

10. Build a wildlife hotel

Collect fallen branches to build a wildlife den that small animals can use for shelter. Dry grass and leaves make good nesting materials and having a water source nearby is great for furry visitors.