Make the great outdoors even greater with 5 family-friendly accessories

baseball hat - tory burch, jacket - boyish, photo - courtesy of kind hubbie!

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise. Nope, not a teddy bears’ picnic. Rather, a whole lot of people with the very same idea! Since social distancing diminished our outdoor options, getting out in nature has become a hot activity. We’ve been hitting a regional park or forest at least once a week – and so, it seems, has every man (and woman and child) and his dog! And while the great outdoors is indeed great, we’ve found a few accessories that make it even greater for families with kids (or fun-loving grown-ups). Here are five faves we always bring along for the ride.

1. Animal identification apps

Do you notice something in the photo above that our six-year-old doesn’t? He’s so engrossed in making a rock dam, he’s blissfully unaware of the garter snake lurking across the river bank from him! But once you do spot a critter in your midst, you can quickly identify it with the app Seek. Seek recognizes your location, showing species you might see and checking off the ones you photograph. You can challenge yourself with badges and levels or even make it a friendly competition if you have more than one phone.

Got a more specific area of interest like birding or blazing a trail? There’s an app for that too. Merlin Bird ID and AllTrails are a great start. Or search the app store for other five-star ideas.

2. Books for tree-spotting and bird-watching

Sibley Guide books are about 600 pages long and weigh a couple of pounds. But that doesn’t stop our seven-year-old from merrily packing one every time we head off to the woods. Why the love of such mighty tomes? Because they allow kids (and curious adults) to play Sherlock Holmes for flora and fauna. Spot an unfamiliar leaf? Look it up in the stunningly illustrated Sibley Guide to Trees. Notice a new feathered friend? Find his kind in the similarly lovely Sibley Guide to Birds. For those parents who are currently homeschooling kids, this is also a wonderful way to take the classroom out into nature.

3. Walkie talkies

Walkie talkies seem to make every activity more fun – and walks in the woods are no exception. Maybe it’s the ease of use. Maybe it’s having control of a device. Maybe it’s the ability to bark orders at your sibling without being interrupted! Whichever it is, reporting what they see in a two-way radio seems to be endlessly entertaining for youngsters. We use the USA Toyz Vox Box handsets for our six- and seven-and-a-half-year-old because they have a long range and are a cinch to use even for little hands.

4. Binoculars - for nature spotters big and small

When I was a kid, anyone using binoculars to ‘spot’ something (e.g. trains, planes or birds) was labeled as a bit of a nerd. Now, I’ve somehow become one of those nerds and have managed to marry one too! No ramble is complete without at least one set of binoculars. And unlike my younger self, our kids seem to think they’re pretty cool too. Whether its finding out what’s calling from that tree or identifying those bugs on the water, binoculars allow for a wonderful sense of discovery. We’ve got one very cheap kids pair and one slightly nicer set, and this is definitely a case where you get what you pay for.

5. A good pair of wellies

Being British gives you expertise in a few things (although definitely not beaches, sun or bikinis). Making endless cups of tea. Yes. Talking incessantly about the weather. Yes. Dressing to schlep through mud. Absolutely! That’s why no British home is complete without a good pair of wellies. Wellies give you ultimate trailblazing freedom. While others must give mud a wide berth, you can just stride on through unfazed.

We discovered this the other day when my husband got bogged down in his duck boots and I, clad in my wellingtons, was able to follow our kids across a stream dry-footed. To get quality, affordably, I bought a Burberry pair second hand on eBay. But I also have a short Sam Edelman pair that have held up to hikes around the British countryside without letting in a drop of the (very plentiful) sogginess.

Wherever your walks take you, I wish you happy, fun and safe trails! Do let us know how you like to enjoy the great outdoors with a comment!