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We conquered Mt Warning!

Sunday saw us determined to climb Mt Warning. We had been talking about it for years, but I never really had the nerve, and being overweight at the time meant it seriously had little appeal. Now I am 18kgs lighter, and the challenge was enticing. We had prepared for the fact that our youngest, who is 6, would probably need to be carried a fair way, so when we prepared lunch, we made sure the backpack counter-balanced the impending weight of her!

We set off quite early, and started our climb by 9am. About 1/2hr into it, disaster struck, with Ava (6) deciding to pick up an interesting leaf. I am sure the scream was heard for miles around, as it turned out to be a stinging nettle. I was super impressed that Leia, who is 11, had the knowledge that to remove the prickles, all you needed was sticky tape to lay over the skin, and then peel it off with the prickles in the tape. Not too super impressed about the fact that I would never have thought to bring sticky tape (mental note to self in future). She cried, she wanted to go home, but still she walked the path. I have never been prouder than in that moment. I asked if she needed to be carried for a while. The look of determination spread over her face, and she announced "no, I am doing this myself". Wow! I never expected that. It took about an hour for her to get over how sore her fingers were, and then it was back to discovering. We drank from streams, we watched the birds and looked for different kinds of fungus. we reached the hardest part of the climb, by about 12.30 and I thought "how on earth are they going to climb that?" it was a 400m climb of near vertical rock. The girls grabbed the chains and up they went, with us following behind in case of a slip! I was in awe of how they managed to find their footing, and choose their next route with such determination. By the time we made it to the top, it was cold, it was raining, and we couldnt see the amazing view because we were covered in cloud, but we were elated. Best of all, our 11 year old (who has confidence issues) was so amazed at herself, she truly thought she had conquered the world.

By the time we got to the bottom, we had jelly legs, and boy, do my legs still hurt 2 days later. We were tired, were were dirty, and we were grinning from ear to ear. Ava did the whole mountain without being carried, and she was defiant that she would do it all by herself.

I cannot express how proud I am of them, and we are already planning our next adventure. We would love you to join us!!

Treasure Hunt

Just thought I would add a snippet from a day we set our kids up for a treasure hunt. They had so much fun with their map, and collected all the items in their bag to bring back. We actually went to some second hand shops and bought "treasures" and put them in the bush for them to find, but the same could be done with finding natural items in the bush. Then its a great idea to create a "nature table" on which the kids can place things they have found, perhaps that are seasonal, so they can discover more about what they are and where they come from. The wonders of Google are always helpful when it come to these sorts of things, and will help them with how to organise school enquiry later on when it come to projects and set tasks.

A big Welcome and Hello!

Why get families outdoors? Quite simply, nature is good for us. Evidence shows that it is important, healthy and fun for children to have frequent and varied opportunities for play

outdoors—and especially outdoors with natural vegetation— as a part of their everyday lives. When they do, they are happier, healthier and smarter. They are more self-disciplined and focused. They are more self-confident, creative and cooperative. They are better problem-solvers, more optimistic and more physically fit. Family ties are strengthened, a sense of community is nourished, and a sense of place is cultivated. All in all, nature is good for children and their friends and family, too!

I have been wanting to start up a family group for the longest time now. We as a family endeavour wherever we can to get our kids out exploring, whether it be for a bushwalk, camping, spotlighting at night or going on a treasure hunt. While its fun doing it with our family, I was always of the mindset that it would be great if other families would share the adventure. Kids explore differently when they are doing it with other children. They love to share their discoveries with their peers and communicate and play as children. It is also healthy for kids to be encouraged to have a group of friends outside their school environment, so that if they ever have (heaven forbid) an issue with children at school, they still have other friends and playmates in their lives.

I dream of gathering families together for short hikes with the kids, to get a group together to do the glow worms at night, to have picnics, to explore and learn about our environment, and appreciate nature. I have already had interest expressed to me by various zoos and educational facilities that they would love to be involved, and my aim is that with the strength of large groups, we can harness the power of large group discounts and special tailored tours. Mainly though, the best things in life are free, so the majority of the get togethers will really just involve making the commitment to be there and showing up! 

There is no pressure to be involved more than you want to be. If you can't make it to the next organised day, no problems. The goal is really just to have fun, be creative and spend quality time in this great place we live!!

Any suggestions are helpful, and I would love if you sent me your details so I can keep you informed of the next outing.  See you on the outside!