It’s the final week of the holidays.
Time is a blur. Bedtime’s a myth and routine’s a rumour. Everyone’s barefoot and slightly sunburnt.
But this is not the time to tap out.
This is Round Two of the Outside Kids Summer Survival Series: your last chance to hurl some chaotic magic at the memory bank before the lunchbox grind begins.
Below are 8 gloriously low-stakes missions: climb a tree and eat lunch like a woodland cryptid, build a bug trap with jam and hope, or just lie in the grass and argue about cloud shapes.
Finish strong. Finish weird. Your legend status awaits.
1. Eat Up A Tree
Like a squirrel. But with Babybels
What you’ll need:
A sturdy tree with low, strong branches
A small backpack with easy-to-eat food (wraps, Babybels, grapes - nothing oozy)
A flask of hot chocolate
Optional: a towel or mini blanket for tree-limb luxury
How to do it:
Find a solid climbing tree, nothing too high, ideally with a few horizontal limbs for sitting. Kids should climb using three points of contact at all times (two feet and one hand, or vice versa). Dads, you’re the safety crew: go up behind them and keep close.
Once you’re settled in a safe perch, unpack your snacks and soak in the world from your new canopy canteen like a family of highly evolved squirrels.
Tell a story up there - make one up, or share a memory. Trees have a way of making kids think differently. It might be the view. Or the oxygen to the brain.
Why it’s great:
It’s equal parts adventure and mealtime. Being up a tree shifts perspective, physically and mentally. It gives kids a taste of bravery, lets them move their bodies in new ways, and sparks imagination. Plus, that hot chocolate hits different when you’re six feet off the ground pretending to be a leaf ninja.