Because being a Dad is wild. One minute you’re being used as a climbing frame, the next you’re wiping yoghurt off the ceiling while Googling “Can toddlers overdose on blueberries?”

It’s beautiful, messy chaos. And somehow, in the middle of it all, we’re meant to raise kind, curious, confident, resilient, socially adept, nature-loving kids - while also staying emotionally available, physically present, and not completely knackered.

Oooft.

And this is where Outside Kids comes in.

I’m Henry. I’m a Dad of two with a fairly well-worn passport. In 2010, I jumped on a bicycle in the UK and pointed my front wheel east. I Forrest-Gumped my way across 30 countries over two years on $5 a day budget and eventually reached the Sydney Opera House, with tired legs and a decent farmer’s tan.

I stuck around for over a decade and started We Are Explorers - a B Corp-certified media company helping Aussies live adventurously and protect their wild places. We’ve impacted millions of readers through storytelling, bought and saved rainforest, threw an adventure festival, and were even voted the #1 travel publication in the country in 2024.

Then I came back to the UK last year with two nutters in tow, a thousand ideas buzzing in my noggin, and an unrelenting itch to keep creating stuff that actually matters. At the heart of my brainstorming were my three greatest passions: writing, adventuring and being a dad.

Enter Outside Kids.

It’s a weekly field guide. A reminder. A rally cry.

Each week I’ll send you stories, ideas, recommendations, parenting fails, nature wins, tips, tricks, and hopefully a few laughs, all aimed at helping you spend more quality time outside with your kids.

But this isn’t just another newsletter. It’s a community; a loose gang of dads trying things, failing often, occasionally getting it right and learning from each other as we go.

I’ve got ideas too. Big, juicy adult ADHD ones. A podcast? Books? Campouts? Merch? Maybe even a rogue festival where no one sleeps and someone inevitably loses a shoe. But first things firs, I want to shape this newsletter with you guy - find the sweet spot, hit a rhythm and build something that fires up the imagination and gets us out the door.

Selfishly? I needed the nudge.

When I make the effort to get outside with my kids - even just for an hour - something shifts. In them. In me. In the whole bloody vibe of the day. But I’m also a busy, flawed human with too many tabs open in my head. This project forces me to try harder. To say yes to the muddy walk. To plan the camping trip. To turn off the screens and lean into the bedlam.

You win. They win. Winner winner, chicken dinner.

I want Outside Kids to be that weekly nudge for you too. Not a lecture. Not a guilt trip. Just an honest, relatable, useful kick up the arse to get outside and connect with your kids, in whatever way works for your life.

Technically, this is for Dads with kids aged around 3 to 16 - that golden window of chaos, curiosity, and full-blown outdoor adventure potential. But honestly? This is for any Dad, or Mum, at any stage of the ride.

Expecting your first kid? You’re in the right place.

Got a newborn? Time to buy a baby carrier and charge the headtorch.

We took our firstborn camping when he was six weeks old. There’s a photo from that trip, him beaming in a rug that swamps his tiny body. He might’ve been letting out a squelchy one at the time, but it’s framed in my hallway and it still wrecks me in the best possible way.

Even if your kids are older - heck, even if they’ve moved out - I reckon Outside Kids will hit. It’s got that whiff of nostalgia. That reminder of what mattered, and still does.

Because this isn’t just about kids. It’s about connection. It’s about showing up.

The parenting world is overwhelmingly geared toward mums. Which is fine. Mums are amazing. But Dads? We’re often treated like sidekicks. At best, well-meaning buffoons. At worst, invisible.

We’re different. Not better. Not worse. Just wired differently. Science says we often bond through play - roughhousing, building, exploring, flinging things into rivers. That’s not just “fun,” that’s essential. It boosts confidence, social skills, brain development. All the good stuff.

So this space is for us. A place to lean into our strengths, shake off the shame, and show up better. As Dads. As blokes. As humans.

Kids today are spending less time outside than any generation before. They’re glued to screens, locked into algorithms, sold junk, and told to sit still. It’s quite frankly one of the greatest health challenges of our time, not just for parents but for society as a whole. Smartphones are re-formatting our children and in doing so harming their mental health in ways we’re beginning to understand. It terrifies me.

But there’s still time to flip the script and I firmly believe that being outdoors is the best possible antidote.

It’s how we raise wild, kind, planet-loving humans - kids who know how to get dirty, make fire, read a map, climb trees and give a damn. They just need the right role models. They need us.

Thanks again for signing up. I hope I can consistently deliver something valuable — something that helps you deepen the relationship you’re building with your kids in a real, meaningful way.

If this hits you in the gut (or the heart), do me a favour: share it with another dad. A mate. A brother. Your old man. Anyone fumbling their way through fatherhood and trying to do it a little better.

Let’s build a movement. Bring snacks.