So today I came across a posting online titled “51 Things To Do Before You Turn 10”. It is along the lines of the list put out by the National Trust – which is “50 Things To Do Before You Turn 11 3/4”
The National Trust list is, of course, about getting outside and in touch with nature. Anyway, I like the idea of both the lists. The nature one is great as it gets our now city/suburban kids outdoors and back into a natural environment – especially as they spent two years living in North Norfolk, UK – where they had their Forest School, countless beaches and the National Trust – including Sheringham Park with [Little Acorns], Felbrigg Hall & Blickling Estate. There are several basic things which I’d like to “teach” the kids – some, of course, won’t be able to be done now but as Soren is approaching 8, there are tons he has already learned but many to come.
We’ll start with the LAUNDRY! Just today I asked Soren to pick up his jeans from his floor and put them in the third drawer or in the laundry basket. His reply and I quote “ah grrrrr, I’m so not the laundry man!” LOL – oh yeah, I’m the laundry lady – he’ll also now go on the two-week cycle 🙂
- Learn to knit
- Learn to cook – the basics like boiling an egg
- Make your own bed…..properly
- Have a penpal in a few random countries
- Learn to code
- Make a stop motion movie
- Do a random act of kindness
- Learn to crochet
- Dye or cut your hair for charity
- Grow something edible from seeds
- Build a treehouse
- Run around in the rain
- Fly a kite
- Roll down a big hill
- Make a daisy chain
- Find a geocache
- Read a classic book
- Write and post a letter
- Go on a walk at night with a torch
- Catch a falling autumn leaf
- Taste a snowflake on your tongue
- Make snow angels
- Play conkers
- Learn numbers 1-10 in a few languages
- Learn to play a musical instrument
- Make perfume in the garden with flowers and herbs
- Go pond dipping
- Make a bow and arrow
- Learn how to work the washing machine
- Go camping in your back garden
- Try a new food you’ve never tried before
- Watch bats flying at dusk
- Bake a cake
- Hold an animal
- Visit an old person
- Learn to ride a bike
- See the sun come up
- Lie on your back and watch clouds
- Take a photograph with a proper camera (not a phone)
- Learn a magic trick
- Learn which birds are which by looking at them
- Toast marshmallows
- Go to the theatre
- Learn how to dance (Irish/Ballet/Waltz)
- Have an adventure
- Interview a grandparent about what it was like being a kid in the olden days
- Write a story or poem
- Make Ice Cream
- Save up for something big
- Know where milk comes from really
- See a calf/lamb/foal being born
“50 Things To Do Before You Are 11 3/4”
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1.Climb a tree
- 2.Roll down a really big hill
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3.Camp out in the wild
- 4.Build a den
- 5.Skim a stone
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6.Run around in the rain
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7.Fly a kite
- 8.Catch a fish with a net
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9.Eat an apple straight from a tree
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10.Play conkers
Level 2 – Discoverer
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11.Go on a really long bike ride
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12.Make a trail with sticks
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13.Make a mud pie
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14.Dam a stream
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15.Play in the snow
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16.Make a daisy chain
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17.Set up a snail race
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18.Create some wild art
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19.Play pooh sticks
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20.Jump over waves
Level 3 – Ranger
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21.Pick blackberries growing in the wild
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22.Explore inside a tree
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23.Visit a farm
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24.Go on a walk barefoot
- 25.Make a grass trumpet
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26.Hunt for fossils and bones
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27.Go star gazing
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28.Climb a huge hill
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29.Explore a cave
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30.Hold a scary beast
Level 4 – Tracker
- 31.Hunt for bugs
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32.Find some frogspawn
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33.Catch a falling leaf
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34.Track wild animals
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35.Discover what’s in a pond
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36.Make a home for a wild animal
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37.Check out the crazy creatures in a rock pool
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38.Bring up a butterfly
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39.Catch a crab
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40.Go on a nature walk at night
Level 5 – Explorer
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41.Plant it, grow it, eat it
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42.Go swimming in the sea
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43.Build a raft
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44.Go bird watching
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45.Find your way with a map and compass
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46.Try rock climbing
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47.Cook on a campfire
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48.Learn to ride a horse
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49.Find a geocache
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50.Canoe down a river