1. Have a cricket tournament There’s nothing like learning to bowl a cricket ball to inspire a love of the game. So grab a bat and a ball (a softball rather than the traditional cricket ball) and set up a cricket pitch in your local park. For a fun history of the sport, as well as rules and tall tales, visit www.cricket-game.co.uk.
2. Discover the wildlife See the rare Konik pony at Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire; watch otters at play in Stackpole in Pembrokeshire; or spot the endangered red squirrel on Brownsea Island in Dorset. Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wildlifewalks for an excursion in your area.
3. Frisbee competition Piggy in the middle (one in the middle while two throwers throw the disc to one another); disc golf (send it spinning along the grass to a ‘hole’); or target practice (where you aim for a certain object) are all good games to play.
4. Teddy Bear's Picnic If you go out in the woods today... the whole family will have some fun. Learn songs and take a few storybooks with you (Winnie-The-Pooh and Goldilocks And The Three Bears are spot on).
5. Go on a National Parks day event Visit www.nationalparks.gov.uk and search Events for a date and location that suits you.
6. Cloudwatching Pick a shady tree, roll out your rug, then watch the sky go by. Try looking for the animals, the machines, the monsters and the people in the cloud shapes. Before you’re faced with any questions by your budding meteorologist, you might want to know your cirrus from your cumulus, so visit www.42explore.com/clouds.htm, where children can also explore a Cool Clouds link; there are also excellent suggestions for projects to do once you get home.
7. Fly a kite All you need for a spot of kite-flying is a wide open space and something that flies. For links to the templates and designs for making your own kite, visit www.oneskyoneworld.org; if you would rather watch the experts at work, visit www.kitecalendar.co.uk for a list of kite-flying events around the country. Expert tips and advice on technique and safety are available at www.thekitesociety.org.uk
8. Run a caterpillar race Each of you can find a caterpillar (or a worm, or an ant, depending on the wildlife available). Get your racer on to a piece of paper or a leaf so they can all set off from the same start line.
9. Tell time by the sun Before you head to the park, make your own sundial to keep track of time. Visit www.sundials.co.uk for instructions (note, stick to the easier ones).
10. Collect colours Parks are bursting with colour so encourage your child to collect leaves and stones to make a ‘colour diary’ of what they see. If the park has restrictions on removing these objects, take digital photographs.
