Children go wild about the great outdoors

Now, apparently in the age of computer games and risk aversion, children are spending 60 pet cent less time than their parents connecting with nature.

Nearly two out of three parents recall their first happy memory being out in the wilds, whereas only one in three children can bring to mind such natural reminiscences, according to a survey by the National Trust.

But the good news is that in the study of 1,000 parents and children, nearly every adult (96 per cent) and child (94 per cent) wanted to spend more time finding out about the wildlife around them.

As the summer holidays kick in, the National Trust has plans to help families do just that.

From den building to bat watching and mini-beast hunting to tickling a tarantula, there are scores of daring and audacious events on offer at trust properties across Yorkshire, as part of the conservation charity's Wild Child campaign.

Matthew Oates, nature conservation adviser at the National Trust, said: "My personal epiphany moment, when I became well and truly hooked on nature, happened before I was five-years-old.

"I vividly remember being shown an exquisite willow warbler's nest with miniscule eggs. A chance childhood encounter became a wonderful, lifelong passion.

"With mounting evidence that children can suffer both physically and mentally from a 'nature-deficit disorder', we're doing everything we can to bring young people and nature back together.

"May they have millions of magic moments."

In a bid to get more children playing outside and learning more about the world in which they live, the National Trust hopes the Wild Child campaign will get more children outside.

The multitude of adventures on offer across Yorkshire this summer – many of which are free – are designed to ensure that youngsters not only make the most of the great outdoors, but learn more about the wildlife around them.

Muddy knees and hands are guaranteed as children can, quite literally, go wild in the country.

Every child taking part in a Wild Child activity will be given a special Join In pack filled with ideas, crafts and activities as well as facts about birds, foxes, bats, squirrels, trees and lots more, they can use for even more untamed summer fun.

From joining in the search for insects and bugs at Rievaulx Terrace, at Helmsley, North Yorkshire, to bee-keeping and tracking deer at Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, there are no shortage of daring pursuits.

This is the second year the National Trust has run its Wild Child campaign. It was launched in response to the nation's rising childhood obesity levels, increasing ignorance about nature caused by spending too much time in front of televisions and computers, and parental concerns about "stranger danger" and physical harm while playing what used to be normal childhood games.

Many fear youngsters are being robbed of a healthy, active childhood.

Janet Bradley, visitor services and marketing manager at Nostell Priory and Parkland, said: "There is a lot of concern that children are not experiencing nature by making dens and mud pies, playing hide-and-seek and generally pushing themselves out of their normal comfort zone.

"The National Trust is one of the few places you can come out of your cocoon and get real access to nature and where children are encouraged to run around outdoors.

"At Nostell, for instance, we have 300 acres of parkland with tranquil lakeside walks, trails in the garden, a newly planted orchard, rose garden and adventure playground to go wild in, as well as the Wild Child activities and Boredom Busting days throughout the holidays.

"There really is no excuse with so much going on not to discover the wild child within this summer."

Many of the Wild Child events taking place at National Trust properties across the North-East are free once you have paid your normal admission charge.

To find out more about Wild Child events and activities and to test how wild you really are, go to www.wild-child.org.uk.

And for more great ideas of where to visit this summer, log on to www.nationaltrust.org.uk/yorkshire.

Children can also share their experiences by going wild outdoors and enter a competition to be a National Trust Ranger for a day.

Find out more at www.wild-child.org.uk/competition

NATURE LEAVES A LASTING IMPRESSION

Many of our much-loved wildlife experts can readily recall the moment they first got hooked on nature.

Sir David Attenborough

"When I was about eight I went looking for fossils in a disused ironstone quarry in Leicestershire. I hit a block of stone with my hammer. It broke in two and revealed the glinting, shiny shell of an ammonite, perfect in every detail.

"As I looked at it, marvelling at its beauty, it dawned on me that my eyes were the very first to see it since it had died at the bottom of a sea, millions of years ago."

Simon King – wildlife filmmaker and presenter of BBC Springwatch

On an encounter with a tawny owl, aged 12, in a woodland near Cheddar:

"I looked up to see the broad-winged, moon-faced bird glide silently over our heads no more than 10 metres away.

"It might be the fancy of a young boy's embellished memory, but I can still see the eyes of the owl, staring down and looking into my own.

"It was a breathless, timeless epiphany for me, the confluence of my hunger for knowledge, my passion for the wild world and my desire to be part of it."

Nick Baker – naturalist and wildlife presenter

"I was in Braemar accompanying my dad on a fishing trip and I was about three years old. I can't remember any other details other than the dipper that my dad pointed out to me.

"I was hooked more by this strange little dowdy bird and its peculiar lifestyle than any other event of that holiday – I can still see it in my mind's eye. Bobbing on a rock in a riffle before dashing off under the surface in search of dinner."