Sam
As a parent, I always try and get my boys outside and playing. When I was younger my parents always had us out cycling or hiking and even though sometimes I told them I hated it, secretly I did enjoy it. Now I have two boys of my own I try and get outdoors as much as we can and write about the adventures we have. When Persil got in touch about their #DirtIsGood Campaign I jumped at the chance to get involved.
Now don’t get me wrong sometimes as a family we can’t always get outdoors (sometimes life just gets in the way) but we will always try even if it is raining to get outside for a bit. So when Persil got in touch and revealed that three quarters of children in the UK spend less time outside than prisoners, it did shock me. However, I suppose times have changed and technology has taken over family life and it is true that many families spend their time indoors and not getting out into the fresh air.
Dirt is Good Campaign
You can see a video below of their campaign where they asked children about outdoor play
It really does pull your heartstrings that some children don’t get to be children any more and have fun outside getting dirty and just enjoying their childhood. You look out into the streets and you don’t see children outside climbing trees, skipping, running about… it really does need to change.
As we have just moved house my garden is currently out of bounds, however, it is going to be getting a makeover in the next few weeks (hopefully) and then we can get my boys’ outdoor toys (trampoline, slide, basketball hoop, their little house) back in so they can have some fun.
Now for some facts from Persil’s Dirt is Good Campaign where they polled 12,000 parents worldwide, were in the UK the top excuses for not getting outdoors were the unreliable British weather (82 per cent), lack of time (31 per cent) and children wanting to stay inside (31 per cent).
Traditional British outdoor games are also in decline, as the research found:
- Over half of under 7’s (55 per cent) have never attempted a game of conkers before
- Almost two fifths (38 per cent) have never played ‘Stuck in the Mud’
- Nearly eight out of ten parents (77 per cent) admit that their children often refuse to play games without some form of technology being involved
- Three quarters (75 per cent) report that their child prefers to play virtual sports on a screen inside rather than playing ‘real’ sports outside
My two boys are only 4 and 1 and the only technology we allow are TV and their tablet (for the older one). However, they don’t get to play games unless they are educational. My eldest son loves nothing more than going outside on his bike or his scooter or even looking for elves and fairies on his walks.
Now if you are interested in joining in with the Dirt is Good Campaign then you can head over to their website – Dirt is Good for lots of ideas on getting dirty. Also if you do have an outdoor adventure why not use the #DirtIsGood and get involved.
In the next few weeks, I’ll be writing more about some of our outdoor adventures and the importance of getting outdoors with your kids. Do you get outdoors as a family? Or do you struggle to get the kids away from their TVs/Computers?
Disclaimer: This article is in collaboration with Persil. However, the words are my own and 100% my own opinion.
