One in four city-dwelling kids have never seen a deer or bird of prey, according to a new survey commissioned by THE CAMPING and CARAVANNING CLUB, and 39% of city children only visit the countryside a maximum of three times a year.
The poll of 1,000 city-based parents and their children aged six to 12 also found 21% of youngsters have never attempted to climb a tree while 35% have never slept in a tent. Others have never been camping (32%), eaten a meal that was cooked on a camp stove (39%) or gone crabbing in rockpools (41%).
The research comes as its new Club president Hamza Yassin celebrates National Camping and Caravanning Week by launching a new initiative to provide people with essential wildlife and camping experiences.
Hamza, who took more than 40 first-time campers to the countryside to teach them about British wildlife, said, “I love going camping, connecting with nature and experiencing wildlife. It’s something I believe all children should have the opportunity to do – because let’s face it – they are the future when it comes to protecting our natural world.” The study also found 63% of parents whose child has visited a rural area believe their youngster would like to experience it more with 46% saying their kids often express an interest in visiting the countryside.
Of those who don’t visit rural areas as much as they would like to, 54% cited ‘lack of time’ as the biggest reason for this while 36% find distance to be the biggest barrier. Despite this, 55% of all parents claim their child prefers being outdoors rather than indoors – and 31% believe them to be very interested in nature and wildlife.
Sabina Voysey, Director General of The Camping and Caravanning Club, said, “Spending time in the outdoors through camping can be an amazing experience for children, giving them a sense of wonder and freedom. The research shows that unfortunately not all children have easy access to the wonderful outdoors for various reasons, which is something we wanted to change through our work with our new president, Hamza.”
The research showed that 88% of parents believe it is important for their son or daughter to experience the great outdoors, with 87% wishing they had more outdoor learning opportunities at school. But more than half (54%) of those who believe their child doesn’t spend enough time outside often worry they could be missing out on key childhood experiences as a result.
Hamza added, “Learning in the outdoors not only teaches children to protect and respect the natural world, it supports all of their learning needs, especially for those who have learning difficulties, like I have with my dyslexia. It gives children the freedom to explore, enhancing their creativity, imagination, and fostering a sense of adventure.
“Camping and sleeping in the outdoors is one of the best ways to experience this, as it puts nature front of mind. This is why, in my new role I want to make camping accessible for as many people as possible. As well as the camping event, I’ve also created a ‘connecting with nature’ ACTIVITY PACK, which is free to access.”
Traynor On The Trail 