DADVENTURES

Soft play. Two words that send a shudder through any right-thinking parent (or aunt, for that matter). Whatever happened to a piece of foil, a slightly sprouting potato and the remnants of a bonfire, I hear you ask? Quite right, the thrill of the campfire potato is something I have never forgotten. Poking at it with a stick, then munching on it through ashy mouthfuls when it was finally prodded out.

Olympian Alex Gregory (of rowing fame) shies away from any indoor antics and has compiled a list of adventures to encourage smalls to go outdoors and explore. The book is broken down into time-based chapters, from those adventures requiring 30 minutes or so to full-day explorations and overnight missions. From making a fire to building a hedgehog house, making dens to tracking animals, what some of us take for granted needs to be experienced by a new generation, and this book provides a good starting point.

As a patron of the British Exploring Society, Gregory has fulfilled his mantle well. Start them young, and they’ll remember that baked potato.