Simply telling kids to go outside won’t work, you have to persuade them
FROM MAP READING TO MAKING A CAMPFIRE, OLYMPIAN JAMES CRACKNELL HAS GONE BACK TO BASICS TO TEACH HIS GIRLS OUTDOOR SKILLS, HE TELLS LISA SALMON
JAMES Cracknell has won two Olympic rowing gold medals, raced across the Atlantic and the Sahara, and even made it to the South Pole. And now he’s completed another huge challenge which many of us struggle with, too – teaching his two young daughters lost outdoor skills.
The Olympian took to adventuring after retiring from competitive rowing in 2006, and has recently been putting his own outdoor skills to good use in Channel 4’s Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls.
James believes it’s a shame that many children have no outdoor nous, such as knowing how to light a campfire and map read. So, the 46-year-old teamed up with Vauxhall Motors and got his two daughters, Kiki, nine, and Trixie, seven, to put down their tablets and get out with him, so he could help them master some of the skills.
“We lead such busy lives,” James says, “for us as a family it’s really important to get outside for some quality time together. It’s been great to explore more of the outdoors with my girls – showing them a few skills has shown them how much fun you can have when you go back to basics.”
More than half of parents questioned by Vauxhall said their children have no outdoor skills, yet 83% think it’s important. However, almost half admitted they wouldn’t feel confident teaching children basics, like reading a map or identifying a flower.
James, who’s married to the TV presenter Beverley Turner, showed
his daughters how to light a fire after collecting firewood, how to use a compass and read a map. Their older brother, Croyde, 15, didn’t join them, but his dad says: “My lad’s really not afraid of anything that wriggles, jumps or crawls, and takes a lot less persuading to get into the outdoors, contrary to my wife! In all honesty, all the kids are happy to be outdoors – though it’s a bit trickier if it’s raining, they’d much rather be out in the sun.”
Some kids, of course, will take more than a little persuading to get off their phone or tablet to get outdoors to learn new skills, and James stresses: “Simply telling kids to go outdoors won’t work, and you can’t tell them to come off playing Fortnite to go outside. You might need to persuade them to go on a trip by bringing some gadgets with them, but once you’re there, they’ll realise how much fun it really is. After that, it’s no problem getting them outdoors.”
Like many children of his generation, James himself learned outdoor skills at Cubs and Scouts, and on family camping trips.
“As a child, I enjoyed most everyday outdoor activities. My family would always drive to France to camp, we never stayed in hotels and I hadn’t been on a plane until I was 18 for the World Championships.
“We also owned a canoe, so I’ve actually enjoyed rowing since childhood.
“To this day, I never travel without a map. With a satnav, you could be driving to anywhere and have no idea where you are.”
But James thinks parents should “definitely” learn outdoor skills themselves, noting: “Almost half of parents don’t feel confident in teaching their kids outdoor skills. The majority have to actually resort to the internet to do so, even though they feel these skills are important.”
He says this is why he wants to encourage more people to get outdoors, and points out it’s nice for children to learn skills and do activities that will still serve them well as grown-ups.
Finally, the dad and action man says that after his time on the survival reality TV show Celebrity Island, hosted by Bear Grylls, he wants to try living more simply – and avoid plastic when he can.
“I’m in no rush to eat coconuts, that’s for sure,” he laughs.
“One thing you notice on the island is the amount of plastic in the oceans, which is actually horrendous, so I’ll really avoid using single-use plastic.
“There’s a lot of simple things I want to go back to doing. This campaign is all about going back to basics, and my time on the island made me realise the joys of simplicity.
“The beauty of camping is that you don’t really need to have much with you to enjoy it, so I’m really looking forward to enjoying more of that with the family.”