Perfect screen break
DORSET UNPLUGGED: Are family holidays under threat from a tech takeover? looks at a new initiative to get kids outdoors.
ENERATION gaps have always been difficult to bridge, and the advance of technology seems to be widening the divide. Children may sigh when parents rattle on about how much better it was in their day, but in some instances perhaps, they do have a point.
Thirty years ago, school summer holidays would probably have been spent playing in the park or a back garden. But with iPads, Netflix and Minecraft now on offer, many children are tempted to spend most of their free time indoors.
According to a survey for the Enid Blyton Estate, 83 per cent of children prefer playing on devices and watching films, compared with 63 per cent who would rather be doing activities outside.
In an attempt to encourage children to unplug for the summer, the estate has teamed up with the National Trust to produce a series of activity suggestions which will be downloadable from enidblytonadventureday.co.uk in the coming weeks.
A good place to start would be Dorset, where the tales of adventure were set. Visit Corfe Castle on the Isle of Purbeck, which inspired the castle on Blyton’s Kirrin Island. As part of a Wildlife Walk, children are urged to explore the castle ruins searching for as many different animals as possible along the way. On August 11, the castle will also be hosting an Absolutely Smashing Day of Adventure to celebrate the author’s birthday.
Blyton’s characters frequently enjoyed bike rides around the countryside, and there are several different cycle routes in the area suitable for families. Visit www. visit-dorset.com/things-to-so/activities/ cycling for suggestions.
Fans of The Famous Five Go to Smuggler’s Top should walk along the Dorset Coast path which overlooks rocks once used by smugglers as a hiding place. Kids inspired by recent Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic World may also be keen to explore the Jurassic Coast, where some excellent fossils can be found.
If children still have too much energy to burn, it’s worth taking them to the Go Ape tree-top adventure park in Moors Valley Country Park, where they can try out 1,000 metres of high-rope crossings and zip wires across the New Forest.
To record memories, parents and children are invited to share adventures and pictures using #BlytonSummer on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ enidblytonclub) and Twitter (@ EnidBlytonClub). Now that’s something positive the older generation wouldn’t have been able to do in their day.