The importance of puddle jumping!

I was shocked to read that many kids nowadays never go out and get good and dirty, puddle jumping, climbing trees, skimming ponds and mucking about with creepy crawlies. A recent survey showed that many kids thought that cows actually hibernate in the winter and that cod are freshwater fish and can be found in rivers!

It's something that has already concerned local members of the Reading and District Natural History Society. Together with the guys at Basildon Park, they've come up with a programme of bug-based activities for youngsters - despite what could be horrible weather! As a kid, I used to love going out into the fields, building dens, though I never did like bugs, I knew how to spot a butterfly from a moth and I kept a menagerie of guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits and tadpole-come-frogs! It's a great pity our kids nowadays don't seem to have the time for that sort of fun!

If you want to find out more about what's available at Basildon Park for your youngsters - go to www.rdnhs.org.uk or www.nationaltrust.org.uk.