Parents 'should take toddler backpacks with reins in the countryside'

Parents wanting to teach their kids about nature should strap on their children's backpacks with reins, pack up the Hatley rainwear and head into the countryside.

According to the Countryside Foundation for Education, introducing youngsters to the natural world is an "integral part of life".

Trips to rural areas can show little ones where food comes from and how farm land is managed, chief executive officer at the organisation Gary Richardson explained.

"I think unless we know where the basics of life come from and who are responsible for delivering it we are a lesser society because of it," he remarked.

Mr Richardson was reacting to recent research carried out by the University of Hertfordshire, which found that some middle-class families are paranoid about the perceived dangers of the countryside.

In a sample survey, 59 per cent of kids said they would like to go to the great outdoors more often.

Senior lecturer in rural geography Debbie Pearlman Hougie suggested countryside visits need to become "cool and trendy".

Posted by Eileen Kirk