Bushcraft Dad, Lock-Down Living, ‘Do real things’
Dad.info last spoke to Nathan Beard about his Dad and Daughter days in the woods – Are YOU wild at heart? and so we know that he spends his life outside and enjoys travel and spending time with his family in wide-open spaces. Nathan also trains humanitarian emergency response workers who are presently engaged in helping many nations respond to the Pandemic.
Given Nathan’s inclination to be outdoors and enjoy wide open spaces with his family, lock-down could easily seem untenable. However, as it is a national necessity Nathan has been eagerly exploring the possibilities of adventure at home. To cope with the current restrictions Nathan is carefully managing his daily news intake and is focussing on doing ‘real things’ and recommends you do to.
Has anyone else noticed how much time we are spending staring at screens? In this digital-first world it seems natural to sit on Houseparty or Zoom all day, or simply play Xbox or watch Disney+? Nathan knows that isn’t working for him or his kids and is clear, “When I work and play practically, using my senses of touch, sight, smell, hearing and taste, it draws me back to the real world. Some part of me relaxes when I do this. It satisfies a deep desire to go through a simple process and see something completed. It invigorates the child like sense of wonder in me, and helps me exercise gratitude.”
Doing real things is the antidote to the digital world.
Nathan is right of course, it is well documented that exposure to greenspace reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, preterm birth, stress, and high blood pressure. More of a challenge now than ever, but if you do have a scrap of garden or can walk or drive a short distance to a green area then do try as long as you can do so safely and with respect to other vulnerable people.
However, you don’t have to go outside to experience real things. Nathan has been cooking carrot soup for example. Super simple, just carrots, onions and celery and a long cook up. The trick though Nathan says is to stop for a moment and “breathe in the scent of frying onions. It is funny how I sense the need for permission not to hurry and make an active choice to avoid missing pleasures as basic as an aroma.”
So what else does Nathan suggest we could be doing with our kids in the real world? “I’ve been proactively fixing things, playing with my kids in the garden, cooking and taking notice of the natural world while out on my daily exercise.”
Let us know what real world things you are trying with your kids.
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Find out more about Nathan at his website – Nathan Beard Ventures
